Sydney-based Australian hard rock band The Angels - also known as Angel City outside their home continent. They are celebrated "pub rock gods" down under with a career now spanning over 20 years and unfortunately largely ignored in the rest of the world.The Angels center around Belfast-born vocalist and founder Doc Neeson, an energetic, charismatic madman known for his stage antics and unmistakable voice. They emerged in the mid-1970's with a lineup of Doc Neeson (vocals), brothers John and Rick Brewster (guitars), Chris Bailey (bass) and Graham "Buzz" Bidstrup (drums). Later, New Zealand-born drummer Brent Eccles replaced Bidstrup and Jim Hilbun came on for Bailey. Further lineup changes brought on Bob Spencer (guitar) for John Brewster and James Morley (bass) for Hilbun. Both would depart again and since then the lineup consists of both Brewsters, Neeson, Hilbun and Eccles again. The 'classic' Angels had a distinctive, unique style somewhere between hard rock and punk with fast-paced rhythms, short clear-cut chords, sharp vocals and biting lyrics, a style that would evolve into more mainstream hard rock and rock later in their career. Some people tend to compare them to AC/DC which isn't entirely unjustified considering that Angus and Bon discovered them and put them under the wings of producers Vanda & Young.
Inspite international releases and tours of America and Europe, The Angels broke into those markets only temporarily but have left a lasting impression on the ones that cared. Great White was inspired to cover "Face The Day", Andy Scott's reincarnation of 70's British glam rockers Sweet has done Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again,the late Mick Ronson recorded Take A Long Line and Rhino Bucket employed Doc to contribute to their Get Used To It album. Even Axl Rose is an admitted fan who once invited Doc to accompany GNR on tour. Most recently The Melvins covered I Can't Shake It (sic) on a Gearhead 7" single.
The Angels' roots trace back to 1971 and an acoustic folk combo called "Moonshine Jug And String Band" of which Neeson and the Brewster brothers were members. They geared more towards electric instruments in 1974 as the "Keystone Angels". With Bidstrup and Bailey now on board and shortening their name to The Angels, the band garnered their first chart success in 1976 with "Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again" and in 1977 the self-titled debut album is released. In 1978 they follow up with "Face To Face" and "Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again" spends 79 weeks on the charts and qualifies for platinum status four times over. Starting with the release of No Exit they break house records touring and win awards in various "Best of Oz" categories. International distribution and tours follow for which they adopt the name "Angel City" to avoid confusion and legal problems with the 60's US girl group "Angels" (or depending on who's version to believe the 70's glam band "Angel").


The 80's see The Angels with more multi-platinum bound albums - from the 1980 Darkroom and the 1981 Night Attack to the 1989 Beyond Salvation - and tours of Australia, Europe and North America but also label and personnel changes: Bob Spencer, formerly of The Skyhooks, replaces John Brewster for the second half of the decade and James Morley takes over the bass for Hilbun at the end. Three videos are released by Mushroom Records Australia: "Live At Narara" (a highly energized and recommended outdoors live show), "From All Angles 1980-1990" (a collection of music video clips) and "Beyond Salvation Live".


In 1991/92 The Angels meet with producer Terry Manning in the USA to mix Red Back Fever and Brent Eccles becomes the manager of the band. Next is a remastered compilation called Evidence and a Hard Evidence Tour EP from the tour by the same name. But for years to follow, no new material is released as the band finds itself without a record label. Spencer and Morley leave for their own projects, the former starting a band called The Temple Gods. Rumors fly that the band is calling it quits and that Doc will pursue a career in acting and public lecturing. The rumors are dismissed as the band resumes touring after a break to focus on new material: In 1996 they return to the classic Brewster, Neeson, Brewster, Hilbun, Eccles lineup and take on the Australian pubs and clubs once again with Rhino Bucket and The Poor in tow. They independently release a CD single titled Call That Living and for lack of a distribution deal sell it themselves at concerts.


In 1997, The Angels embark on the continent-wide acoustic "Lounge Lizard Tour", reinforced on vocals by Angry Anderson (Rose Tattoo) and Ross Wilson (Daddy Cool, Mondo Rock). They play acoustic versions of each band's songs with the corresponding band member responsible for vocals. At the end of September 1997, Australia's largest indie label Shock Records announces the signing of the band to a worldwide, long-term recording contract. Soon afterwards the single Caught In The Night is released and receives nationwide airplay and chart success. A second single Northwest Highway follows in February 1998. The band performs a few low-key gigs around Sydney (billed as Skin & Bone) to practice the material from the new album Skin & Bone which sees the light of day in March 1998 and features the songs from the singles and nine brand-new tracks. The new material is showcased around the entire continent in July and August 1998 together with a reunited Rose Tattoo under the heading "All Hell Breaks Loose". They also are chosen to appear in the Jane Campion movie "Holy Smoke" where they perform "I Put A Spell On You" in a bar scene. Towards the closing of 1998, The Angels are inducted into the ARIA Hall Of Fame, release the single My Light Will Shine and take on a mini-tour of Southeast Australia including a stop-over at the 25th anniversary of Mushroom Records in Melbourne and a special benefit gig for flood victims. Skin & Bone is voted as one of the Top 5 Aussie records of the year. 1999 is the year of the "LiveLine" digitally remastered reissue with bonus tracks that is celebrated with the "LiveLine '99" Australian tour but 2000 sees another band hiatus and in 2001 Doc officially quits the band for good, following a car accident that leaves him in ill health, and the remainder of the members scramble to possibly continue under a new name. However, the latest news indicate that this will not happen after all. Sep 12, 2001: The Angels are no more. During a hiatus that started in 1999 with Brent tending to family matters in New Zealand, the official Web site went offline and then Doc announced to a tabloid in mid-2001 his resignation from the band due to continued pain and depression following a car accident. Oddly, the established music press and media never picked up on those news and the band management has so far not released an official statement. For a while it was hinted that the remaining members would continue under the new name "Band Of Angels" with Jim Hilbun on vocals but nothing came of it.





Source : http://www.lastbandit.com/angels.html