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The old news...
July 2nd
Okie Dokie folks! Karl's foot is now healed enough to start doing shows again and so Ungkas are back into it!
They played a show last weekend with Full Scale (VIC) and a couple of great local bands and had a great time without incident of injury.
That said, they have a show on Sun 8 June with Full Frontal Lobotomy.
May 5th
The last month has been some what of an interesting one. Some people may have heard that Simon was in a car accident on the night of Off The Couch. It happened only hours before the show and then the show was superb! Let me reassure you that he is alive and well.
If you have any doubts about this then you can always check out the shows this month including a journey to Nurioopta.
Hope to see you at a show soon...
Mar 4th
So it's been a long time between drinks here on the Ungkas site. There have been a few shows on here and there but they have been pretty sparse. Still, the boys have been working their butts off to make each one of these shows special in it's own way.
There isn't so much news on the front but I've got to make this look good for all the fans out there...
Ungkas is under new management and so there may be a little bit of a change over period before things start looking like they're going somewhere again. Management details are on the right side board of the site.
The System Failed/Lie Spoken single has been withheld indefinitely from release and might never see the light of day but you can still buy the first disc, Escape, from just about anywhere or, if you can't find it, then email this site and we'll see what we can do.
Feb 6th
It's time for some more fun and so the boys will be doing more shows just to help you on your way.
There's not much in the way of Ungkas gossip at the moment but rest assured that they have been practicing constantly and pumping out new tunes all the while.
Until next update...
Jan 3rd
Welcome back, I hope you've all had a great time and your Christmas and New Year's were everything you had hoped for!
The boys are rested from their festivus celebrations and are now all fired up for an east coast tour which leaves this Monday.
This tour will take them from Sydney to Brisbane with a stack of shows in between and now all of those are listed under Shows. It should all be huge and they'll return to our lovely city in time for the Australia Day celebrations at Le Rox so if you are suffering from withdrawals by then, that'll be the go!
Dec 16th
Christmas Festivus is here and what Christmas would be complete without music?
Check out the Very Metal Xmas at Le Rox on Friday for some of the best metal in Adelaide!
Also be aware that Ungkas are heading to the north eastern region of Australia for two weeks of constant shows!
I'll keep you posted.
Nov 17th
OK people, hold on to your hats. Ungkas are going to be on TV!!!
Yes, this Tuesday 19th November they will appear on Channel 7's 11AM program to help promote the up coming Afterburn Festival that will be on Sunday 24 November. Full paint, new guitars and fire all while playing Miss Perfect. Don't miss it (it'll happen at the end of the show under the credits).
I've heard some great rumours regarding the boys and their current status recently and so I'm currently thinking of starting a forum page called The Ungkas Rumour Mill. If it's not a forum then it'll just be a stated rumour page.
Speaking of which, I hear there's more recording in the pipeline for Ungkas. The System Failed/Lie Spoken single is now going to be a lot bigger than first anticipated. I'll say no more on that one until it happens.
Any way summer's here and it looks like it's going to be sick so get out there to see your local bands and support them in your local pub.
Nov 5th
Some people may be wondering what they heck has happened to this page of late. Oh yeah, I've been watching those IPs dlick over; I may not be big brother but I know!!! The answer is simple; it's been waiting! Waiting for information to update!
Now it's here, is the time to update and here are the listing of Ungkas' last Adelaide shows before they relocate to Melbourne!
Yes, they are going to relocate! Spurned by many of the local promoters, they feel that they can no longer work in Adelaide and expect to actually get anywhere.
That and, a short while ago, they were nominated for Victorian Support Band 2002 (which went to Eskimo Joe) which is really strange seeing as they are still an Adelaide band until 2003. They can't even get a support over here!!!
So there it is in a nutshell. Please understand that it isn't the fans they hate, it's just the officious ones that screw it up for everyone like normal! They'll never learn! Please take your local, self-important promoter and burn them at the stake!
All that said, it's in doubt whether or not this page will continue to be updated. Having a band of my own takes precedence and that means that I'm not free to move with the band. With luck they will keep in touch and I can in turn keep you in tune to the sounds of Ungkas.
So don't squander these last few shows; get your butts out there and go harder than you have before and make them feel appreciated so they come home from time to time!
Sept 27th
It's been a pretty quiet month for Ungkas. They've been settling down from their rigorous show schedule and cooling their feet in preparation for the summer.
They are due to head off for Newcastle (NSW) for a couple of shows in the second week of October and so some new ground will be covered. Come out en masse and show us what you got!
