# New Waver

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**New Waver** was an Australian satirical musical project developed by Greg Wadley in 1990.[1][2] It grew out of Wadley's prior projects, a [zine](/source/Zine) *Loser*, a mock political action group, Campaign Against Uninteresting Shops in Brunswick Street and a fictitious tribute band, Christmas Party.[1]

## History

New Waver was founded by Greg Wadley in 1990 in Melbourne.[1][3] Wadley, on bass guitar, was a founding member of [Tex Perkins](/source/Tex_Perkins)' Brisbane-formed [cowpunk](/source/Cowpunk) band, Tex Deadly and the Dum Dums, in 1982.[4] Fellow member Peter Jetnikoff provided guitar.[4][5] They relocated to Sydney but disbanded in the following year.[4] Wadley established the Losercorp project in the 1980s, which published a [zine](/source/Zine) *Loser* (1987–1992) under the pseudonyms A Loser and Arthur Protestant,[6] formed a mock political action group, Campaign Against Uninteresting Shops in Brunswick Street and a fictitious tribute band, Christmas Party.[7]

New Waver, was the music project of Wadley, which has a similar pessimistic outlook to Losercorp's earlier efforts, underwritten with [Darwinism](/source/Darwinism). Its music consists of electronic elements (from synthesisers, samplers and drum machines), along with samples from TV nature programmes, advertisements and audio books by [Richard Dawkins](/source/Richard_Dawkins), selectively chosen to reinforce the bleak, fatalistic message, coupled with dark humour. The New Waver world view extends the [survival of the fittest](/source/Survival_of_the_fittest) hypothesis to the social ladder present in modern urban and suburban culture. The songs feature both [cover versions](/source/Cover_version) and parodies of well-known songs with lyrics altered to reflect their world view, as well as instrumentals populated with samples and loops. The term "New Waver" is 1980s-vintage pejorative [Queensland](/source/Queensland) slang for a male who is interested in music, rather than football, and thus deserving of harassment or violence. "New Waver" also became a term for those who were fans of [new wave music](/source/New_wave_music) throughout the [1980s](/source/1980s_in_music).

New Waver issued their first music cassette, *Middle Class Man*, in 1990. According to a reviewer for *Radiation from Space Magazine*, it is "esoteric, weird and wild keyboard and samples, blended with drums, bass and odd guitar they created a hypnotic groove."[8] The title track is a parody of "[Working Class Man](/source/Working_Class_Man)" (1985) by [Jimmy Barnes](/source/Jimmy_Barnes), while "Teabreak" relates to AC/DC's "[Jailbreak](/source/Jailbreak_(AC/DC_song))" (1976).[8]

In 1998, the band was one of many in the music video "[Thunderbirds Are Coming Out](/source/Thunderbirds_Are_Coming_Out)" by fellow Australian band [TISM](/source/TISM). For New Waver's album, *The Defeated* (1999), Zyklatt provided drum loops.[2] Most of its original tracks were written by Wadley however, former bandmate, Jetnikoff wrote the track, "Struggle for Hogwash", for the album.[9] In 2006 a compilation album, *Neuters*, was issued, its "music consisted of dinky covers of Top 40 hits with the lyrics changed to address the life of the office loser."[10] Guy Blackman of *[The Age](/source/The_Age)* described the band's members, "two unassuming public-servant types lurking behind cheesy synthesisers, with a singer who began most gigs naked, putting on an item of clothing after each song in a [deadpan](/source/Deadpan) inversion of rock'n'roll behaviour."[10] There is an interview with Wadley in Iain McIntyre and Mike Munro's book, *[How to Make Trouble and Influence People](/source/How_to_Make_Trouble_and_Influence_People)* (2009).[11]

## Discography

- *Middle Class Man* (cassette, 1990)[1]
- *Hard Drivin' Beat* (cassette, 1991)
- *Perverted by Wheat* (cassette, 1991)[1]
- *Low Self Opinion* (cassette, 1992)
- *Live 'n' Lossy* (cassette, 1993)
- "What a Man" ([cassette single](/source/Cassette_single), 1994)
- *Aspects of Loserdom* (cassette, 1994)[1]
- *Mr Loser-Boozer Goes to Town* (cassette, 1996)[12]
- *Darwin Junior High* (vinyl EP, 1997)
- *Bohemian Suburb Rhapsody* (album, 1998)[1]
- *The Defeated* (CD, 1999) – Endearing Records[1][2]
- *Computer World* (mp3 album, 2001)
- *Neuters* (CD compilation album, 2006) – Dual Plover/Spill Records[10][13]

## References

- Kouvaras, L. (2009) "Hissing at the margins: Postmodern mainstream positioning in Australian sound art", in Strong, C. and Phillipov, M. (Eds.) "Stuck in the Middle: the Mainstream and its Discontents. Selected proceedings of the 2008 IASPM-ANZ conference".
- Priest (ed., 2009) Experimental Music: Audio Explorations in Australia

1. Ankeyn, Jason. ["New Waver Biography, Songs, & Albums"](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/new-waver-mn0000631949/biography). [AllMusic](/source/AllMusic). Retrieved 22 July 2022.

