Pinkerton Pendlebury by Pinkerton Pendlebury

Pinkerton Pendlebury is a musical partnership spanning some more than five decades of live and studio experience, and something of a mutual admiration society between two Melbourne figures who are known as musician's musicians. Andrew Pendlebury is best known for his work with seminal Stephen Cummings-fronted '70s/80s Melbourne band The Sports and for a number of acclaimed solo records - including an ARIA Award winner - in the '80s; Steve Pinkerton came to prominence in the 2000's with The Anyones who had both US and Aussie record deals, and these days plays drums for Dallas Crane and sings and plays guitar in The Ronson Hangup.

Following the album's release, Andrew and Steve, together with bass player Steve Hadley (Paul Kelly, Tex Perkins & The Rubber Band, Black Sorrows, Vince Jones), guitarist Jason Kain (Jackson Code, Louis Tillet's Wet Taxis) will take Pinkerton Pendlebury to the stage.

Andrew Pendlebury and Steve Pinkerton first met when Steve was enlisted to play drums for The Sports last run of shows back in 2017, before the sad passing of Andrew's guitar playing partner in the band, Martin Armiger. Pinkers and Pendles started to jam at Steve’s place and began writing together just prior to the Covid lockdowns. Recording took place, when it was possible, at Steve's studio - Steve recorded, mixed and produced the album. Steve sung and played drums, Steve Hadley was recruited on bass and Steve's Ronson Hangup partner Ashley Naylor also contributed. The songs are rooted in melody and driven by Andrew’s amazing guitar technique and Steve’s mellifluous vocal.

Pinkerton Pendlebury's music is a natural blend of the two principal's musical and artistic inclinations and outlooks. Andrew was a classically trained child violinist who, inspired by Django Reinhardt and Jimi Hendrix, taught himself guitar and began in bands in the early-to-mid '70s. His lexicon includes country, jazz, a host of different ethnic folk styles and of course '60s and '70s rock. Steve also loves '60s and 70s rock but is 20-odd years younger and approaches it from a more recent perspective. Both come from artistic and musical families. Andrew's parents were prominent in visual arts in mid-20th century Melbourne - Andrew also paints and has exhibited - and his older sister is an actress. Steve's father was a prominent scientist, and his mother received a piano scholarship to the Sydney conservatorium at the age of 14 (her career was sadly thwarted by schizophrenia); Together Pinkerton Pendlebury have a broad musical outlook and a wide and deep well of experience to draw on.

Pinkerton Pendlebury's debut album is a strong song-orientated collection hung on a startling musicality. Both timeless and contemporary, it sounds very much of the moment, yet echoes over half a century of rock and pop. Lyrically, it reveals Steve's strong interest in history - the first couple of songs cover Australia's most famous fascist-sympathising aviator ("Smithy"; also the first single) and the 1930's murder of a young writer and artist model who, Steve later discovered, was associated with an Arts Society that Andrew's father later presided over. A subsequent track looks at a Modernist Australian poet from the 1940’s, and other songs touch on science, mental health and politics. Pinkerton Pendlebury play pop music for adults, and Pinkerton Pendlebury is intelligent and engaging and a constant source of surprise and delight.

Pinkerton Pendlebury is a musical partnership between Andrew Pendlebury (The Sports) and Steve Pinkerton (Dallas Crane/The Ronson Hangup). Their debut album was written collaboratively and additonal musicians included Steve Hadley on bass (Tex Perkins) as well as Ashley Naylor (Paul Kelly, The Church, Even). BV's by Layla Fibbins (Sideshow brides). Jason Kain (Jackson Code) plays 2nd guitar live