“Once there was a band called The Resistors… just another band loitering with intent around the Brisbane independent music scene between 1981 and 1982.”
So reads the back cover of Little Roma Street Lament, the new, decades-in-the-making album from Brisbane mod-tinged, post-punk veterans, The Resistors.
On April 11, the band steps back on to the stage at The Cave Inn, Woolloongabba, for a deeply nostalgic release show dubbed Escape From The Vault, backed by hand-picked supports The Trams and Deadhead Redemption.
Formed in the early 1980s by schoolmates Chris Rees and Roger McDonald, The Resistors cut their teeth playing original tunes alongside fiery covers of The Stooges, The Who, and The Jam.
They were regulars at haunts like Hotel Briz, the 279 Club, and Bingo Pete’s, railing against the nine-to-five grind, political corruption, and the superficiality of fashion.
They recorded at Col Bloxham’s Basement Studios on Little Roma Street—a street that has since been wiped from the city map—and shared a split cassette with local legends, The Version.
But after an acrimonious gig at the Atcherley, the band imploded. Rees moved interstate and eventually played in Tokyo and Adelaide, while McDonald remained a fixture on the local scene with bands like President’s Eleven, King Leer, and The Racketeers.
Recently, the duo decided it was time to finally do their old recordings justice.
They unearthed and meticulously restored six live tracks from a legendary show at Drayton, pairing them with their early studio cuts to create an eight-song time capsule.
To bring the project to the stage, they recruited drummer Paul Burke (Gift Horse). It was a serendipitous choice: Burke was actually in the crowd at that fateful Drayton show and had cherished a copy of their split cassette for decades.
They said the April 11 gig at The Cave Inn will capture the electric feel of the classic Dave Darling showcases of the ’80s.
The support acts include Dead Head Redemption with Tom O’Brien, a former bandmate of Rees’, while The Trams features Noel Mengel and Tony Moore, linking the night back to their bands The Version and This Five Minutes.
Rees said the night promises to be one of closure, celebration, and Brisbane music history.
Little Roma Street Lament is released on streaming services and CD on April 11.
