Power

An Australian trio hooked on overdriven boogie and high-impact proto-punk, Power came together in a truly fitting manner, after three friends were comparing notes about vintage rock over a significant number of beers. Hailing from Melbourne, Power features Nathan Williams (ex-Gutter Gods, ex-Dribble) on guitar and vocals, Isaac Ishadi (who’d previously played with Soma Coma and Leather Lickers) on bass, and Matt Penkethman, aka Penke (a former member of Krömosom and Bloody Hammer) on drums. While spending a few hours knocking back beers one night in 2013, the three started talking music, and found they all had a soft spot for no-frills Antipodean heroes the Coloured Balls and the Aztecs, as well as T. Rex, the Stooges, Black Sabbath, and Hawkwind. By the end of the night, Williams, Ishadi, and Penke had pledged to form a band, and even went so far as to take some amateur publicity shots of Melbourne’s newest hitmakers. In 2014, Power came to the attention of Australian punk label Cool Death Records, which released the band’s recorded debut, a cassette single featuring the songs “Serpent City” and “Puppy.” After plenty of gigging, Power released their self-titled debut album through Cool Death in 2015. The album turned the heads of rock fans and bloggers at home and abroad, and in 2017, Power was given an American release by taste-making garage-punk indie In the Red Records. ~ Mark Deming