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.