As for the locals, check out the couple of shows coming up with Full Scale Deflection from VIC and the Afterburn Festival in November. Both should be pretty huge!
Aug 26th
Well, after a highly successful tour of Melbourne a couple of weeks back and subsequent excellent shows (ie: Riff Cafe Benefit) they boys are in full form at the moment and rearing to go.
There are going to be a whole heap of shows through September so get ready to go absolutely nuts!
There's good news for collectors of Ungkas merchandise; the new single of System Failed and The Lie Spoken has finished the mastering phase and is now awaiting mass production. Should be excellent as the unmastered recordings sound great.
Anyway, we'll keep you posted on that one and we hope to see you at a show soon.
Aug 2nd
Another bit of sad news hits as the boys are off in Melbourne on tour.
Chris Uhlman of Circle Clan passed on last night (1st Aug 2002) as a result of the cancer that has been ailing him for the last couple of years. Ungkas wishes sincerest condolences to both the band and family members.
It's a fact that this latest loss, along with that of Baterz last week, will leave Adelaide poorer in the wealth of musicians. We'll miss you, Chris, but we'll all meet at the great after party in the sky...
On a completly more sober note, Ungkas will be playing a show for Amnesty International on the 15th Aug at the Governor Hindmarsh. The boys will have just returned from Melbourne and judging by the line up for the weekend will be completely stuffed by Monday. Get out there, see them and make it worth their tiring efforts.
July 24th
It's now time for a moments silence as Adelaide farewells fellow musician, Baterz. He passed away on Mon 22nd July and for those that were touched by him or knew of his work he will be sadly missed.
There's been some negotiations underway at the moment regarding the upcoming Melbourne trip and thanks to some very talented mangaement the tour has been resurrected but won't begin until August.
Here's the dates for all you people in Melbourne.
04th Aug @ The Arthouse (night)
07th Aug @ Victoria Uni, St Albans (lunchtime)
08th Aug @ Melbourne Uni (lunchtime)
08th Aug @ The Tote (night)
10th Aug @ DV8 (night)
11th Aug @ The Tote Campus Competition Heat as judges (night)
14th Aug @ Victoria Uni (lunchtime)
14th Aug @ Q.B.H. (night)
June 24th
OK. We've returned from the Melbourne tour and now we look forward to returning there with a stronger technical backing.
Hopefully anyone that saw Ungkas at Central Club in Melbourne will realise that the time delay between bands and the awful sound coming off the stage wasn't our fault and any ear damage can be referred straight back to the mixer who claimed not to be able to hear us when we told him to turn down!!!
Thanks to the organisers and the other bands, as well as all the friendly people that we met.
The next time around we should have it all ironed outand smoothly running otherwise there might be a mutiny!
June 4th
There is a short trip to Melbourne coming up shortly. So short, in fact that it's only one show! You guys should petition your clubs over that way and get them to contact Ungkas management and see if they can't be added to the two week tour starting on 22nd July!!! That would totally kick arse! So take this as your forward warning; Ungkas are doing a big tour in the last weeks of July so keep an eye on the site for the latest dates.
Check you later.
May 9th
Well, as predicted, the show with The Butterfly Effect was a sick night out! No thanks goes to the mixer on the night as they seemingly took the length of the first two bands to get the sound right. Just in time for The Butterfly Effect! How perfect! Cheers to Sportsday 83 for putting up with that awful mix.
You may have noticed that the shows are few and far between at the moment. The reason for this is the boys are taking a little time out to prepare (this means not playing to crowds and rehearsing all the problem bits that have emerged) for the multiple east coast ventures. There will be one at the end of June and a larger one at the end of July. Watch out east coast, they're coming! The dates should be up on the site as soon as they're confirmed.
Still the System Failed single is in the works, but just remember folks, these things don't happen overnight and they do require money which seems to be hard to come by at the moment. If it's not out soon maybe the finances will be around after the east coast shows.
Negotiations are underway to make an easily findable/memorable address for the Official Ungkas site so keep hanging in there and keep an eye out on this site for all the news as it happens.
April 22nd
Ok, I've managed to squeeze a few more dates out of the band so you guys out there can now rest assured that they will not disappear from your talent scopes any time soon.
Everyday we're getting closer to the release of the System Failed single. The artwork is all but finished thanks to Falafel Industries. All that is needed is mass production and a day to release it on - I can hardly wait!
The photos section is growing so get there now and check out the photography skills of some of SA's better photographers (I know they're all too modest as a lot of their photos crank - remember folks a lot of people can't afford thirty rolls of film just for those one or two shots!)
