The Psycho Surgeons – Horizontal Action 7″

This lovely little gem by legendary Aussie punkers, The Psycho Surgeons, is like a time capsule of first-wave punk: crude, snotty, and primitive in just the right proportions. Which makes total sense when you learn that the founding members of the band were inspired to pick up instruments thanks to the Ramones’ self-titled debut in July 1976. Propulsive drums, trebly guitar, and lyrics of questionable moral character round out the formula.

Mark Taylor (guitar) and David Taylor (drums) played in a few short-lived bands before forming The Psycho Surgeons, taking the name from a shocking headline in a local newspaper. The band were associated with the Oxford Funhouse in Sydney, which was run by members of Radio Birdman. It didn’t take long for the band to acquire a reputation, and were known for a time as the most hated band in Sydney. One has to wonder what they did to acquire such a reputation…

The original pressing of this record was limited to just 500 copies, and band members smeared the sleeves of many copies with real cow’s blood. Quite the marketing gimmick! Crypt Records minted reissues in 2012 and 2016, but without the added bonus of cow’s blood, which is honestly kind of disappointing.

Like a lot of first-wave punk outfits, it didn’t take long for the band to fall apart. The Psycho Surgeons lasted around two years in total before Mark Taylor and David Taylor left the band to merge with ex-members of fellow Sydney punk band, Filth, to form Lipstick Killers, who would go on to have much greater longevity than the bands its members were previously in. In one of many examples of the widespread impact of Radio Birdman on all things Aussie punk, Deniz Tek would produce the Lipstick Killers 1979 single, ‘Hindu Gods (Of Love)’ / ‘Shakedown USA’.

Give this one a spin, and check out the b-side while you’re at it. It’s pretty darn good, too. You can also find these songs on the Lipstick Killers bandcamp page.