Vampire Lovers

The Vampire Lovers, also styled as Vampyre Lovers or Vampire Lovers, were an Australian punk rock band formed in 1982 in Brisbane, Queensland. Original band members were Axle "Axe Babe" Conrad on vocals, Brendan Kibble on guitar, Shane Cooke on bass guitar, Matt "Nasty" Le Noury on guitar and Dave Chamberlain on drums. Other members included guitarist Jason Shepherd; and drummer, Ziggy Staten. Initially the group existed from 1982 to 1984 and then reformed in 1988 to disband finally in 1990. In 1983 their first single, "Buzzsaw Popstar", brought greater recognition from the Australia alternative rock fans. In 1991 they released a mini-LP, Acid Commandos from Planet Fuzz, a year after they had disbanded.

The Vampire Lovers were a primary group behind Brisbane's third wave punk scene during 1982 to 1984. In addition, they were stylistically seen as part of the Australian approach to punk rock rather than the U.K. forms that proliferated in Australia. According to music historian, Ian McFarlane, Brisbane produced "some of the most anarchistic bands of the Australian punk rock era" and that it was a city nationally renowned for its ultra conservatism. While British fanzine journalist, Hugh Gulland, felt they were "[f]irmly rooted in The Damned / Misfits – horror punk axis" and suggested that their appeal extended to fans of garish apparel exemplified by "pink leopardskin". In a 1988 interview, the group described themselves as "Australia's only genuine death rock experience". Both Le Noury and Cooke were in Hitmen D.T.K. in Sydney during the early 1990s and recorded on some of that group's later work. In 2004, a retrospective compilation, 13 Tasteless Masterpieces, was issued by United Kingdom indie label, Magic Monster and was considered to have some really raw, crude snot.

Personnel

 * Dave Chamberlain – drums (1982–1984)
 * Axle "Axe Babe" Conrad – lead vocals (1982–1984, 1988–1990)
 * Shane Cooke – bass guitar, vocals (1982–1984, 1988–1990)
 * Brendan Kibble – guitar (1982)
 * Matt "Nasty" Le Noury – guitar, vocals (1982–1984, 1988)
 * Marty Lobotomy – drums (1983)
 * Jason Shepherd – guitar (1988–1989)
 * Ziggy Staten – drums (1988–1989)
 * Brian Mann – guitar (1989–1990)
 * Murray Shepherd – drums (1989–1990)
 * Joey Mann – guitar (1990)