A Breath of Fresh Air Aug 8 2023

Hailing from Perth in Western Australia, Dave formed Australia’s first punk band PUS back in the early 1970s. By the time The Sex Pistols had formed, Dave had already moved on to a new phase of music and social commentary which he dubbed Suburban Rock.
His band Dave Warner’s From The Suburbs was a major Australian pub band playing with the likes of Men At Work, Midnight Oil, INXS, Dragon and Skyhooks. His albums were highly original and successful, tapping into the psyche of the ordinary Aussie boy and girl.

Dave formed The Suburbs in 1977. The group developed a huge underground following, which led to Dave signing with Australia’s Mushroom Records in 1978. His first album, Mugs Game, went gold within a month of release. Dave’s second album, Free Kicks, was
released in 1979.

Several albums later, Dave Warner retired from writing and performing music full-time, turning instead to writing plays, novels and screenplays.

Once nominated by Bob Dylan as his favourite Australian
artist, Dave Warner continues to inspire.

He is the author of twelve novels, including the winner of the 1996 West Australian Premier’s Award for Fiction CITY OF LIGHT, and the 2016 Ned Kelly Award for Best Crime Fiction ‘BEFORE IT BREAKS’, and six other non-fiction titles.

Dave has written for feature film, stage, television, radio and newspapers. His first feature movie starred Kylie Minogue and Molly Ringwald was sold
worldwide.

Dave’s television credits include the INXS telemovie plus regular episodes of mainstream Australian primetime dramas.

This week on A Breath of Fresh Air, Dave Warner discusses his music career and the challenges of being pigeonholed into a specific genre. He shares his desire to create truly original music and his inspiration taken from figures like rocker, Lou Reed and American author, Thomas Pynchon.