Hypoid Boy and Road to Hell!

🎸 Remixes from the Canberra Irish Club gig

Featuring the improbable origins of “Hypoid Boy” and “Road to Hell”

The Chancres have once again displayed perfect retrovision, specifically back to July 2022, when they performed at the Canberra Irish Club. It was a typical mid‑winter evening: heaters humming, glasses clinking, and the band playing with the sort of unshowy competence that tends to confuse people expecting theatrics.

The latest two tracks from that night have now been remixed in London at SonicaX Studios, Stoke Newington, by punk busker, guitar thrasher and habitual audio fiddler Little John Guelfi. His approach was restrained. No reinvention, no grand air guitar gestures. He simply removed some of the accumulated pub haze and allowed the original performance to be heard without the interference of nearby conversations about raffle tickets.

“Hypoid Boy”

This song owes its existence to a long‑standing Chancres supporter who reacted to chocolate and cheese with a level of agitation normally associated with malfunctioning machinery. The band coined the term Hypoid—a portmanteau of hyperactive and paranoid—to describe his condition. His catchphrases, delivered with great urgency, were “the cops aren’t coming” and “your wheels aren’t turning.” He later became a Flight Sergeant in the RAAF, which suggests that career pathways remain open to all.

“Road to Hell”

This track emerged from a domestic paving incident. Vocalist Clive once laid a substantial number of paving stones at the ancestral Smith residence on Loftus Street, Yarralumla. After announcing to his father Rodney that he would “finish the job tomorrow,” Rodney—devout and not inclined toward leniency—responded with the well‑known admonition:
“The road to hell is paved with good intentions.”
The Chancres converted this feedback into a song, demonstrating that artistic output can indeed arise from mild parental disappointment. The image makes Clive resemble Keanu Reeves, although at the time his ‘do had a closer resemblance to Prince Valiant.

The mixes

Guelfi’s London mixes maintain the unique character of the original single take live recordings, now available on The Chancres’ SoundCloud. Watch this Chancres Wide Wide World of Web site for more developments, unto Triple J Unearthed, or Exhumed, and the long-awaited Antipodean tour of LJG (just joshing, busking does not pay that well).

https://soundcloud.com/user-25648475

New Remixes by Little John Guelfi

The Chancres have revisited a moment from their more recent past: the July 2022 live set at the Canberra Irish Club.

Three tracks from that night, Airbus, Ancient Door and Free Enterprise Fans, played with the usual tight, no‑nonsense timing—have now been remixed in London by guitar legend punk busker and audio tinkerer extraordinaire Little John Guelfi.

LJG didn’t try to reinvent anything. Instead, he leaned into what was already there: a band playing close, listening hard, even rigid, and keeping the renowned Chancres three beat pulse steady even in a room full of clatter, chatter, bogus Antipodean leprechauns and mid‑winter heaters. His London studio mixes bring that punchy not muddy feel forward with a bit more clarity and space, while keeping the dynamics of the original performance.

The remixed tracks are now up on The Chancres’ SoundCloud at https://soundcloud.com/user-25648475

They carry the same tight pounding energy brought to that Canberra stage at The Chancres 300th. Turn it up and enjoy a clearer auditory window into a good night’s playing. Stay tuned, alert but not alarmed for the next two remixes, Hypoid Boy and Road to Hell.

Paxperson: The Legend

How Christopher James Paxman Became Pax of the People (POTP)

Every band has a bass player. Only one band had Paxperson. And only one human bean [sic] — born Christopher James Paxman, Kalgoorlie WA, July 1962 — could have risen from the red dust of the Goldfields to become a rhythm section punkish hero of The Chancres.

🎸 Kalgoorlie Beginnings: Heat, Dust, Destiny

Kalgoorlie, where the ground shakes, the air shimmers, and hardy local denizens develop a kind of mythic resilience. Into this environment arrived young Paxman, a child whose hair blazed such a vivid shade of bloodnut that passing miners reportedly used it as a visual reference point during dust storms.

🎓 Stirling College: Academic Weaponry and Musical Fate

By the time Paxman reached Stirling College, Canberra, his academic performance was so consistently superior that teachers began to suspect he was either a genius or simply too stubborn to get anything wrong. He also did not understand the concept of “free periods”, enrolling in seven “lines” or subjects when five or six were required, and obtaining superlative results in all, like some kind of polymath! He met the members of The Chancres at Stirling College in 1979, a band whose enthusiasm exceeded their initial musical capacity.

The Chancres quickly recognised Paxman’s rare combination of witty repartee, competence, calm, and the ability to carry heavy objects without complaint. Naturally, they recruited him as lighting tech, roadie, and general bringer‑of‑order.

