The Manikins were an Australian

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

and new wave band from

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

. Founding mainstay Mark Betts (drums) was joined by various lead vocalists, Robert Porritt, Christine Bodey and Christine Anne Trent. They issued a self-titled album in 1988 before disbanding in the early 1990s.

History

The Manikins were formed in August 1976 in

as a punk rock band Cheap Nasties by Mark Betts on drums, Dan Dare on bass guitar and vocals, Neil Fernandes on guitar and vocals, Robert Porritt on vocals and

Kim Salmon Kim Leith Salmon (born 24 January 1957) is an Australian rock musician and songwriter from Perth. He has worked in various groups including The Scientists, Beasts of Bourbon, Kim Salmon and the Surrealists, Kim Salmon and the Business, and Darl ...

on guitar and vocals. Their debut gig was at The Rivervale Hotel in mid-1977. The Cheap Nasties claimed to be Perth's first punk band. Salmon left Cheap Nasties in December 1977 to join the Invaders and then formed

the Scientists The Scientists are a post-punk band from Perth, Western Australia, led by Kim Salmon, initially known as the Exterminators and then the Invaders. The band had two primary incarnations: the Perth-based punk rock, punk band of the late 1970s and ...

. The rest of the band with Ken Seymour replacing Dare on bass guitar continued as Manikins. The raw sound of Cheap Nasties gave way to a poppier, new wave-oriented musical direction with tougher post-punk power pop. They issued two singles, "I Never Thought I'd Find Someone Who Would Be So Kind" (November 1978) and "Premonition" (August 1979). The group toured Australia's eastern states, "but was met with virtual indifference". Dave Faulkner Dave Flick (ex- the Victims) joined on keyboards late in 1979. They issued another single, "Love at Second Sight" (October 1980) before Flick left. As Dave Faulkner, he is a mainstay member of Sydney-based

Hoodoo Gurus Hoodoo Gurus are an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1981 by Dave Faulkner (songwriter, lead singer and guitarist) and later joined by Richard Grossman (bass), Mark Kingsmill (drums), and Brad Shepherd (guitar, vocals, harmonica). Th ...

since 1981. Seymour also left and was replaced by Dan Dare. Manikins had several residencies in Perth, including at the Broadway Tavern in Nedlands and the nightclub Hernando's Hideaway. They relocated to Melbourne in early 1980 but broke up in late 1981. In 1986 Mark Betts registered the Manikins name. Betts and Porritt formed another version of the group with Paul Blackbee on guitar and keyboards (ex-Screaming Fits) and Bradley Clark on guitar and bass guitar (ex-Billy Orphan's Tears). Porritt was replaced on lead vocals by Christine Bodey, while Alexander Nettelbeck replaced Blackbee on keyboards. Manikins released new romantic synth style recordings including a self-titled album in February 1988. Christine Anne Trent replaced Bodey on lead vocals. They disbanded in early 1990s. In 2004 Kim Salmon was inducted into the West Australian Music Industry Association Hall of Fame. In 2007 Salmon was inducted into the

Music Victoria Awards The Music Victoria Awards (previously known as The Age EG Awards and The Age Music Victoria Awards) are an annual awards night celebrating music from the Australian state of Victoria. They commenced in 2006 and are awarded in Melbourne Music W ...

Hall of Fame. A retrospective compilation album, ''From Broadway to Blazes'', was issued in February 2017. Tim Sendra of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

rated it as four-out-of-five stars, writing:

Members

* Mark Betts – drums, percusssion * Dan Dare – bass guitar, vocals * Neil Fernandes – guitar, vocals * Robert Porritt – lead vocals *

– guitar, vocals * Ken Seymour – bass guitar * Dave Faulkner Dave Flick – keyboards * Paul Blackbee – guitar, keyboards * Bradley Clark – guitar, bass guitar * Christine Bodey – lead vocals * Alexander Nettelbeck – keyboards * Christine Anne Trent – lead vocals

Discography

Albums

*''Live Locally'' - Inner City Sound (live album, cassette) (1979) *''Last Gasp'' - Inner City Sound (cassette) (1981) *''Manikins'' (February 1988) *''The Manikins'' - Two Tribes Records (compilation CD) (2004) * ''From Broadway to Blazes'' (compilation, February 2017)

Singles

* "I Never Thought I'd Find Someone Who Would Be So Kind"/"Radio World" - Independent (7") (SMX-46904) (November 1978) * "Premonition"/"Laugh Too Loud" - Independent (7") (SMX-46969) (August 1979) * "Love at Second Sight"/"Nuisance"/"All I Care About" - Independent (7") (SMX-55051) (October 1980) *"What Are You On?"/"Dictator's Dream" (July 1986) *"Cruel World"/"Dracula's Slut" (November 1987) #52 *"Scent"/"Life Underground" (May 1988)

References

External links

"Kim Salmon's Perspective on the Early Perth Punk Era"
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Manikins, The Musical groups established in 1976 Musical groups disestablished in 1981 Musical groups from Perth, Western Australia Australian punk rock groups Australian new wave musical groups