The Angels are an Australian rock band that formed in 1974 in Adelaide as the Keystone Angels with Bernard "Doc" Neeson on lead vocals and bass guitar, John Brewster on rhythm guitar and vocals, his brother Rick Brewster on lead guitar and backing vocals, and Peter "Charlie" King on drums. In 1976, King was replaced by Graham "Buzz" Bidstrup on drums, Chris Bailey took over bass duties so Neeson could focus solely on vocals, and they changed their name to just 'the Angels'. Their studio albums that peaked in the Australian top 10 are No Exit (1979), Dark Room (1980), Night Attack (1981), Two Minute Warning (1984), Howling (1986) and Beyond Salvation (1990). Their top 20 singles are "No Secrets" (1980), "Into the Heat" (1981), "We Gotta Get Out of This Place" (1987), "Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again" (live, 1988), "Let the Night Roll On" and "Dogs Are Talking" (both 1990).
To avoid legal problems with similarly named acts in the international market, their records have been released under the names Angel City and later the Angels from Angel City, although the group has said numerous times that they dislike these names. Bands that have cited the Angels as having influenced their music include Guns N' Roses and Cheap Trick, who became friends and touring buddies, Great White, who have covered two of their songs, and Seattle grunge band Pearl Jam, among many others. Neeson left the group in 1999 due to spinal injuries sustained in a car accident and they disbanded the following year. Competing versions of the group subsequently performed using the Angels name, until April 2008 when the original 1970s line-up reformed for a series of tours until 2011, when Neeson and Bidstrup left again. Alternative versions continued with new members, with the current line-up featuring the founding Brewster brothers, John Brewster's sons Sam (bass) and Tom (drums) and lead vocalist Nick Norton.
The Angels were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in October 1998 with the line-up of Bailey, John and Rick Brewster, Eccles and Neeson. Australian musicologist Ian McFarlane declared that "The Angels had a profound effect on the Australian live music scene of the late 1970s/early 1980s. [They] helped redefine the Australian pub rock tradition... [their] brand of no-frills, hard-driving boogie rock attracted pub goers in unprecedented numbers. In turn, The Angels' shows raised the standard expected of live music. After 20 years on the road, the band showed little sign of easing up on the hard rock fever."
2020s: New material and Gleeson's departure
In June 2020, the Angels released the EP Under the Stone, the first new material in 6 years. In 2020, The Angels were listed at number 45 in Rolling Stone Australias "50 Greatest Australian Artists of All Time" issue.
In December 2021, the band performed with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra in a special concert named "Symphony of Angels". The following year, the Brewster brothers joined Dune Rats in the ABC studios to record a cover of "Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again" for triple j's Like a Version segment.
In May 2023, Gleeson announced that he would be stepping down as the band's lead vocalist, with drummer Nick Norton taking his place. The line-up change also introduced new member Tom Brewster on drums, who is John Brewster's son and Sam Brewster's brother.
In May 2024, the group announced the forthcoming released of Ninety Nine, their first studio album in ten years.
Illnesses and deaths
In January 2013, it was announced that Chris Bailey had been diagnosed with a throat cancer, and his place on bass guitar with the Angels was filled by John Brewster's son, Sam. Bailey died on 4 April 2013, aged 62. Cinematography was by Liam Somerville (aka "CAPITAL WASTE"). and was released in Australian cinemas on 1 December 2022.
"Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again" was voted to 12th place in Triple J's Hottest 100 of Australian Songs "No Secrets", too, was voted into the Hottest 200 a week later at number 185.
On 4 August 2025, a laneway in Adelaide city centre was named The Angels Lane, in honour of the band. The laneway is behind the Hindley Street Music Hall in Hindley Street and behind TAFE SA's Currie Street campus, between Rosina Street and Morphett Street. The walls on the side of the lane feature two murals by street artist Joel Van Moore (known as "Vans the Omega"), commissioned by the Adelaide City Council, as well as several light boxes that glow at night, showing some of the band's well-known moments. There are stencilled projections beamed from the TAFE campus, featuring digital art by cinematographer Liam Somerville (known as "Capital Waste"), who shot the 2022 documentary film about The Angels. There are also two a commemorative plaques.
Along with Lord Mayor of Adelaide Jane Lomax-Smith, band members from each of its lineups were honoured at the official opening; John and Rick Brewster, Graham Bidstrup, and Charlie King were there in person, with family members of both Doc Neeson and Chris Bailey representing the deceased members. Former vocalist Dave Gleeson of the Screaming Jets, Angels producer Mark Opitz and tour manager Mark Pope were also in attendance. The opening coincided with the city of Adelaide's 10th anniversary as a UNESCO City of Music.
In 2019, an unnamed private road off Gawler Place at the North Terrace end had been proposed for renaming, but the building owners had not agreed to the artwork and plaques.
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| rowspan="2" | 1998
| The Angels
| ARIA Hall of Fame
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| Skin & Bone
| Best Rock Album
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King of Pop Awards
The King of Pop Awards were voted by the readers of TV Week. The King of Pop award started in 1967 and ran through to 1978.
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| 1978
| Peter Ledger for Face to Face by The Angels
| Best Cover Design
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South Australian Music Awards
The South Australian Music Awards are annual awards that exist to recognise, promote and celebrate excellence in the South Australian contemporary music industry. They commenced in 2012. The South Australian Music Hall of Fame celebrates the careers of successful music industry personalities.
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TV Week / Countdown Awards
Countdown was an Australian pop music TV series on national broadcaster ABC-TV from 1974 to 1987, it presented music awards from 1979 to 1987, initially in conjunction with magazine TV Week. The TV Week / Countdown Awards were a combination of popular-voted and peer-voted awards.
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| rowspan="2" |1979
| Face to Face
| Best Australian Album
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| themselves
| Countdown Producers Award
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| 1981
| themselves
| Most Consistent Live Act
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References
General
- Note: Archived [on-line] copy has limited functionality.
Specific