🧡 The Rajneeshi‑Orange Era

Paxperson was not merely a roadie. He was a vision.

His favoured attire was a kind of high‑school Rajneeshi orange ensemble, also deigning to wear bright Communist red, a look perfectly harmonised with his flaming bloodnut hair. The effect was striking: part mystic, part traffic cone, part spiritual guide to the rhythm section.

Crowds at the many early 1980s Chancres gigs didn’t just see Paxperson enter a room — they felt the chromatic shift.

💡 The Better Music Incident: When Gracchus Fell and Pax Rose

The Chancres’ original bassist, Guy Morrison, known variously as Gauis of the Gracchi, Gracchus, or simply “Guy, mate, what key is this in?” held the low end until the fateful day at Better Music studio, Colbee Court, Phillip.

The band entered the studio expecting to record a masterpiece. What followed was… not that.

Accounts vary. Some say Gracchus attempted a bass run so ambitious it caused a minor dimensional rift. Others claim the studio headphones betrayed him. Still others insist he achieved a level of creative transcendence incompatible with mortal recording equipment.

Whatever the cause, the result was clear: Gracchus abused his instrument in frustration and became indisposed, musically, spiritually, and possibly existentially. He maintains to this day the Chancres hiatus was due to resuming tertiary studies.

The Chancres needed a bassist.

They turned to the orange‑clad roadie with the craggy swollen ginger bonce and enormous speaker‑lifting capacity.

🔊 The Debut of Paxperson the Bassist

Paxman stepped forward, donned the bass, and unleashed a style that would become legend: 
– Intense concentration, as though defusing a bomb 
– Staccato thrashing reminiscent of Dee Dee Ramone 
– The unmistakable Chancres signature: the “three beat pounder”. 

It was raw. It was relentless. It was exactly what the band needed.

The massive Kustom 4 x 12in bass speaker box groaned under the strain. Floors trembled. Drinks vibrated. The audience felt the low‑end thump in their sternums and their souls.

The quirky Chancres equipment also included the $60 Star now Tama drum set of Mark, Person amplifier, giving off an odour of Perkins Paste when overdriven by guitarist Greg, and a long lamented Jands 600W PA power amp, cooked unto transistor heaven at a lunchtime Stirling College performance. Vocalist Clive usually relied on an Eminar column PA, solid and reliable.

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Paxperson, Paxman the Axeman, Pax of the People

Over time, Paxperson became more than a bassist. He became a symbol — the Axeman who stepped up when Gracchus was indisposed, who brought order to chaos, who wore orange with the confidence of a desert prophet.

Thus the title Pax of the People was born. Not chosen. Bestowed.

🎤 The Legend Lives On

Today, the story of Paxperson is told wherever Chancres fans, both, and musicians gather to reminisce on days when amps were heavy, recording sessions were unpredictable, and the rhythm section held everything together through sheer force of will.

Christopher James Paxman: Kalgoorlie‑born, Stirling‑forged, Chancres‑tested, Rajneeshi‑orange‑clad, and forever the proponent of People’s Pax.

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My Mistress and Goodbyes are not Worthwhile remix by Little John Guelfi

Mr Little John Guelfi (although he is of normal stature) of Camden Town, London has remixed another two live Chancres performances from the Canberra Irish Club, July 2022.

For your audio delectation, My Mistress and Goodbyes are not Worthwhile can be found at https://soundcloud.com/user-25648475/my-mistress-remix-by-ljg-wav and https://soundcloud.com/user-25648475/goodbyes-are-not-worthwhile-1.

My Mistress is our adaptation of Shakespeare Sonnet 130 (look it up in your FunkNWagnalls) and Goodbyes is always the song we finish on, based on “Without Ceremony” by lyrical poet Thos Hardy (1840-1928).

The Chancres “Sanity Room” Bonus Track with Little John Guelfi

Here is a version of the renowned Chancres track Sanity Room, featuring an extended jam with punkish lead guitar by our talented multilingual collaborator Mr Little John Guelfi (although he is of normal stature).

In the words of LJG from his YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6tUMxKfTiY

This Chancres’ anthem about neuro-divergency is the result of their trans-world collab with Little John Guelfi.

The Canberra-based punk/guff rock combo The Chancres and the London based, world-famous Guitar player and producer Little John Guelfi have created this “Jam” take as a virtual performance.

It even adds more icing on the cake to a track that is already brilliant for its concept, the originality of the composition and the deep meaning of its message.

The song will be one of the bonus tracks in the forthcoming album “300th live” in production by Guelfi and The Chancres.

