The Angels
Band members
- Final line-up
- Doc Neeson (vocals)
- Rick Brewster (guitar)
- John Brewster (guitar)
- Jim Hilbun (bass, sax)
- Brent Eccles (drums)
- Former members
- James Morley (bass) (1990 - 1993)
- Bob Spencer (guitar) (1985 - 1993)
- Chris Bailey (bass) (1977 - 1982)
- Graham "Buzz" Bistrup (drums) (1976 - 1981)
- Charlie King (Peter Christopolous) (drums) (1975 - 1976)
Website
Formed
Adelaide, SA, 1971
Band information
The Angels was one of Australia's greatest bands for two decades from the mid-70s. The group mixed a punkish proto-metal musical style grounded in boogie-based hard rock with an energetic and partly theatrical live performance which pushed them to the forefront of the local music scene and eventually developed a strong though small international following that saw their material covered by Great White and name-checked by groups like Guns N' Roses. Since 2000 when Doc Neeson was forced to leave after sustaining near-fatal injuries in a car accident, The Angels has only nominally existed as various groupings of former members playing and touring under different names including Members of the Angels, The Original Angels Band and Doc Neeson's Angels. A court injunction made effective from August 2007 restricts all former members of the band from working under the name The Angels.
Perennial live favourites The Angels existed in various forms and under various names from 1971 when Neeson and the Brewsters played university campuses in Adelaide as a jug and string band. Some time later they became a serious rock act, the Keystone Angels, which played 50s rock and roll, toured with Chuck Berry and released a single. As a four piece with Neeson on bass and Peter Christodopolous on drums the band relesed its first single 'Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again' and shortly afterwards released a debut album by which time the line-up had consolidated with Chris Bailey on bass and Buzz Bidstrup on drums. Before long The Angels had established themselves as the hardest working, hardest rocking and best live band in the country, with their appearance fee eclipsing that of all the other top name bands including Sherbet and Skyhooks. By the end of the 70s the Angels were perhaps the biggest band in the land with the loss of Sherbet, Skyhooks and Dragon from the scene and the ascendancy of Cold Chisel and Midnight Oil still to come. The band signed an international deal and became Angel City for the purposes of international release in 1979 and toured the UK and Europe the following year. The albums from this period probably represent the bulk of the Angels' best known material.
Brent Eccles joined on drums during the recording of Night Attack and soon afterwards, during a US tour, Bailey jumped ship and was replaced by Hilbun. Watch the Red ushered in something of a new sound for the Angels. It was still raw edged but there were hints of gentler subtleties and injections of brass courtesy of Hilbun and remains, with Two Minute Warning, one of the Angels' best but most underrated albums. Howling however was a complete triumph. The Angels still rocked with their usual power, but the rough edges were gone, new guitarist Bob Spencer (ex-Skyhooks, Finch) was a breath of fresh air and former Split Enz keys whiz Eddie Rayner provided some smoothness to the sound. The crowning glory was to come with Liveline however. If the Angels showed the occasional weakness in the studio, live on stage they were one of the best bands ever. Few bands, regardless of stature, could stand alongside the Angels in the live situation and the double live album, recorded mostly at Bankstown RSL in March 1987, displayed the band's best colours. Beyond Salvation saw the Angels score their first number one album and featured yet another change in personnel with James Morley replacing Hilbun. The album was an ambitious double set which fathered several hit singles. The follow-up stiffed badly however and didn't provide the American breakthrough which the band hoped for. After this the Angels went off the road for a considerable period, losing both Spencer and Morley in the interim.
By late 1994 the Angels were back, this time with the 1981 line-up together again, and although it was obvious they had seen better days remained as popular as ever. After that the band toured less often and late in 1995 Neeson announced he would leave the band in mid-96. This simply never happened, and the band continued as ever. During 1999 the band toured a special three-part, three-hour show featuring material from their entire 28-year career. After this the band practically ground to a halt, playing only very occasionally and The Angels have since come to an end.
Shock re-released Liveline in 1999 with some extra and new tracks.
In 2004, a line-up of the Brewster brothers plus Bailey and Bidstrup, with John Brewster singing, began playing again under the name The Original Angels Band, although by late 2006 the group was again working under the name The Angels. Doc Neeson returned briefly to the live arena in July 2005 with a new band called Red Phoenix.