Veteran rock singer Angry Anderson says he doubts "very, very, very much" that fellow entertainer Tania Zaetta had sex with Australian soldiers during their visit to Afghanistan last month.

But Anderson has not specifically denied he was the source of an allegation that has sparked a defence investigation and opposition outcry.

I am not a moralist. I learned along time ago that it is folly to moralise, Anderson told a Sydney radio station.

I don't moralise about people's lives.

I doubt very, very, very much - I have only seen all the girls conduct themselves in a very, very professional manner and certainly Tania, because she is a very professional person.

She has been in the industry long enough to know what she can and can't do and what she can get away with.

A defence briefing reports unsubstantiated claims that Zaetta had sex with Australian special forces soldiers at the Australian base in Tarin Kowt, Afghanistan, last month, News Limited newspapers reported.

The 37-year-old entertainer, radio host and TV personality strenuously denies the claim.

That is the most ridiculous story I've ever heard about my life - and I've heard plenty over the years in this industry, Zaetta said.

Zaetta and Anderson were headline acts on a 17-day tour that staged concerts for Australian soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The newspapers reported Anderson was the source of the original allegation contained in the leaked document.

He allegedly told the defence force entertainment division he had been informed by special forces soldiers that while Zaetta was at Tarin Kowt she had sex with them and they had the photos and video to prove it.

When asked today if he was the source of the allegation, Mr Anderson said he was incredulous.

That is what I am saying. I just find that whole thing just, you know, I am just incredulous, he said.
Both Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon and defence acknowledge an investigation is under way but have refused to make any other comment.

Opposition defence spokesman Nick Minchin says the leaking of the unsubstantiated claims are a gross and extraordinary invasion of Ms Zaetta's privacy for which Mr Fitzgibbon should apologise.

It is deeply concerning that these unsubstantiated allegations have been publicly aired, especially as Ms Zaetta strenuously denies the rumours, he said in a statement.

Entertainers, such as Zaetta and Anderson, should be thanked for visiting our troops in the field and not subjected to tawdry innuendo, he said.

How did these stories reach the newspapers? Mr Fitzgibbon must immediately investigate who in the Department of Defence or his office leaked this story.

And then he must explain how that person has been dealt with and what will be done to stop such slurs being leaked in the future.

A member of a band that toured Afghanistan with Zaetta dismissed the reports, saying those on tour were too busy to get up to any mischief.

I've heard of quickies mate, but you'd have to be really quick - we didn't have time to do anything, said John Clinton, from the country rock band The Wolverines.

He said the touring party had no time to fraternise with troops and were closely monitored by the defence force at all times.

I can't see where that sort of thing could have happened, he said.

Clinton also doubted Anderson had complained about Zaetta, saying he was just such a gentleman while on tour.

I can't believe that it would have come out of his mouth, and ... even if he did know something like that, I doubt very much he would have said anything.
 

Rose Tattoo seamlessly mixed old classics with stomping newies that proved they are still very much relevant.

Much of the recent Guns N' Roses/Rose Tattoo tour was a sense of deja vu; 14 years on, Axl still didn't seem to have any good new songs. However, Rose Tattoo seamlessly mixed old classics with stomping newies that proved they are still very much relevant.

Once in a Lifetime, a gospelly blues-rock ode to late Tatts guitarist Pete Wells, with slide played by his replacement Dai Pritchard, and 1854, a tribute to the victims of the Eureka Stockade, were both classic catchy rock anthems with killer choruses that date back to the band's legendary Scarred for Life album.

The album opens with a very true version of Stevie Wright's Black Eyed Bruiser, and on the tender City Blues the band slow down the pace and prove it's not all about the boogie. Many of these songs should be all over commercial radio, but of course they prefer to stick with the band's old classics. This was supposed to be the Tatts' swan song, but after rediscovering their chemistry they have decided that there will be at least one more after this. And that's great news for fans, because they just don't make bands like Rose Tattoo any more.

