Clowns of Decadence were an Australian

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

band from

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater A ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

, which formed in 1988 and deployed elements of

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and

performance A performance is an act of staging or presenting a play, concert, or other form of entertainment. It is also defined as the action or process of carrying out or accomplishing an action, task, or function. Management science In the work place ...

. The group released three extended plays and an album, ''Clowns of a Lesser God'' (1994) on Homegrown Artists / Siren Records before disbanding in 1998.

Biography

Clowns of Decadence formed in 1988 in Adelaide as a rock, punk band deploying elements of

and

. They included three members of Festered Vestoons and one from Toxic Avengers, by June 1990 they were named as Clowns of Decadence and had "adopted a performance image of wearing clown makeup and silly clothes to back up their politico-protest leanings". They toured interstate with gigs in Sydney and Melbourne. In 1993 the group issued a four-track extended play on Homegrown Artists, ''Kamikaze Karnival''. The disc was produced by Tony Nesci and recorded at his studios. One of the tracks, "Alien Sex Romp", was co-written by Mark Fenech, Stephen Hards (JJ Hi-jinx/Hardsy), Matt Jonsson (Trolla Bolla Snatcha Razoo), Colin Morris, Craig Spencer (Cappo Skum-fakir/Spako Airhead) and Craig Stone. By 1994 they released a second EP, ''Dirty Tricks Incorporated'', on Siren Records, with five tracks including "Snake Like a Tongue". The latter track appeared on a various artists' compilation album, ''Lot's: The CD'' (1994), which was included with ''

Lot's Wife In the Bible, Lot's wife is a figure first mentioned in . The Book of Genesis describes how she became a pillar of salt after she looked back at Sodom. She is not named in the Bible but is called "Ado" or "Edith" in some Jewish traditions. She ...

'', a student newspaper at

Monash University Monash University () is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Named for prominent World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. The university h ...

.. In 1995 they released ''Too Ugly for Airplay'', a four-track EP including "New Age Neurotic". It was produced by Mick Wordley, Evan James and the Clowns of Decadence; and recorded at Mixmasters Studios. ''Clowns of a Lesser God'' followed in 1996, it was a full-length studio album. By 1998 the group had disbanded, Hards and Spencer joined alternate rock group, Jonny Don't Play. In June 2012, Fenech, Jonsson and Stone registered the name "Clowns of Decadence" as a music entertainment service.

Members

;As credited on the 1994 album, ''Dirty Tricks Incorporated'' * Stephen Hards aka JJ Hi-Jinx aka Hardsy – saxophone, clarinet, fire blowhard * Matt Jonsson aka Trolla Bolla Snatcha Razoo – drums, art, mad ravings & bizarre facial contortions * Craig Spencer aka Cappo Skum-fakir aka Spako Airhead – bass guitar, guitar, vocals, clown co-ordination * Ocker Bozo (vocals, trumpet, excess) * Lord Stingy (guitars, pyromania, penny pinching) * Reverend Spud McGeek (piano, synth, vocals, Guinness) * Marshall Benzene – bass guitar, fire cadet, stilt walker (1993 –1998) * Doc Boom (Bass guitar) (1998-onwards)

Timeline

Discography

Albums

* ''Clowns of a Lesser God'' (1996)

Extended plays

* ''Kamikaze Karnival'' (1993) * ''Dirty Tricks Incorporated'' (1994) * ''Too Ugly for Airplay'' (1995)

Other appearances

* "Big Green Couch of Hope" (on compilation album ''

References

External links

Interview with Craig Spencer (aka Cappo Skum-fakir/Spako Airhead)
by Justin Hamilton, 21 February 2012. {{DEFAULTSORT:Clowns Of Decadence Australian punk rock groups">Justin Hamilton (comedian)">Justin Hamilton, 21 February 2012. {{DEFAULTSORT:Clowns Of Decadence Australian punk rock groups Musical groups established in 1988 Musical groups disestablished in 1998 Musical groups from Adelaide