I went to the Esplanade Hotel on Friday 26 February to see the first of the Weevils' (as they are known by those who love them) farewell shows. As they walked on stage, their usual unassuming selves - Davern, Neil, Nino and Mark - four suburban guys who are a little bit garage and a little bit psych, I felt that same feeling of excitement I used to get when I religiously went to every show from 1987 onwards. They'll be the first to tell you they can't play that well - sheesh I wish I couldn't play well!!! This show consisted of tracks from all of their albums: Where Particular People Congregate, Destroyer of Worlds, Reap, and Burn, otherwise known as the "psych period" Bo-Weevils. (A great compilation of these albums, Get on Down, is now available on Rubber Records.)

You see, The Bo-Weevils started out in the mid-80s playing raucous, snotty-nosed garage punk in the vein of the bands on the Australian Ugly Things and the American Back from the Grave compilations; they were loud, they were unsophisticated, they were learning to play and they were lovin' it!! I remember the first time I met and interviewed Weevils in 1987 and I asked them which current bands they like and which of these influenced them; when they answered The Sick Rose, The Lyres, The Chesterfield Kings and The Prisoners, I knew we were going to be friends for a very long time... At that time everyone who was into these types of bands were "speaking the same language", i.e. we were all passionate about and obsessed with our garage music; only some of us have stayed that way and are still listening to the same records. The Bo-Weevils have always stayed true to their many and varied influences, at the same time developing their very own distinctive sound.

The evolution of The Bo-Weevils came with the release of their debut album Where Particular People Congregate. The Weevils had broken out of their cocoon and emerged like a butterfly (is this hippy enough for you kids?), to play their very own brand of psychedelic rock. Think Neil Young, think of the American "Paisley Underground" bands of the mid-80s (like Green on Red and Rain Parade) and you'll get the picture. Personally, I love both periods of The Bo-Weevils, but it seemed the rest of Melbourne was not so accepting. In my opinion, many of Melbourne's so-called "punters" (translate: dickheads) didn't make a huge effort to go and see The Bo-Weevils play when they were around and as a result missed out on one of the finest bands playing this kind of stuff you could hope to see. Ironically enough, it seemed that The Bo-Weevils had become "typecast" as a garage band; Melbourne didn't understand or accept that the "psych" period Weevils was essentially a different band. Yes bands do change you know! Those who didn't like the unsophisticated garage stuff didn't take the time to check out the later stuff, and many of those who did like the garage stuff didn't want the Weevils to change - talk about a band not being able to win! Don't get me wrong, The Bo-Weevils still triumphed in difficult circumstances - for the most part they steered clear of the then vibrant "60s scene" and managed to play a pile of gigs with many many local punk/rock bands, including the like of Cosmic Psychos, Fungus Brains, Psychotic Turnbuckles, and Died Pretty. They even got to play with the reformed Masters Apprentices but that's a story in itself!

Anyway, I stand by my opinion that the psych rock Weevils was equally as good, if not better, than the garage era. How could you go past tracks like "Past Lives", "Middle of Nowhere", "G.O.D." And "Breakdown"? These were and are still AWESOME recordings. Those sixties aficionados in Europe always saw the light and supported the Weevils enough to enable them to carve out an existence for themselves which saw the band ultimately release seven albums and a string of singles. Despite the apparent indifference of the majority of punters, they did and still do have a very dedicated band of local devotees who have loved them to the end. And boy have they got some good stories to tell - remember the night the guitars got stolen at the Prince of Wales guys??

The Bo-Weevils always kept things going as a band due to their own dogged determination and their little group of staunch supporters behind them (hats off especially to you Dean Mittlehauser). As well as the recordings and live gigs, the band even got to tour New Zealand and a couple of members made it to Europe for a promotional tour! The Bo-Weevils were a small band who did big things.

OK you Bo-Weevils, fifteen years later it's time for you to get back into that garage, close the door and let us bid you farewell. Thanks for the music and the dancing, the fun and the friendship and thanks for sticking around so long - how lucky and privileged do I feel to have seen so many of your live shows? If any of you readers out there made it to the final final gig of the very wonderful Bo-Weevils on the 12th March I was the one crying in the front row...

Jackie the Garage Girl xx