Cosmic Psychos

Cosmic Psychos are an Australian punk rock band which formed in 1982 as Spring Plains. Founding members included Peter Jones on guitar and vocals; and Bill Walsh on drums and vocals. Australian rock music historian, Ian McFarlane, described their music as "arty kind of punk noise, somewhere between The Birthday Party and a more narcotic sounding Ramones". Late in 1984 Ross Knight joined on bass guitar and lead vocals; the group were renamed as Cosmic Psychos. They issued their debut album, Down on the Farm, in December 1985. McFarlane felt that with Knight the group used "equal parts Stooges riffs, Ramones tempos, lashings of wah wah guitar, American 1980s hardcore attitude and a healthy dose of yobbo humour. [They] played no-frills, stripped-down punk rock". Several albums have followed and were backed by national tours and international tours to Europe and North America including festivals with Mudhoney, Nirvana, L7, Helmet and Motörhead. In 1990 Jones was replaced by Robbie Watts on guitar and vocals. By 2005 Walsh was replaced by Dean Muller (Hoss (band), Chris Russell's Chicken Walk) on drums. On 1 July 2006 Watts died of a heart attack, aged 47, and the band continued with John McKeering (ex-The Onyas) joining.