The idea of Angry Anderson's challenge is to pull together the money and materials for a regional youth centre by October.

With a target of $2.5 million, Angry has so far raised more than $1 million.

Gayle Dunn, mother of Craig Dunn, started up the program to give youths of Australia the future her son never got to see.

Local Ulladulla surfers Craig Dunn and Danny Lewis were killed in the Bali Bombings.

This project will be a permanent memorial for those who lost their lives in the Bali attack by providing young people with a positive and practical vision for the future.

Support the centre and get more information about Angry Anderson's challenge at www.dunnlewisfoundation.org.au

Veteran rock guitarist Lobby Loyde has died from cancer at 65.

Loyde, whose loud, plectrum-bending guitar style blasted from rock pubs and concert venues throughout the 60s and 70s, was acknowledged as a father figure of Australian rock music.

He died in Box Hill Hospital last night after a long battle with lung cancer that eventually spread throughout his body.

He was a driving force behind the Aztecs, whose founder and singer, Billy Thorpe, died of a heart attack in February.

Loyde was born John Baslington Lyde in Longreach, Queensland, in 1941. His mother was a classically trained pianist and his father a jazz trumpeter and as a teenager he joined them in country town performances in outback Queensland.

Rock documentary producer Paul Murphy said Loyde inspired countless musicians including Thorpe whom he encouraged to adopt a similar loud, rocking guitar sound.

"And ACDC were influenced by his wild guitar playing,'' Murphy said.

Loyde first came to rock prominence in the 60s under the name Barry Lyde with Brisbane rhythm and blues band the Purple Hearts

In 1967 he moved to Melbourne to join another rhythm and blues outfit, the Wild Cherries, writing most of that band's hits.

In the 70s Loyde joined Thorpe and the Aztecs who were the big local sensations at the legendary Sunbury rock festivals.

He then formed the Coloured Balls, who became the rock and roll heroes of Melbourne skinhead gangs.

Loyde issued his second solo album, Obsecration, in 1976, a showcase collection of heavy rock guitar work.

He moved to the UK.where there was some interest in releasing the album, but with England in the throes of punk music, a deal was never sealed.

He returned to Australia in 1979 and formed a new lineup with Gil Matthews (drums), Gavin Carroll (bass), and Mándu, known as Southern Electric. They recorded the album Live with Dubs which was  released in October 1980.

Loyde then turned his attention to producing other bands including the Sunnyboys, and Painters and Dockers.

In 2005 he was diagnosed with cancer and in 2006 he was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame.

Murphy said Loyd's represented the end of an era.

"It's sad day for Oz roc. But Lobby woudn't anyone crying. He'd want us to go out and party."

Melbourne's Jet will cover Rose Tattoo's classic 'We Can't Be Beaten' at the 2006 ARIA Hall of Fame dinner.

The Jet performance is a special tribute to the Tatts who will be inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame that evening.

"We're going to do 'We Can't Be Beaten' - I think it fits us more than their other sons. And it captures an attitude which is ingrained in every Australian”, said Jet's Nic Cester.

Other inductees on the night include Helen Reddy, Divinyls, Daddy Cool, Icehouse and Lobby Lloyd. Brooke Fraser will perform Reddy's 1973 hit 'Delta Dawn' and Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs will perform a musical tribute to Lloyd.

The 2006 Aria Hall Of Fame event on Wednesday August 16th at the Plaza Ballroom at Melbourne's Regent Theatre will see Jet pay tribute to Rose Tattoo, and a band that remains a strong influence on them. Back home to play two warm up shows in preparation for the release of their much anticipated new album 'Shine On', will perform the Tatts' 'We Can't Be Beaten'. Australian based New Zealand star Brooke Fraser will perform Helen Reddy's 'Delta Dawn'. Divinyls founding members Chrissy Amphlett and Mark McEntee, will take to the stage for the first time in almost 12 years to perform two of their biggest hits, 'I Touch Myself' and 'Boys in Town' while Daddy Cool will regroup to perform their iconic hits, 'Eagle Rock' and 'Come Back Again'. Iva Davies and Icehouse will perform 'We Can Get Together' and a special rendition of their classic song Great Southern Land and finally, Billy Thorpe And The Sunbury Aztecs will perform a very special musical tribute to Lobby Loyde.

