THE PERVS
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Cult Melbourne band The Pervs never quite achieved the recognition of contemporaries, and at times stablemates, The Lime Spiders and The Birthday Party, but were pioneers of the dark anarchic side of the New Wave, following Punk in the late seventies. Their stripped-down sound, built around the original trio of ‘Nestor Biters’ (Neil Corey), ‘Swaggie Clive’ (Clive Barker) and ‘Howler’ (Howard Barker) featured heavy feedback and early sampling.
Their landmark first EP (1978, vinyl) 'Pervin' offered four tracks:
- ‘Peggy Sue/Chlamydia’
- ’Back From The Dead’
- They Drove Cortinas
- Did You Want To See Me?
The record scored good reviews on specialist radio shows and fanzines but failed to secure a distribution deal (the guaranteed supply to a specialist shop) and existed largely as a word-of-mouth endorsement.
Their follow-up album Perversion, the band name now ‘The Perves’ - considered a major concession to mainstream tastes – again struggled with distribution, (pressing plants now breaking down) – and comprised of eight tracks: a surprisingly faithful rendition of The Saints’ 'Oh Perfect Day’ and more surprisingly, a version of Lerner and Lowe’s ‘On The Street Where You Live’ from the musical ‘My Fair Lady’. Here Corey’s vocals (it would be generous to describe then as singing) are reduced to a sneering whisper.
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Other tracks included
'Only I can play'
'Breakdown, Breakout'
'Deep Divide'
'Kerry Sat On Me'
'Prove It'
'Out Loud'
‘Only I Can Play’
Corey remained the sole lyricist and visionary of the band. His partnership with The Barkers, originating in high school in Bacchus Marsh before all three moved to Melbourne to study at The RMIT. None survived their first year and found themselves working as delivery van drivers, often for bands playing at venues around the city.
Neil lists his influences as Velvet Underground, Joy Division and Can. He had elementary music training (his mother was a music teacher) but did not feel he could contribute anything on an instrument. Clive and Howard on the other hand had no music training and taught themselves listening to records and watching some specialist TV shows. Using borrowed instruments, they improvised most of their songs while taping ostensible demos for venues. Management was simply part of being in an underground or unsigned band
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The band’s gigs consequently remained erratic and poorly publicised. But they seemed to have preferred it this way. Neil, in his trademark Rayburns and all black – through a variety of hairstyles – fostered an equally unpredictable stage presence, leaping about, shuffling dance steps, crouching and rolling on the floor, hopelessly entwined with the microphone cable. The Perves lived up to their name for perversity and subversion.
The gigs were generally shared with two of three other bands and often they merged or splinted for particular songs or depending upon relations on the night. Neil seems to have thrived on the shifting line-ups, particularly when there was opportunity to include a female in the band, if not as vocalist then as muse on their record covers.
Corey’s rumored partner at the time, Lavinia Debeest (real name) actually appeared as neither but was promoted in a number of related bands and gigs, perhaps the most intriguingly named being ‘Poohandle & The Fling Flings’. Although they seem to have never actually performed.
Record cover designs remained a sore point with Neil. While contemporary bands like The Birthday Party and Died Pretty flaunted macabre and morbid imagery (and spent a lot on top designers) he felt they overdid it. They resorted to the banal and cliches and cheapened the true dark themes. Perves’ covers remained resolutely austere, as did their gig flyers often the work of Corey or Dubeest.
The band’s next release Pervasive was probably their high point. A ten-track vinyl LP, it saw them signed to the Goner record label (stablemates with The Cosmic Psychos) and granted a tour of Melbourne and Geelong venues, and from them, sales. This was the era of ‘buy off the bar’ to counter swindles at record shops. Pervasive saw them augment their sound with a keyboards player – Dave What-A-Difference-A – and saxophone (Dubeest). The tracks are more expansive, anticipating the space allowed by CDs and saw lyrics broadening and becoming more allusive.
- Doxin
- Grandiose
- Hallelujah
- I die, U dye
- Sewer Side
- Oh, Haven’t I?
- Pierce
- The Test
- Bad Vibrations
- Hip Priest
This was also the point where internal divisions arose. Clive wanted to play synthesiser, but was told bluntly by Neil that he was “not up to it”. Howard wanted to record some of his songs, but was similarly told they were “not up to it”. New members struggled with the rehearsal dynamic and things had to become more orderly.
The record was well received and there was talk of further tours. They would have accompanied The Saints (with whom they were friendly) on their second British tour, but at the last minute were denied passports and visas. Neil blamed police reports from some of their early gigs. Tours to other states never eventuated. Newer bands started to get all the attention.
Neil shifted record labels, to the feisty Disgust, but they were smaller and eventually closed. He launched Irrefutable Records as a boutique label, returning to the self-management practices of the band’s origin. But whatever following the band may have had, had evaporated. By 1984, then band called it a day. There were sporadic reformings for one-off gigs, but the band had gone their separate ways.
Neil felt he had no more to say, or at least to sing, and pursued writing. His website lists a household of a cook and coachman, many large dogs and Dubeest listed as char lady. All of which is to be taken with a grain of salt. Clive moved into band management, having cultivated cordial relations with many commercially successful bands. He prospered. Howard took over the delivery van business, successfully expanding it throughout Australia and in 2015 sold it for an undisclosed amount to a Chinese company. He then retired to Switzerland with his wife, although rumours suggest he has a young mistress there.
The Perves nearly made it, but remained an uncompromising reflection of their time and place. Interestingly, a younger generation has begun to rediscover them.