The Differences, remixed by Little John Guelfi

Little John Guelfi, the punk busker polyglot guitar shredding legend of Camden Town, London, has again applied his expert studio audio engineering skills, remixing the performance of anthemic “The Differences”, longest original track of The Chancres, as delivered in a live single take as usual at Canberra Irish Club, July 2022. Check this somewhat orchestral version at our Soundcloud link https://tinyurl.com/TheDifferences-LJGRemix 

Don’t agree

Can’t you see?

Don’t agree

Can’t you see?

Can’t decide

She’s inside

Can’t decide

In her

Where’s the thing I had

To notice the line and the differences

Where’s the thing I had

To notice the line and the differences

Didn’t you wish I’d lose

That dish, you approved

Didn’t you wish I’d lose

That dish, you approved

What you have

I don’t want

What you want now

I don’t have

Where’s the thing I had

To notice the line and the differences

Where’s the thing I had

To notice the line and the differences?

Early 2025 New Year Bonus – Futuro SPV

https://soundcloud.com/futuro-spv

Futuro SPV are an electronic/electronica studio group that makes electro versions of Chancres songs. Guy Morrison – original Chancres bassist – is the artist for this on behalf of the group. Futuro SPV came into being around 2015 when Chancres vocalist Clive Smith heard Guy’s Live in Paris group and asked if he could do that sort of thing for the Chancres. I (Guy) had a think and said I could do some Chancres songs with the DAW/VSTI gear I was using. Basically, I just plunged in headfirst with the Live in Paris gear and put together soundsets and made arrangements from there, also using Chancres vocals, guitar and bass audio.  The result is rather unusual though I think it is fairly true to the Chancres – but – importantly it is NOT the type of techno music I would envision to do for the Chancres myself. I would think much more hard edge/rad/dissonant electro music. I’ve done some of the latter more recently on keyboards and sequencers. There’s not much more to say but Futuro SPV are released to the internet shops such as Apple Music and what is posted at this site are remasters of those original releases.

The Story of Guy…

Which Guy? That Guy M. Morrison, original Chancres bassist, producer, and keyboardist aka The Gracchus.

The Chancres are one of several Canberra punk new wave groups from the late 1970s and are still worthy of an audience and the attention of fans.

Canberra, the Australian capital, has or had its own distinct culture and hence the punk/new wave rock scene and culture was likewise rather distinct, with groups such as the Young Docteurs, Tactics, Thalidomide, Vacant Lot and the Royal Family to name a few in the serious conceptual joke zone or mode. This collection of nasties basically meant we didn’t think people should have to suffer or be subject to repressive regimes or regimen.

The Chancres were side serve interlopers from then outlying Weston Creek near the Murrumbidgee River and Mt Stromlo. Most groups came from older more established parts of inner north Canberra.

Chancres members were the sons of relatively senior federal government officers and military. My father was Deputy Secretary of Education for the federal government at that time. Incidentally, when I joined the Chancres, I was unsure about my future as an apprentice Woolworths fruit and vegetables worker and window cleaner. Typical Canberra….!

I heard the Chancres at Stirling College in 1979 on a cassette recorder. Notable was the ‘Orange Tape’ session cassette. The song Stirling College was outstanding amongst a very good batch. I commented the performance was really good, powerful and convincing, with lyrics a witty reflection of our student experience.

Greg and Mark came back a bit later and asked if I wanted to try playing bass guitar for The Chancres: At that time, I was an electronic music and modern composition student who was also trying to catch up on piano skills. I had a quick think and decided to accept their offer, though I was somewhat daunted at the prospect of playing and performing for a rock group. Further down the track however I was confident to compose music for songs – but – remained doubtful about what the exact nature of the bass and music generally should be!

Off I went on a Japanese p-bass copy doing the Dee Dee Ramone style on the E string at first. We went into rehearsal and I filled bass nicely and developed some more complex and elaborate parts, initially playing one and two finger style and then with pick.

I was a conspicuously long haired and bearded punk but was taken to an approved hairdresser and – bzzzzt – off went most of the hair though beard was retained a la Peter Hook. A vocalist was needed, and I suggested my good mate Clive Smith who certainly looked a part and had a declamatory “ham” actor vocal style. Clive was a skilled (Shakespearian) actor and his forceful vocals filled The Chancres bill, releasing Mark and Greg to concentrate on their instruments.

So, there we were, in the late 1970s and early 1980s, attracting some attention and gigging often. Young entrepreneur businessman Brian Evans, brother of Chief Chancrette Jane, was interested and thought he’d try managing us.

