Bernard "Doc" Neeson OAM 1947 - 2014 RIP

As a young bloke growing up in the suburbs of Melbourne going to the pub to check out a band was almost a right of passage, a right I embraced with a lot of enthusiasm. Most Friday and Saturday nights from my mid teens to my mid twenties would inevitably find me in some beer barn checking out another band, looking for the ultimate show. There were a lot of quality bands doing the rounds in the pubs in those days, Chisel, Midnight Oil, INXS, Dragon, Mental as Anything, The Hoodoo Gurus, The Choirboys, Rose Tattoo, The Radiators to name a few. But there was one band that guaranteed a full on night and that was The Angles.

Going to an Angels show meant that the next day I would wake with no voice left, ringing ears, and a body that felt like it gone a few rounds in a boxing ring, all signs that I'd had a great night. The thing with Doc was that he cajoled and antagonised the crowd to greater heights, his energy was up there with Peter Garrett and he didn't stop moving from the first note to the last, wringing every last drop of sweat from his body and the audience. Watching from "the pit" as it would become known in later years, was a full body experience. If you think rock was a bit softer 30 years ago checkout Mr Damage.

Over the years I caught The Angels in every state of Australia, mostly in pubs, but some times in bigger venues. My most memorable night being at Festival Hall in Melbourne with Spy v Spy supporting them, by the end of the show I'd lost my shirt, my black jeans were that wet with sweat it appeared that I'd been swimming in them, and my shoes squelched with sweat.It still brings a smile to my face thinking about it! I think the photos are from The Venue, which used to be in St Kilda in Melbourne, the year would of been around 1986 about when the band released "Howling". These photos show Doc moving away from the suit and tie of his earlier days, the other interesting thing in the photos is that Eddie Rayner was on keyboards, one of the few periods where The Angels didn't just go for the twin guitar attack.

Its been hard watching Doc over the last few years, as he was obviously struggling with health issues. Now the pain has gone I hope he is recognised as one of the top front men that Australia has produced. It appears that the Brewster Brothers may have finally buried the hatchet with Doc, and he even got a tribute from Guns and Roses who performed a cover of Marseilles in Las Vegas on the weekend. 

Rest in Peace Doc, a part of my youth has gone with you.