The 2006 Aria Hall Of Fame event will be broadcast exclusively on Foxtel and AusStar Digital subscribers will be able to see this special telecast on VH1 on Sunday, August 20th at 8.30pm. On August 31 Jack White's The Raconteurs will be a part of this year's MTV 'Video Music Awards', but not as mere performers on the annual show. The band has been appointed to provide the soundtrack for the VMAs live throughout the show.

The Pussycat Dolls will search for a seventh member via (yes) a reality TV show …. John Lennon and Yoko Ono's famous Vietnam War era "War Is Over! If You Want It." poster has gone up again in New York, and is scheduled to appear above Los Angeles streets next week, but this time it's no utopian dream, but an advertising campaign to promote a documentary which is a chronicle of Lennon's transformation from musician to anti-war activist and how the U.S. government sought to silence him, in the view of the filmmakers …. Meanwhile, back in the real world on Radiohead's official web site Thom Yorke has demanded Tony Blair resign immediately over the British government's stance on the conflict raging in Israel …… thanks to their crafty Dutch accountants The Rolling Stones pay 1.6 percent tax instead of Britain's usual 40 percent. The rockers have earned $454 million in royalties throughout the past 20 years, but they paid just $7 million to the taxman. Keef can afford to fall out of trees … Pop queen Lindsay Lohan has reportedly been fired by her U.K. record label Island Records after she failed to travel to London for a planned promotional campaign.

ARIA is delighted to announce one final music artist who will be honoured at the ARIA Hall of Fame event on Wednesday August 16 at the Plaza Ballroom in Melbourne.

Arguably one of Australia's legendary guitar heroes, LOBBY LOYDE, will join DIVINYLS, ICEHOUSE, DADDY COOL, HELEN REDDY and ROSE TATTOO into the hallowed ARIA Hall of Fame.

Acknowledged as the godfather of heavy rock in Australia, LOBBY LOYDE has influenced countless performers both here and overseas through his playing and songwriting as well as his production work.

Barry Lyde - or Lobby Loyde, as he has been known since the late 60's - started out like so many guitar heroes, under the all-pervasive influence of The Shadows' Hank Marvin. His incendiary guitar work has been a focal point of every band he's played with.

Among those who have cited Loyde as an influence are Billy Thorpe, Nirvana's Kurt Cobain, Pavement's Stephen Malkmus (who covered The Coloured Balls That's What Mama Said), Henry Rollings (who owns all Lobby's recordings), Bored! and Cosmic Psychos.

"When kids pick up guitars in this country, they don't say: 'I want to sound like Lobby Loyde', " said Rose Tattoo frontman Angry Anderson. "They say: 'I want to sound like that' - without knowing it's Lobby. More than anyone else, Lobby helped create the Australian guitar sound. Long before Angus (Young) or Billy Thorpe or the Angels or Rose Tattoo. Lobby inspired Australian bands to step forward and play as loud and aggressively as they could. People are still trying to copy it today." Angry Anderson (The Age, Sat June 10th, 2006)

The 2006 ARIA Hall of Fame event will be broadcast exclusively on subscription television. Foxtel and Austar Digital subscribers will be able to see this special telecast on VH1 on Sunday, August 20th at 8.30pm

Plaza Ballroom - Melbourne - AUGUST 16TH 2006

ARIA (Australian Recording Industry Association) is proud to announce that Rose Tattoo will be inducted into the HALL OF FAME.

