Punk rock might have originated in the USA and flourished in the UK, but Australia was tapped in early, with its own distinct signature sound that quickly evolved into something quite different. By 1978, bands all across the country were deviating from the template, but most of them never got the exposure they deserved outside of the Antipodes. Chapter Music’s bumper 26-anthology helps correct a musical blind spot, and fixes some holes in the rock family tree. A young Mick Turner from Dirty Three shows up on The Moodists’ gothy ‘Gone Dead’, while Amanda Brown (of The Go-Betweens) and Ed Kuepper, who’d go on to join The Bad Seeds, were both members of The Apartments, and synth-punk oddball Ash Wednesday would work extensively with Neubauten.

But the best gear is hidden even further beneath the surface. The Take’s ‘Summer’ was the only track the trio released (Frank Lovece would join Primitive Calculators), and it’s one of the compilation’s stand outs, all pounding rhythms, breathless vocals and screaming feedback, and The Limp just released two 7″s but impress with the bontempi-powered ‘Pony Club’. This freshly remastered version of the comp comes with extra material too, including a chipmunked synth jam from Yclept Dinmakers, the dubby ‘Work’ from Synthetic Dream and the Krautrock-inspired closer ‘The Path’ from The Plants. Big recommendation.