1. ["*The Defeated* – New Waver | Credits"](https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-defeated-mw0000507038/credits). AllMusic. Retrieved 22 July 2022.

1. Wadley, Greg. ["Music: Greg Wadley"](http://disweb.dis.unimelb.edu.au/staff//gwadley/music.htm). *disweb.dis.unimelb.edu.au*. [Archived](https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20080721150722/http://disweb.dis.unimelb.edu.au/staff//gwadley/music.htm) 22 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 22 July 2022. – via [National Library of Australia](/source/National_Library_of_Australia)

1. McFarlane, Ian (1999). ["Encyclopedia entry for 'Tex Perkins'"](http://www.whammo.com.au/encyclopedia.asp?articleid=570). *[Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop](/source/Encyclopedia_of_Australian_Rock_and_Pop)*. [St Leonards, NSW](/source/St_Leonards,_New_South_Wales): [Allen & Unwin](/source/Allen_%26_Unwin). ISBN 1-86508-072-1. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20040607181400/http://www.whammo.com.au/encyclopedia.asp?articleid=570) 7 June 2004 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 22 July 2022. Note: McFarlane has Peter Jetnikov.

1. ["Tex Deadly & The Dum Dums"](http://homepage.powerup.com.au/~toxico/tex.htm). *Tex Deadly & The Dum Dums Official Website*. [Archived](https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20040819033904/http://homepage.powerup.com.au/~toxico/tex.htm) 19 August 2004 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 24 July 2022. – via National Library of Australia.

1. ["L"](http://www.stickyinstitute.com/zineopedia/L.html). *Sticky Institute*. [Archived](https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20080429230102/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/83244/20080429-1548/www.stickyinstitute.com/zineopedia/L.html) 30 April 2008 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 22 July 2022. – via National Library of Australia.

1. ["About New Waver"](http://members.dodo.com.au/~gwadley/nw/about.html). *New Waver Official Website*. [Archived](https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20040510093156/http://members.dodo.com.au/~gwadley/nw/about.html) 10 May 2004 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 22 July 2022. – via National Library of Australia.

1. ["New Waver – Instrumentals"](http://www.springvalley.com.au/yippiebean/newwave.htm). *Radiation from Space Magazine*. '***(3). [Archived](https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/19971010111220/http://www.springvalley.com.au/yippiebean/newwave.htm) 10 October 1997 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 22 July 2022. – via National Library of Australia.***

1. ["'Struggle for Hogwash' at APRA search engine"](https://www.apraamcos.com.au/works-search?works=true&title=Struggle%20for%20Hogwash&writer=&performer=). [APRA AMCOS](/source/APRA_AMCOS) (Australasian Performing Right Association, Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society). Retrieved 24 July 2022.

1. Blackman, Guy (26 April 2006). ["*Neuters*"](https://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/music/neuters-20060426-ge26ya.html). *[The Age](/source/The_Age)*. [Archived](https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20060821081057/http://www.theage.com.au/news/cd-reviews/neuters/2006/04/25/1145861332208.html) 21 August 2006 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 22 July 2022.

1. McIntyre, Iain & Munro, Mike (2009), *How to make trouble and influence people: pranks, hoaxes, graffiti & political mischief-making from across Australia*, 1st ed., PM Press, ISBN 978-1-60486-882-1

1. Berry, Vanessa. ["Bad Grunge Music"](http://vanessaberryworld.wordpress.com/2010/09/10/bad-grunge-music/amp/index.html). *Vanessa Berry World*. [Archived](https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20180415221009/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/83242/20180416-0000/vanessaberryworld.wordpress.com/2010/09/10/bad-grunge-music/amp/index.html) 16 April 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 22 July 2022. – via National Library of Australia.

1. ["New Waver : *Neuters*"](http://www.dualplover.com/newwaver.php). *Dual Power*. Retrieved 22 July 2022.

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