Forming in Sydney 30 years ago, ROSE TATTOO first came to prominence playing a similar style of blues-rock made popular by AC/DC and fast became an institution of Australian rock. With their raw, heavy, hard street rock sound and a trademark bluesy slide guitar of Pete Wells, ROSE TATTOO won loyal fans not only internationally but especially struck a chord on local shores where they were anointed one of Australia's premier rock bands.

The band was the vision of slide guitarist Peter Wells, and their initial goal was to create the "meanest loudest, most in your face rock band around" and true to their intentions, ROSE TATTOO became notorious as a self-styled gang of rock'n'roll outlaws, bent on mayhem and destruction, and they quickly developed a reputation around Sydney clubs and pubs for their in-your-face, brutal, no-nonsense hard rock.

"We feel that as Rose Tattoo we have represented Australian pub rock well overseas. The band has influenced other internationally famous bands but our fame has never been about 10 million sales or mega popularity. It has always been about the music and I am glad that we are being recognised for that.......and Pete would be too." ANGRY ANDERSON

The band's initial line-up (which would change many times over during the lifespan of the band) featured the passionate, fierce, throaty vocal performances and dramatic stage antics of Gary "Angry" Anderson, Ian Rilen on bass, Peter Wells on slide guitar, Mick Cocks on rhythm guitar and Dallas "Digger" Royall on drums. Future line-up switches would introduce the likes of Rob Riley (rhythm guitar), Geordie Leach and Steve King (bass guitar) as well as Paul DeMarco (drums) amongst others.

ROSE TATTOO first signed to Albert Productions upon recommendation from AC/DC's Bon Scott and worked on their first four albums with the help of ex- Easybeats' Harry Vanda and George Young. Their 1978 debut album Rose Tattoo featured the single Bad Boy for Love, which climbed into the Australian Top 20. In the three years that followed, the band toured relentlessly, maintaining their outlaw image performing at several penal institutions, including Parramatta Jail. In the early eighties the band toured the UK and Europe, including a legendary, frenzied performance at the Reading Festival where Angry head-butted the amp stacks until his forehead was bleeding. In 1981 they released their second album Assault & Battery. The album reached Number 1 on the UK Heavy Metal Charts and the Top 30 in Australia and produced two big singles Out of This Place and Manzil Madness.

Their classic 1982 album Scarred for Life followed and produced three singles including We Can't be Beaten, which reached Number 14 on the Australian charts. Their fourth studio LP and the final recording produced by Vanda and Young, Southern Stars, was released in 1984 and included the hit single I Wish and saw the band once again, true to form, serve up their unique brand of rootsy, hard-rock and metal. After the release of Southern Stars, ROSE TATTOO ground to a halt and did not reform until 1993, when none other than Guns & Roses put in a special request for them to get back together to support the Gunners on their Australian Tour.

Sadly earlier this year, founding band member Peter Wells lost his four-year battle with prostate cancer and passed away in March at the age of 59. Sorely missed by his family, friends, band members and fans alike, Wells will be remembered as a legendary rock'n'roll soul who inspired many and whose music will live on for generations to come.

ROSE TATTOO's musical grit, guts, guile and sheer rock'n'roll heart has written them into the annals of music history as making a hefty contribution, both in the studio and on stage, to the definition of Australian heavy rock.

Before their 2006 event, ARIA announces another two Hall Of Fame inductees.

The 2006 ARIA Hall Of Fame ceremony will take place on August 16 and in the lead up to the big night, the association has announced that this year’s inductees will include such legendary Australian acts as Icehouse, Divinyls and Daddy Cool.

Now two more acts have been announced as inductees: feminist folk icon Helen Reddy and pub rock stalwarts Rose Tattoo.

Reddy is probably best known for recording what became the unofficial anthem of the feminist movement in the ‘70s, ‘I Am Woman’. In 1965 she won Channel Nine’s Bandstand “Starlight” competition and scored a trip to the US. By the end of her career she’d scored four US number ones, sold 15 million albums and was the first Australian singer to win a Grammy.

