The Cosmic Psychos are a Melbourne pub-rock-punk band that formed back in the 80s. Three genuine Aussie blokes who were most definitely in the right place at the right time, achieving more notoriety and success than anyone could possibly believe. They have a strong following of fans right around the world, which lead to documentarian Matt Weston having people queuing up to donate almost double the target he set on fundraising site Pozible in order to put their epic story on film.
Told with a myriad of interviews with past and present members of the band, friends (roadies), producers, and members of Mudhoney, The Hard-Ons, Pearl Jam, L7 and The Melvins, all bands who have played with and been influenced by The Psychos, stock footage of the band gigging, drinking, touring, drinking, mucking around and drinking, plus some very Fred Negro-esque animations recreating old stories as they’re told.
It’s a classic tale of some down on the farm Aussie blokes having the right amount of Punk-Rock sensibility and classic Aussie humour to make an impression on music fans and musicians alike as they took the band all over the world, from Melbourne’s punk heaving early 80s punk scene, to the industrial setting of Berlin’s ever present underground Punk scene, to the reverential Seattle grunge scene (where they influenced the likes of Nirvana and Pearl Jam).
The strongest voice in the film is that of Ross Knight, the farm boy who still fronts the Psychos to this day, lives on his farm, is a championship weightlifter and a family man, still fronting up every year to play the Community Cup in Elsternwick Park, at which this year, former team captain Tim Rogers played the Psychos Classic “Pub” in place of the traditional national anthem.
A comprehensive history of a unique band, Cosmic Psychos: Blokes You Can Trust will stay in the hearts and minds of Aussie music lovers and Psychos fans for a long time to come. If you loved Richard Lowensteins 2011 documentary Autoluminescent: Rowland S Howard, you’ll love this as it perfectly weaves another piece into the rich history of Melbourne music through the ages and its influence on the world.
Cosmic Psychos: Blokes You Can Trust is in Australian cinemas from 8 August through Umbrella Entertainment.
