Rockbrat Remembers: Mick Cocks – died 22 December, 2009

For a long time there, particularly during the late 80s and early 90’s, Michael Thomas Cocks looked ageless, like he’d been drinking heartily from the fountain of youth. Yet he we are, the 22nd of December, 2010 and Cocksy has been gone for a year already. Sure there was benefit concert for him in July, [...]

Classic Image From The Rockbrat Photo Collection: Rose Tattoo – Wagga, Australia (1993)

Who: Rose Tattoo Where: Wagga, NSW Australia  – 22 January 1993 I’ve written about the 1993 Rosie Tatts reformation elsewhere on this blog so will not repeat myself. This was one of my favorite images I shot of the Tatts over the years. I can actually re-call walking past a venue in Adelaide in December of 1992 [...]

Rockbrat Remembers: The Wild Colonial Boys (1988) Angry Anderson, Mick Cocks, Marc Hunter, Sharon O’ Neil.

Here is a post about a chapter of Australian rock n roll that you may not know about. In 1988, (with both Rose Tattoo and Heaven just a memory) guitarist Mick Cocks was playing around the traps in Sydney with the Headhunters, which was Dave Tice of Buffalo’s band. Cocks put together a short lived [...]

Best Gigs The Rockbrat’s Seen ? Peter Wells (1995)

Who: Peter Wells  When: Britannia Hotel, Sydney, April 23, 1995 The venue for tonight’s gig is the Britannia Hotel in South Sydney, in recent times proving itself to be one of Sydney’s better blues / country pubs. Despite it being a Sunday night, plenty of punters have dragged themselves out of TV land and prove [...]

Rockbrat News Flash: Blood, Sweat & Beers : Oz Rock From The Aztecs to Rose Tattoo

Blood, Sweat & Beers : Oz Rock From The Aztecs to Rose Tattoo by Murray Engleheart It is an honor to be the first person on the internet to review this book – the latest penned by the highly acclaimed Australian music writer Murray Engleheart. ‘Blood, Sweat and Beers : Oz Rock From The Aztecs to [...]

Rockbrat’s Audio Archive: Angry Anderson tells the Rockbrat that he will never work with Rose Tattoo ever again! (1990)

On the 3rd of October, 1990 Angry Anderson appeared on the ‘Rocksat’ programme, a weekly radio show which was broadcast across Australia on the Triple M network. Angry was promoting his ‘Blood From Stone’ album. The brother of Rockbrat called in and asked Angry, “Is there any chance of you working with Pete Wells or [...]

What’s The Rockbrat Listening To Today ? Anne McCue – Broken Promise Land

ANNE McCUE BROKEN PROMISE LAND (Flying Machine Records) ‘Broken Promise Land’ is the most recent release from Australian guitarist Anne McCue. It’s been lodged in my car stereo for some time now and I thought a review by the Rockbrat was long overdue. Firstly, the CD packaging is great – a digipak release with some [...]

Lifting The Lid On The Rockbrat Treasure Chest: Pete Wells set-list (1995)

What: Pete Wells Set-List Britannia Hotel, Sydney – 23 April 1995 What we have on display here folks is a real piece to treasure. It’s a genuine set-list from a Pete Wells gig circa 1995. For future reference, the Rockbrat always used to note the relevant details on the reverse – and this here set-list, was actually Pete’s and [...]

Lifting The Lid On The Rockbrat Treasure Chest: Mick Cocks Article (1988)

I found this great interview with Cocksy today whilst going through the Rockbrat Scrapbooks. It was written by Michael Smith at the time Mick was playing in an outfit called The Wild Colonial Boys – also featuring Angry Anderson, Sharon O Neill and Marc Hunter. The Rockbrat remembers seeing this outfit at the Dee Why Hotel and they were [...]

Rockbrat Remembers: Rose Tattoo’s Pete Wells and Mick Cocks

For the uneducated, Peter Wells and Mick Cocks were the twin guitar attack for Rose Tattoo. I have many great memories of seeing the Tatts over the years, and Pete and Mick in other incarnations as well. Their contributions to rock n roll are immense and it is important that the memories of Cocksy and Wellsy live on.  [...]