Sydney’s Rose Tattoo have always been in the shadow of big brothers AC/DC but their barroom rock was no less gutsy and authentic. These rock n’ roll outlaws won fans across Australia and are still recognised internationally for the raw bluesy guitar of the recently departed Pete Wells and the underdog spirit of vocalist Angry Anderson.

The ARIA Hall Of Fame event will be broadcast on pay channel VH1 on August 20.

ARIA is pleased to announce the return of the ARIA HALL OF FAME; an annual stand alone event which will see the Australian music community pay tribute to artists who have made significant contributions to this country's musical landscape. The ARIA Hall of Fame 2006 event will take place on Wednesday, August 16 at the Plaza Ballroom in Melbourne's Regent Theatre.

The Hall of Fame has been an important part of the ARIAs since 1988. Traditionally taking place during the music awards ceremony, ARIA has inducted a diversity of artists into the Hall of Fame, including AC/DC, Dame Joan Sutherland, Olivia Newton John, Johnny O'Keefe, Paul Kelly, John Farnham, INXS, Slim Dusty, Jimmy Little and more.

At this inaugural event, Divinyls, Icehouse, Daddy Cool, Helen Reddy and Rose Tattoo will be inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame 2006. ARIA is pleased to announce that the evening will include performances by Divinyls, Icehouse, Daddy Cool as well as two very special guest performers who will be announced in the coming weeks.

The entire event will be broadcast exclusively on VH1 on Sunday August 20 at 8.30pm.

Plaza Ballroom - Melbourne - AUGUST 16TH 2006

The Big Daddys will be playing they next LIVE SHOW at Dee Why RSL Club on Friday November 28th, 2003 with special guest ANGRY ANDERSON. Angry will be joining us during "Act II" of the gig, after intermission as outlined below.

Angry and The Big Daddys will be performing a special set. More details will be posted soon.

Dee Why RSL Club
932 Pittwater Road
Dee Why NSW 2099
PH: (02) 9454 4000
Email: info@deewhyrsl.com.au

(Steamhammer / SPV)
US release date: 2 July 2002
UK release date: available as import
Germany release date: 3 July 2002

Back in the late '70s and early '80s, the depth of talented Australian rock groups was quite high. Having punk rockers Radio Birdman making some inroads internationally, groups like AC/DC would create a global presence for more than two decades. But for every AC/DC there is Rose Tattoo, a group that had just as much skill and ability but never reaped the rewards they so justly deserved. After breaking up in 1984, the band was requested by Guns N Roses to open for them for the Australian leg of its 1993 world tour.

In 2000, the group returned with 25 to Life and a tour of Europe. Now, sounding like they're still joyfully stuck in a time machine circa AC/DC's Highway to Hell, the group has returned with a genuine good time rock and roll record. Led by singer Angry Anderson, an enigmatic bald and heavily tattooed character, the band begins with a meaty and infectious "Black Magic". Not as raspy or ragged as Brian Johnson, Anderson is fully supported by Pete Wells on slide guitar and "Rockin'" Rob Riley on electric guitar. It's a perfect opener that sets the stage for much more of the same. "The Devil Does It Well" has more of an early '80s heavy metal feeling to it, with the constant 4/4 drumming of Paul DeMarco. While it might seem relative simplistic, the KISS philosophy (Keep It Simple, Stupid) sounds just as fresh now as it did in the group's first time around. The track tends to slouch slightly near the conclusion though, perhaps not fading out while it's still on top and instead going for a lengthy jam ending.

One aspect of the album you won't find that appealing is the lyrics. The group won't be known for its deep or hidden meanings in the words, but it's not supposed to be given the airtight rhythm section that sounds like it's a live take in the studio rather than being overly produced. "No Mercy" is a blend of the first two tracks, a bit more infectious than both with a faster tempo and more slide guitar deep in the bowels of the track. "Pain" is a Zeppelin-like tempo with Anderson's accent coming to the fore before building into a thundering guitar rock tune.

