Modular People

"You can't overestimate the importance of this band." - Tom Ellard (Severed Heads)

The Reels incited a revolution from the background. Their electronic pioneering and Oz Rock reactionism was actualised as a subtle surge of musical creativity. They produced music for music's sake, deeply beautiful and melodic with small hints of experimentation. It was, however, their accessibility and understated insurgence that allowed them to shift the focus of Australian music from the stadium to the synthesiser.

In the late seventies the creative isolation of Dubbo in country New South Wales was the home of Native Son, an unassuming four piece cover band that was all to ready to update its surroundings and its repertoire. After moving to Sydney in 1978 the band changed it's name to the quirky Brucelanders before finally settling on The Reels. During this period the underground music scene was introduced to an intoxicatingly energetic group obsessed with love, anguish and upbeat ska. Live performances by The Reels were whirlwinds of endless jumping, gleeful antics and striking costumes as they quickly gained a well deserved reputation as one of the best live bands in Sydney. 1979 saw The Reels picked up by Mercury Records where they released their debut single "Love Will Find A Way", a track that captured the bands ironic mixture of contemplative lyrics and chargey off beat spark.

In 1981 the band lessened the pace but retained their dance vibe as musical maturity drove them towards subtle experimentation and the creation of one of Australian music's greatest albums, Quasimodo's Dream. Lyrically that effervescent enthusiasm of the band's debut was replaced by a cold sorrow while musically they ventured into the electronic without producing noise or feedback. Their dance experimentation peaked with the follow up single "No.3" which was recorded using one of the new and frighteningly expensive Fairlight Synthesisers.

Outside of the studio The Reels continued to express themselves with a series of outlandish tours. It all began in the mid 80s with the launch of "Reels By Rail", a tour where the band insisted on traveling to all of its destinations by train. Their penchant for performance came to the fore during the "Kitchen Man Tour" where the stage was adorned with a fully equipped Australian Kitchen and in 1987 the "Reels By Request" tour where audience members had to yell out what song they would like the band to play next. Soon after releasing the incredibly successful cover album Beautiful, David Mason was forced to stop performing due to illness. This news effectively broke up the band and despite Mason's recovery they officially disbanded in 1989.

An anecdote from the 2001 APRA awards night provides a suitable metaphor for Mason's delicate brilliance. "It was a great night," he recalls. "My award was this glass bowl and I was talking to Billy Thorpe. We were talking about his (LSD) tripping experiences and mine, and we laughed so hard that I dropped the bloody thing. It smashed everywhere in the middle of the floor." (Guy Blackman, The Age, May 25, 2007)

Fifteen years later David Mason released the album, Reelsville which resurrected The Reels confirming their resolute and dedicated relationship with the post punk genre.

The Reels are performing with Severed Heads and Stephen Mallinder (Cabaret Voltaire) at the Becks' Festival Bar on January 14th as part of Circa 1979: Signal to Noise and The Sydney Festival.

Tickets on sale now.