As before, their east coast adventure is to be held off for the mean time but go check them out with The Butterfly Effect (QLD) and enjoy an absolutely sick night of music. Of course we'll keep you all posted on the status of their tours. I understand that there is a university tour that has been set up as a result of the National Campus Band Competition and this may well be implemented very soon.
April 15th
Well, there goes another Youth Week!
The shows were OK, I guess, the band once again putting everything into it but the crowd was a little sparse for such a great couple of days. Not saying that those out there that did rock up weren't appreciated, but still...
We have a new site to look at and admire now! Check it out;
http://www.angelfire.com/indie/ungkas/
It's pretty darned nifty if you ask me! Top work, Amy.
There are some new photos coming real soon (the negs have to go back this week so...), keep an eye on the photos...
Also, the Official Ungkas page is going to be diverted to this one shortly so I feel rather chuffed about that!
I'll see if I can't squeeze some more dates out of the management. It's time to rehearse and refine some new material by the looks of it...
The east coast tour has been put on hold for the moment due to unforeseen circumstances but that's rock 'n' roll for you; so unpredictable!
Check back in a week for more...
March 23rd
Cheers heaps to Spiderbait for having Ungkas join their little sojourn through South Aussie; you guys are cool. Also cheers for helping me get a carton or two by talking to a complete stranger on the phone. Thanks also to Slingshot for playing the bill. All the shows were great (security in Mt Gambier is cool, thanks so very much to the security at the Crown; you know why!). Mark Barton, thanks for coming to Mt Gambier with us and taking good care of us all. Cheers to Crew!
So it has been a hectic weekend to date but it really doesn't seem to matter all that much because it was so much damn fun. The crowd up at Shadows was very welcoming and CD sales were full on (damn the sell-outs)! The home crew at the Crown, while small-ish in numbers, were big on enthusiasm all night. You guys keep going hard!
Please note all the cancellations and post-poned gigs on the gig guide; things can and will always change. The boys look set to take a short break from their full on show line up and actually practice for a change. It's been a long time and the unfinished material is really starting to back up! That means new songs are just around the corner as is the release of the System Failed single!!!
March 12th
Well that was quite a line up of shows last weekend!
The shows over in Melbourne were about as well matched as the Creed/Sevendust tour!
All apologies must go to the people that attended the You Am I show but were not prepared for the first band for the night!
There were few incidents of note on the trip and all the shows went relatively smoothly.
On return, there was a one day rest and then onto the Flinders Uni O-Ball which was a bit better matched although difficult just the same.
The fire show was not included in the main show but was instead used as a standalone item later on in the evening after Lash and before Machinegun Fellatio. Shakra the Fire Eater was in attendance for this occasion and it all looked really good!
Also at this show, the final footage was shot for the upcoming multimedia section to be included on the new single.
This single will include System Failed and The Lies Spoken plus the compiled footage. We'll keep you posted as things progress...
Thanks to COG (QLD) for filling in for Snap To Zero who pulled out at the last second after being included on all the advertising!
March 4th
Hello Melbournites! Ungkas are coming your way! Playing at RMIT Northern Campus around noon and RMIT's Story Hall (Swanson St) on Thursday 7th March with You Am I and Palladium. Get along and show your support for this excellent band. You're guaranteed a great show!
This will be their only shows on the east coast this time around. Keep an eye out as they will return for a more extesive tour later this year.
Catch you in all Melbourne then?
February 25th
If you're looking at going to an Ungkas show shortly check out the dates; some have been modified due to 1) Ungkas going to Melbourne for some shows between 5th & 8th March, and 2) Clone-B going to Melbourne at the end of March. Hence the show on the 30th at the Austral has been postponed until a little bit later.
The dates for the Melbourne shows should be up real soon (problems on the communication front are to blame there) and hopefully there'll be keen crowd awaiting. We'll let you know how the trip went when they return.
See you at a show soon.
February 4th
Just recently I've added some low quality, 30 second samples of the first Ungkas demo recording. They require RealPlayer (or as they call it now RealOnePlayer). All these samples are supposed to do is give people an idea of how Ungkas sound. Keep an eye on the MP3.COM.AU link because they have come to the party now and things should be up in a week or two...
The gig guide has been updated and should remain fairly up to date from now on. Keep an eye on it for last minute cancellations, added shows and a list of who they'll be playing with.
If you haven't done it yet, download the samples, listen to them and then get your worthless butt to a show, pronto! We'll see you there!
