The Bowles / Chrome Dome - Live! CS

"The Bowles were Christopher Schueler, Mary MacDougall, and myself. The story starts in the artist-run spaces of early 00’s Sydney where MacDougall and I were active and first met. We bonded over art and music stuff along with the then Melbourne-based Schueler, who was frequently in Sydney at that time making music with me as Vincent Over the Sink. The three of us decided to start a band around 2008 and we immediately set about crafting cryptic ditties and testing the limits of what we imagined a simple song could be via guitar, keyboard, drums, tapes, and trinkets.

Our swift existence resulted in only a handful of live shows around Sydney and a few dictaphone rehearsal tapes from which our only recorded output to date – the self-titled KYE 7” – was produced. Now we have this live set from the infamous Yvonne Ruvé space to add to the archive. Listening back to this recording I’m pleasantly surprised at how in tune we are.

-MP Hopkins 2024

Most things that Shaun South did had an element of playful performance about them. Shaun was 6 foot 3, with an unruly head of hair that added 3 inches more and a unique sense of style. I mean, he tie-dyed denim. You noticed him when he entered a room - and were most likely drawn in that direction.

As an artist and performer, he enjoyed pushing people's buttons - though not completely as a dare, more an invitation - offering you his hand as he strode into the unknown. Looking back over the last 20 years, Shaun's influence on Australian underground music is undeniable. Perhaps known most for his label Nihilistic Orbs, Shaun organised many gigs, and even some amazing festivals (eg. Punx Picnic, his own Summer Winds) - built on the good will earned over years of work. He wrote and performed music as a member or bandleader of YOUNG ROMANTIX, DEAF! DEAF!, PATHETIC HUMAN, BLEAK INFINITY, INTERZONE, RED REPETITION and of course, CHROME DOME.

Later in the group's life, CHROME DOME developed into a three and finally a four-piece, touring the continent and receiving much radio play. They wrote fantastic pop songs - with bite. This version of the band is cherished and well-documented. Early CD not as much - a tape/7" of three songs and two-odd years of intermittent shows. That was it. Luckily, an early two-piece performance was captured in 2008. Experimental punk music made with synths, sampler & drum machine. Feral, honest and beautiful.

The gig itself starts out uncertain, as Shaun and Ben Woodward fight against p.a. issues and a late one the night before - the set basically falling over, winding up, then flying into the sun as its final act. A miraculous scene - though a common one for CHROME DOME audiences circa 2008 to 2010."