We started getting more gigs, went onto the Group Makers agency talent register and Brian even generously invested in some gear (I was happy to pay you back $$ Brian – thanks). I ended up with a nice Kustom bass amp with a 2 x 12″ box.

There were gigs at pubs, clubs and sleazy wine bars, birthday parties and a Hellenic Club support spot for NZ songstress Sharon O’Neill. There were also rehearsals, demo recordings, controversies about atonal punk rock, a radio interview and almost a brawl. Punk wasn’t all popular! We were looking good by early 1981 with recognition from the audience and a following.

Greg and I penned new less punky songs such as Faber Castell, The Differences and What You Said (I was a progressive rock fan e.g. King Crimson, Yes, Mahavishnu Orchestra, and, modern jazz like Cecil Taylor). However, fiscal reality and the risk of starving and snake bite in a garage flat led to my decision to move home and resume university studies.

I suggested our mate Chris Paxman – another actor, general wit and Stirling College denizen – might want to try bass. That was the end of me and The Chancres Stage 1 but I do not regret doing it. At some point in the 1980s the Chancres discontinued. Greg, Clive and I relocated interstate and adult lives begun in earnest.

Between my departure and Stage 2 I did more music in Canberra and then Sydney: There was funk gothic metal band 1000 Plane Raid with fellow new/no wavers Marcus Flux and Mark Paxton in Canberra. I moved to Sydney with my then (female) partner, resumed degree studies and even started working in academia (while she’s got herself a career at the ABC). I was also hauled back onto bass in 1990 and played for local groups such as Graham Sandstrom’s Big Huge and Jason Chan’s Lovin’ Submission. I moved back to Canberra in 1994 and almost back to where I started – at Woolworths Weston doing night packing, oh no…….

Eventually I managed to get a Commonwealth public service job, bought some new music gear, and Chancres Stage 2 of my ongoing musical journey then begun: I can’t quite remember what happened but at one point we got together for some playing and made a studio recording with Greg’s Boss BR8 recorder. I then bought myself a Boss BR900CD recorder to record bass parts over drum programs. Greg, Clive and Mark were hauled in to do guitar and vocals and the result was an album ‘Mega Album Take 2’. There was a new piece by Greg and I called ‘Day of Shame’ and I made an epic slap bass meal of the not yet done Greg song ‘Extension Piece’.

Live recording sessions followed including two at Rob’s Garage Studio. The 250th anniversary gig at the Irish Club in July 2012 went well and I assembled an electro album of Chancres songs under the Futuro SPV label. In July 2022 there was 300th anniversary gig and I presented the latest phase of bass style, soldiering on despite a bad back and making several mistakes (never previously done that!). This is my tale over some four decades, now released into the wild by this website. 

These days I’m an electronic studio artist with a group arbitrarily called Live in Paris (links on this Home Page) doing lots of composing, keyboarding and production, although I’m back as a   Chancres bassist. I can assure you the Chancres style and playing continues to improve, evolve and develop to this day. However, (sadly for the Chancres) members have been geographically separated since the mid 1980s living in Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, NSW South Coast and country Victoria. I’m not sure how the other members feel, but I’m a bit frustrated and disappointed at the loss of artistic progress by the Chancres. I’m wanting to go into the studio and record Mark’s drumming properly and make another album from there. Recently I’ve just finished a remaster of all Futuro SPV songs. Have fun with this site, the result of some 45 years musical effort, and watch out for updates from me and other Chancres.

Sanity Room, remixed by Little John Guelfi

Little John Guelfi, the punk busker polyglot guitar shredding legend of Camden Town, London, has applied his expert studio audio engineering and Prima Donna guest guitarist skills, remixing the performance of Chancres wistful classic “Sanity Room”, as delivered in a fairly accurate live single take at Canberra Irish Club, July 2022. Check this version at our Soundcloud link https://tinyurl.com/Sanity-Room-Live-Remastered while enjoying the contorted visage of vocalist Clive, chained in the Sanity Room by LJG…until his ‘tude improves.

The Unforgotten

In commemoration of fans and supporters of The Chancres who are prematurely no longer with us. RIP.

Anna Claire Warden, born 1961, deceased 22 May 2008 East Dulwich, London aged 47, aka Wardface.

Andrew William Neil, born 26 September 1961, Butterworth RAAF Base, Malaya, deceased 6 July 2016, Hughes, Canberra ACT aged 54, Chancres photographer and graphic designer, aka The Droid.

Ian Harris, born 23 October 1961, deceased Xmas Eve 2023, NSW North Coast aged 62, aka Bear, Ian Harris bear no malice.