“Live in St. Kilda” was a rare appearance at which Powers was backed by a group other than his longtime combo the Pink Monkey Birds. The November. 9th, 2019 show at the titular Australian city’s MEMO Music Hall was mounted to launch “Nine Parts Water, One Part Sand: Kim Salmon and the Formula for Grunge”, the autobiography of the singer-songwriter-guitarist of the famed Antipodean band the Scientists.
The hard-rocking group that ended up backing Powers on the show flashed some storied credentials of their own. Guitarist Harry Howard is the brother of the late Rowland S. Howard of the Bad Seeds, and played with Rowland in Crime and the City Solution and These Immortal Souls. Harry’s partner Edwina Preston is a keyboardist, a member of ATOM and the tribute unit Pop Crimes (playing the songs of Rowland Howard), and a well-known novelist and nonfiction writer. The group’s other couple, bassist Dave Graney and drummer Clare Moore, are well known Down Under for their earlier groups the Moodists and the Coral Snakes.
The show captured on this recording is incredible! This one-time-only performance includes Pink Monkey Birds favourites as well as covers of the Cramps, Gun Club, Shangri-Las and Suicide!
This is a twelve song live album from a one-time-only show in which Kid Congo Powers was backed by the Near Death Experience.
Kid Congo says, “how did i hook up with the Near Death Experience you may ask? one fine day Kim Salmon, my long time Scientists surrealist beast of a friend, wrote from Australia to ask me to play at his book launch for his biography nine parts water, one part sand: Kim Salmon and the formula for grunge on November 9th, 2019. the launch was to take place at the memo music hall in st. kilda, a seaside suburb of melbourne. a royal command performance for the king of Kim? how could I say no to such an honour? what to do about a band? it did not take more than a minute for each of us to suggest Harry Howard and the Near Death Experience. as the logical choice.Ii was a massive fan of the band already and we shared crossed paths as expats claiming out our musical in 1980s London. Harry with Crime and the City Solution and These Immortal Souls, Dave and Clare with the Moodists, Kim with the Scientists and me with Gun Club and Fur Bible.
Needless to say it was fantastical to get together and make a playlist for Kim featuring covers by Suicide and Shangri La, with mine and Near Death Experience‘s songs as well. the night was magic—I still am floating on a surrealistic pillow remembering the night. enjoy the racket, enjoy the love, enjoy this record of friendship and celebration.”
Kid Congo & the Near Death Experience · “Live in St. Kilda” In The Red Records
The Fat Angel Sings 