Have you ever wondered what the Melbourne music scene was like in the 1970s and '80s? Or what it was like to live in Melbourne's inner north in that era? 

Our next guests on 𝒃𝒍𝒆𝒖𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 are Mick Earls and Stuart Grant from the band Use No Hooks, a Melbourne post-punk band prominent in the Little Bands scene of the late '70s and early '80s. In those years, Mick and Stuart lived in dirt cheap share houses and shop fronts in Melbourne's inner northern suburbs, making music and partying around the clock. The shop fronts on Brunswick Street were boarded up and Gertrude Street was a no go area; a world away from the cafe and boutique lined streets that exist there today. "It's impossible to imagine that world even existed," says Mick. 

Playing at local institutions like the Tote, no one knew what to expect when Use No Hooks took to the stage over 40 years ago. Drawing inspiration and influences from many sources, Use No Hooks’ music was always unpredictable because of their relentless experimentation and frequent line-up changes.  On stage, the band's approach embraced elements of fluxus (little known to them at the time) and their numbers varied from three to ten band members.

Inspired by punk bands of the '70s, disco icons like Nile Rogers, and rap legends like Grandmaster Flash, their music is a harmonious crossover of all these genres, creating something truly unique. Lost and forgotten for many years, their recordings were dug up a few years ago and released on vinyl for the first time on local label @chaptermusic. 

Check them out on Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2l8sar0cgQs9YkQ2w5rfeh

Track list:
Do The Job - Use No Hooks 
In The Clear - Use No Hooks
The Hook - Use No Hooks
Sideshore Boogie (live) - Use No Hooks
I Can't Stop It - Primitive Calculators
Times Up (Timeless) - Age Of Chance
Circumstances Beyond Our Control - Use No Hooks

This episode was produced and hosted by @hugoincognito
Photo by Wendy Morrissey

ep.3 - use no hooks (special feature)

«hazy melodies in a stupendous cold intimacy» — Victor Louis of Etang Brulant 

«maestro of massive minimalism» — Anthony Junkoid 

@unsound summer school '25 alumn
@biorhythmradio / www.biorhythm.me sound curator 
@ickpakyiv stage co-curator 

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ep.3 - use no hooks (special feature)

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