Melissa Kitson catches up with legendary 70s prog icon Lindsay Bjerre to speak about his group Tamam Shud and their recent re-emergence.

2008 is a long way away from 1970. Almost as far as Russia. That said, it’s still my preferred present. Flares, sideburns, Kerouac, the ‘70s are the trump card of time.  So naturally I was surprised to find Lindsay Bjerre loves The Pixies, listens to FBi radio and has, in short, moved on. This seems particularly surprising when you consider his experiences with the ‘70s band Tamam Shud.

As guitarist and lead singer of the band, Bjerre was part of a unique period in Australian music. Of course there was Farnsy and Olivia Newtown John, but if you looked in the cracks, the corners, you would have seen an underground music scene that was secretly thriving. There was Tully playing at the Mandala Theatre and Buffalo at the Beacon, and Tamam Shud at Intermedia Circus. These were the forefathers of Australian progressive rock. Tamam Shud, like its contemporaries, was not afraid to play with timbre and melody.  They were not afraid to do anything. Bjerre comments, “We challenged people, we say, ‘well we’re gonna do what we like and we do some crazy stuff, can you come along?’”

Tamam Shud proved this commitment with their concept album Goolutionites and the Real People. The album discussed the delicate relationship of man with nature and the dangers that come with its abuse. It is an issue that has stayed with Bjerre. He remembers, “There was a lot of people seriously worried about the environment, that have all come up to bite us in the bum now… we’ve gone another fifteen years down the wrong way and… now we’re going to pay the price”.  

The band’s challenge did not earn them great commercial success but Bjerre says, “I wouldn’t change anything. The only benefit of commercial success is that you get to sustain in the industry for a lot longer because it’s a better financial situation but as I said before I wouldn’t want to be playing the same six songs you’re famous for over and over again”. It seems many of the great rock bands of the ‘70s have met this faith. Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, The Rolling Stones, Cream, all must be in a musical groundhog day. But if you had to repeat the same day, surely you would choose one in 1970.

Or 1972, the year that released Albert Falzon’s surf documentary, Morning of the Earth. Tamam Shud, the band from Newcastle, was the ideal musical translator. Together with G. Wayne Thomas and Brian Cadd, Tamam Shud produced a soundtrack now inscribed in Australian culture. The film became the second highest grossing surf film in our history and this week it will be screened in Sydney at the State Theatre along with live music from Lior, Old Man River and Tamam Shud’s guitarist Tim Gaze. Even Bjerre becomes nostalgic when he considers the period, “Morning of the Earth, that time was really special.  There were fantastic concerts in those days and for some reason just all the touring and meeting all the other musicians and all the camaraderie around that and of course, it was a beautiful time to just be a musician cause you don’t have to do anything else other than surf.”

And now? Well, Bjerre still plays. He says, “I’ve been playing music for as long as I can remember to be honest. Just kept doing it and doing it. I never really stopped.” But there will be no Bigger Bang Tour or Mothership for Tamam Shud. Bjerre insists he’s got to, “just keep it moving, keep it moving, keep it moving”. Ironic really, for a band whose name means ‘the very end’.

by Melissa Kitson

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Tamam Shud will appear at the Morning of the Earth concerts. For full dates and venue details click here.