January 25th
For all those of you out there who didn't know, Ungkas had a large amount of success with their slot on the Falls Festival. There are sure to be a few new fans floating around now... They had quite a substantial crowd for 11:30am by anyone's standards!
There are now two or three different t-shirt designs around so keep an eye out for them.
Also, their CD EP, Escape, has made it into the SAMIA charts and is at the top of for the second consecutive week. What can I say? I knew it would!
Sorry to say that the MP3s are hard to get. MP3.COM.AU aren't being too helpful with the uploads so I'll just have to wait (as will you guys out there).
Please bear with us, if I had my way there would be full versions of each song available right off of this site! However, limited web space and file size makes this impossible at this moment...
December 10th
The show on Sunday 9th Dec to decide who of the six finalists would go to play at Falls Festival in Victoria was a truly fruitful venture.
Ungkas triumphed over fellow Adelaide bands Johnny 7 OMA, Circle Clan, J-Ded, Maple, and Three Grand Idol to win the prestige spot on the Falls Festival bill.
The general consensus of the night was that they were the best band for the job and worthy of representing SA and the talent that we have.
Once again, top work from this trio who will only get better with age and experience.
Thanks to the huge crew who worked with them on the day and weekend leading up to it.
December 1st
Sick news for all the Ungkas fans out there; they have their first commercially available disc out and about!
Titled "Escape" the four track disc is selling for $6.95 from The Muses music stores and is a beaut of a disc. Unfortunately, it's limited to only 500 copies!
Friday evening alone, they sold over forty copies in just this one store when they played their show in Rundle Mall that the Adelaide City Council organised to show off the talent that won the National Campus Band Competition 2001!
That night they went through another box at Breakers as they played their part in Eat The Street.
They also have a girlie t-shirt available for consumption by the masses - come on fella's, get yours now! :)
November 21st
Ok, check this out.
You can now listen to Ungkas in the comfort and privacy of your own home thanks to the availabilty of servers such as mp3.com.au
Although not commercially available, this site has been given the "OK" to upload tracks from their rough recorded demo.
But really folks, it's not that rough; the only thing left for the band to work on was the vocals and, due to an industry mishap, this didn't happen. More the pity!
But check them out anyway at
www.mp3.com.au
November 13th
The lads played three sick shows over the course of the weekend - Saturday night at The Ad and then a little later at Raglans and then again on Sunday at Breakers.
They were getting pretty tired by Sunday but were still putting on a good show! Karl probably said it best; "Bin drinkin, bin smokin, Bin Laden!"
In my case it was just more like "bin hurtin" should be in there too!
Heaps of shows coming up including the rescheduled Music Business Adelaide shows November 30th which this time include Ungkas in the Eat The Street shows.
October 26th
Tonight the band plays at Breakers Pool Hall at 8:30pm and then, straight afterwards, will climb on a bus and head on over to Stone Week in Canberra where they'll perform with some pretty big Aussie bands on the Saturday night.
It's going to be a crowded weekend because they'll be playing a couple of times while they're over there and add the travel into that and you don't have much time to relax.
Check out University of Canberra Union or Stone Week Festival for more details...
We'll give you some more news when you they get back...
October 14th
It has been a while since the last update of this site and for the stupidity and laziness of myself, I'm sorry!
For those of you out there who just don't know what's going on at the moment, Ungkas have been involved in the Southwark National Campus Band Competition. They passed all their finals and were flown to Tasmania for the Grand Finals... WHICH THEY WON!!!
It is currently the world's biggest band competition with 980 entries and it is also the first time in the history of the competition that a band from SA has won this event.
They've already been invited to play at Lorne (VIC) for the annual New Years festival and offered a spot on the Adelide event Eat The Street. There's a lot more of this to come!
This will give South Australia a huge boost in the Australian music industry and make sure that Ungkas will not go silently into the night. Congrats once again to the boys and watch the world as they clamber to get a piece of the action.
June 25th
Success again for the boys from Ungkas! They just had their Grand Final for the SA Young Bands/Artists Music Competition and won! They receive two days of recording and 500 discs pressed from that recording. Hopefully they will use this prize quickly, but wisely, and produce a disc for you all to listen to in your own home shortly.
The show itself was flawless and even though they bitched and moaned about all the mistakes, their performance left the fans without a doubt as to where the first prize would go.
Thanks to Shakra (the fire eater) for her performance through the final song Hobble De Hog. This was a welcome addition to the stage show that makes the Ungkas experience so great.
Hobble De Hog was captured on video in all it's flaming splendidness and will one day be available for download from this site.