It also has a lot in common with Judas Priest when Rob Halford was still the group's key component. "Kisses and Hugs" is a punk metal track that comes across like Aerosmith's "Young L.U.S.T.". "I don't need no one to tell me how to feel / Don't need a multi album deal," Anderson howls over a head banging, foot stomping tune. "House Of Pain" is perhaps one of the more neatly packaged songs of the 16 presented. With a somewhat cookie-cutting blueprint, the band sounds a bit uninspired and lacking that oomph for the first time on the record. "I Can't Help It If I'm Lucky" has a lot in common with California punk legends Social Distortion in its punishing beat and infectious old-school rock guitar. "Union Man" deals with, well, the support of unions and "an honest day's work for an honest day's pay". "Satan's Eyes" misses the mark with a heavy metal theme and sound that doesn't look good on the quintet. "Hard Rockin' Man" and the quasi-funky "Stir Crazy" are two of the strongest here though, the latter relying far more on a groove than any crunchy guitar riff.

The last quarter of the album stands up against the other dozen tracks, but tends to improve on the earlier portions. "Living Outside My Means" has much more of galloping beat to it with Anderson playing more of a bit role than being a dominating force. His madcap laughs and devil-may-care diatribe only adds to the song's appeal. "Illustrated Man" continues on the hard and enjoyable rock path with another high-octane 4/4 tempo and some stellar guitar work. The album isn't the art rock of Radiohead and doesn't truly care to be. If fans of AC/DC or just out and out great guitar rock haven't heard of this underrated band, don't say I didn't tell you!

***Last minute low key London gig @ The Garage booked for July 29th***

Rose Tattoo, the legendary Australian blues-rockers, who release 'Pain', their first studio album for 18 years, on SPV on July 1st, have confirmed a short notice low key London gig at the Garage on July 29th. Tickets, priced £7 in advance and £8 on the door, are on sale now from all the regular Mean Fiddler outlets and box office 020 7344 0044.

This gig follows their co-headline slot (with Doro) at the Rock and Blues Festival in Derby on July 27th. Last year Rose Tattoo toured the UK for the first time in 18 years and were rewarded with an exceptional KKKKK live review in Kerrang! in their June 16th 2001 issue:-

'It's not always easy finally getting to see a favourite band that you missed the first time around, and I have to confess that if I hadn't been reviewing tonight (and mistakenly believed that Dukes of Hazard were supporting) then I'd probably have given this show a miss. After all, we've all depressingly witnessed a legend or two going through the motions to pay the mortgage, and while Rose Tattoo may be one of the first true bad-ass rock'n'roll bands, they're all knocking on a bit, y'know. Sometimes it's just better to leave fond memories alone. Sometimes I can be a right c**t! Because, quite frankly, if this gig had slipped past then arguably the best show of the year would have been little more than hearsay. Older readers might know the score; Rose Tattoo were a bunch of Aussie headcases who wrote true classics, often covered to this day, like 'Nice Boys (Don't Play Rock And Roll)' and 'Rock 'N' Roll Outlaw' and lived it like they sang it every step of the way. Younger readers may remember the little dude who played Ironbar in 'Mad Max 3'. That was Rose Tattoo's frontman Angry Anderson' and he wasn't acting! You could put the f****r in the Thunderdome with all of Splipknot and he'd be the one who walked away! Anderson simply oozes charisma as he belts them out, like the brother of Bon Scott and wayward father of Axl Rose and Chris Robinson all rolled into one. There's so much soul in that voice as the band swagger through 'Rock 'N' Roll Is King' and 'One Of The Boys' that it simply puts everyone else to shame. And this, bear in mind, is over two decades after they started scaring (and sometimes scarring) audiences Down Under, so it's probably only a shadow of what they once were. No wonder they were revered as Gods in some of the more spit 'n' sawdust bars of the world! Absolutely Awesome!' (Morat).

*******Rose Tattoo will be available for interviews on July 30th********