Well this is about Krank ‘n’ Spank some of the bands I played with, my friend did this overview!! enjoyTales of madness, addiction and love gone wrongKrankKRANK formed in Brisbane in September 1992 when guitarist Stewart (ex Horny Toads and Sanity Assassins, Reptile House) and keyboardist Iain ‘Id’ Clacher (ex-Dementia 13) took up residence in a block of ‘haunted’ flats opposite the Mater Hospital.They had played together in a Brisbane band called Reptile House (1988-9) along with Robert Warren, who would go on to play bass in Died Pretty and in a London-based garage-Detroit outfit called 69 RPM (1990-1).Back in Brisbane the collaborators started developing songs half-written in London as well as working on new material combining doomy atmospherics inspired by the likes of Crime and the City Solution with a garage-Detroit bite.Using such influences as bait they advertised for a singer and got just one bite – from vampire-toothed tenor Angelo Mostratos, troubled ex-lead singer of Brisbane’s early 80s Birthday Party enthusiasts, Sister Christmas.Stories of Angelo’s addiction and consequent prison problems were well known, but when he turned up to jam, he was drug-free, in fine voice and eager for expression. His melancholy voice and sorrowful story-telling lyrics fit perfectly with the sound of the songs.A period of flourishing creativity ensued, and the trio rounded out the line-up with bassist (and future drummer) Simon Walker and former Sanity Assassins and Reptile House drummer Cameron Earle.Krank made a blistering and debauched debut at the underground music and art space Boulder Lodge in November 1992; and the buzz about the band spread quickly, sparking interviews and reviews in the street press, a hot live-to-air performance on 4ZZZ and support performances for the likes of Front End Loader, Dead Flowers and one of the band’s heroes, Kim Salmon and his Surrealists.Angelo brought with him his own back catalogue of songs such as Jack The Knife (by Sister Christmas) and Song in a Dead Arm as well as a taste for Jacques Brel covers such as Amsterdam, the latter working well when a stripped-down Krank played cafes and more intimate venues. Certainly, he brought realism and credibility to songs about life from an outsider’s perspective.Though sometimes he dressed with the flourishes of a Gothic fop, Angelo -- according to one tongue-in-cheek reviewer at least – was also responsible for rescuing the plain white singlet from the WWII generation and making it ‘cool’. It certainly helped mark Krank as different.Appropriately, each Krank (and later Spank) gig ended with Exodus. The last of the song’s three ‘Acts’ builds into a crescendo of swirling noise as the guitar goes into a Funhouse-style wah wah overload, clumps of chord clusters rain onto the piano, the organ peaks out with sustained glissandos and Angelo sings a Gospel of extreme violence to the Lord himself, bragging that he’s taken “this here Devil†by the hand (and the hoof) and tearing him “from whim to slim reasonâ€.The passion of the performances was well received by enthusiastic audiences who got off on the seemingly serious sturm und drang of it all. Others found it too melodramatic for their taste; and certainly, a song like The Pistol and the Flower has more a Vintage bite than mere Tasty.Somewhere along the way Earle left to be replaced by on drums by Simon Walker; while bassist Chris slotted in on bass.Sadly, playing in bands and hanging around in nightclubs is not conducive to healthy living, and tragically, by May 1993, Mostratos faltered and relapsed into the addiction that had previously seen him “thrown in jails all over the worldâ€.Along with payment for a Lismore gig and Chris’s bass amp, Mostratos suddenly disappeared in June 1993. He popped up at a Swoop gig in 1994, but none have reported sightings since.It was a terrible shame. Prior to his disappearance, Mostratos had written some of his finest lyrics for the haunting song of poverty and desperation, Lot 3.SpankAfter a brief break, Krank morphed into Spank with the addition of Wendy Seary (AKA Leary) on vocals.Though she spoke in a childlike whispered lisp, the bottle-blond chanteuse was a bona fide legend on Brisbane’s underground music scene thanks to her time as lead singer for Lovs è Blur. In the mid 80s, Lovs è Blur’s acidic jazz-tinged cabaret sound attracted national attention. But it lasted all too briefly. In those days, Brisbane bands were forced to relocate to Sydney if they were to stand any chance of becoming more than just hobbyists.Wendy set about recasting many of the songs with her own lyrics and melodies. Though most lyrics were completely overhauled, the band retained Angelo’s original lyrics for Song in A Dead Arm and some sections of Exodus.Wendy’s presence also allowed Spank to incorporate songs such as Nina Hagen’s Born in Xixax into the live set.With Angelo’s departure, Chris left to live the life of a traveller, so until its demise, Spank operated with an ever-changing lineup of bassists, most cohesively with ex-Hotel Breslin guitarist Carl Young (then on loan from Rubber Bug), who also provided the Coltrane-inspired saxophone squawks on the demo recording of House of Dreams.Spank made its debut supporting friends Barb in 1993. The finale of the set was a cover of The Stooges’ Dirt with Wendy and Barb singer Dirt Petty trying to outshine each other on vocals – instead, managing merely to push each other out of key. Still, the audience didn’t seem to mind.Though generally enjoyed by audiences, Spank failed to build momentum and the all-important ‘buzz’ required for any band to flourish. Despite the JJJ-driven success of Brisbane bands such as Regurgitator and Custard in the early 90s, original live local music was on the wane as young audiences flocked to dance music and hoteliers to poker machines. Watch out kiddies, sooner than later, everyone turns unfashionable!Internal troubles also played their part. And as is the wont of legends, Wendy was always late, always blaming “Veraâ€, her 1964 Renault, or not showing up at all. Rehearsals became one long instrumental jam session on Funkadelic’s Maggot Brain – an appropriate choice. With little in the way of new material, Spank ground to a halt.The band played its final gig at a Gothic club at the Normanby Hotel, Petrie Terrace in December 1994 with Ed Boiling (69RPM) on bass. Renamed “Junk Circus†for this trashy occasion, it all ended with a suitably sick, bang-up rant on Nick Cave the Bad Seeds’ tale of madness, addiction and love gone wrong, From Her To Eternity.
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