Hilary


Top Ten Fruitos (based on how I feel when I look at their faces)
When I first moved to Leeds in ‘99 I went to a lot of parties at 53 (AKA the Bilge Pump house) and there were these fruit guys all nailed to the ceiling. I spent a lot of happy times looking at their beautiful faces. We lived behind that house and when they all moved out I pulled them out the bin because I love them so much. I give them a bath once every couple of years. They’re in no particular order. They’re all the best one.

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I’m Hilary. I live in Leeds. I make things and play music by myself as Yakkida but prefer to work with others. I’m in some bands and projects such as Cowtown and G.P.Kids, Horse for Dinner, Drum Wife and other things. I'm very grapefruit about this. I work as a printer. I try to make collage art, mostly about food and animals. I’m am very tired but if you want to do things I will get up.


Mark Groves


Cold Chisel Top Ten
I could never totally get on board with AC/DC. There’s a bunch of tight Bon Scott era jams (‘Shot Down in Flames’ being my pick), and I guess Back in Black is a solid enough exercise in sexual innuendo and riff uniformity. Thing is, the band has a laneway named after them in my city, marking both their cultural ubiquity and willing acceptance by unexceptional suburban shitheads. The domain of dudes in no way averse to chucking huge chunks of tree bark at my middle school skull during recess. Besides, my own trajectory led me from Bros’ Push on cassette as a favourite in late primary school to acquiring Among The Living by Anthrax off the back of a mention in 2000AD by the time I started in secondary. The space between those two in which AC/DC might have found a place never existed.
Cold Chisel, on the other hand were never anywhere near any of that. They were another ubiquitous local rock institution also co-opted by cunts, largely off the back of ‘Khe-Sanh’ finding a home among Australia’s far-right through a gross misreading of the song’s narrative and intent. For me personally though, they were the band that somehow inspired my old man to break the speed limit whenever ‘Bow River’ came on the car stereo. Principal lyricist Don Walker is the central reason for the group’s enduring appeal - his 2009 memoir Shots is charismatic yet low key. Slouched, subdued observations that ring true and occupy space in many of the band’s better songs. There’s a fair amount of pub rock orthodoxy in the band’s catalogue, but these ten step outside of that (lyrically, at least) and make for a solid commuter playlist.
All songs written by Don Walker, except as noted.

1. ‘Standing on the Outside’ from East (1980)
I'm standing on the outside lookin' in
A room full of money and the born to win
And no amount of work's gonna get me through the door

2. ‘Breakfast at Sweethearts’ from Breakfast at Sweethearts (1979)
At six o'clock I'm goin' down
The coffee's hot and the toast is brown
Hey streetsweeper, clear my way

3. ‘Merry-Go-Round’ from Breakfast at Sweethearts (1979)
Well I'm looking out as the sun goes down
Drinking Bundaberg at the end of the day
Twenty-five and only half alive
The rest is only just a ticket away

4. ‘Cheap Wine’ from East (1980)
Once I smoked a Danneman cigar
I drove a foreign car
5.6.7.8.9.10.Baby that was years ago
I left it all behind

5. ‘Star Hotel’ from East (1980)
All last night we were learning
Drank our cheques by the bar

6. ‘You Got Nothing I Want’ from Circus Animals (1982) (Written by Jimmy Barnes)
I don't want to see you again
I don't want you for a friend
I don't want you hanging around
I don't mind just putting you down

7. ‘Flame Trees’ from Twentieth Century (1984) (Written by Steve Prestwich and Don Walker)
But oh who needs that sentimental bullshit, anyway
Takes more than just a memory to make me cry
And I'm happy just to sit here a table with old friends
And see which one of us can tell the biggest lies

8. ‘Plaza’ from Breakfast at Sweethearts (1979)
Including this one because I love the title ‘Plaza’, and Ian Moss
cracks me up when he pronounces ‘nude’ as ’newde’ when delivering the line
‘There's a nude on the door’.

9. ‘Bow River’ from Circus Animals (1982) (Written by Ian Moss)
I don't need the score
I'm goin' through the door
I'm gonna tell the man I don't want no more
Pick up a fast car and burn my name in the road
One week, two week, maybe even more
I piss all my money up against the damn wall

10. ‘Saturday Night’ from Twentieth Century (1984)
Saturday night's already old
Walking into Sunday, and I find
All desires are cold I could walk forever, I don't mind

Mark Groves resides in Melbourne, Australia. He operates the Index Clean label, and has a number of active projects including Voice Imitator, Red Wine and Sugar, All Ords, Aspen Liberals and Shunter and Switcher. He also makes varying gunk by himself under the names Absurd Cosmos Late Nite, Arum Lilies, and sometimes even as Mark Groves.