Forming towards the end of the ‘70s and not making it out of the decade, the Leftovers (which comprises Warren Lamond (vocals), Glen Smith (bass), Jim Shoebridge (guitar) and Ed Wreckage (drums) with Greg Wackley working out percussion on live recordings as Wreckage moved over to guitar) the only release that the group was able to squeeze out was “Cigarettes And Alcohol” b/w “No Complaints” and “I Only Panic When There's Nothing To Do” released via Punji Stick during July of 1979.
The a-side of that single is what most reference when figuring the Leftovers as major players in the Aussie punk scene. It’s certainly no “(I’m) Stranded.” And while the band has some acceptable punk chops, the rock proficiency just isn’t up to snuff when mentioning the Saints. Even so, “Cigarettes and Alcohol” must have been a shocking track to behold prior to punk becoming something more common. The Leftovers were able to turn in that track as well as the more aggressive “No Complaints,” which comes off as a lifted guitar riff from the Steve Jones song book, while Lamond’s vocals wind up summoning some SoCal punkers.
This music was assumed created in a vacuum, isolated from post ‘60s garage punkers in the UK and the States. And for that reasons as The Fucken Leftovers Hate You moves from the studio works, of which they’re only four, and into a live set from ’79, the spate of covers included don’t reference ‘70s bar bands or hard rock, but instead some icons from the ‘60s. It could be guessed, though, that the band’s rendition of Bo Diddley’s “Pills” was courtesy of the New York Dolls, but that’d just be conjecture.
Moving backwards in time, though, there’s a track penned by John Lennon – “Cold Turkey” – as well as a Velvet Underground cover – “Run, Run, Run.” Much in the same fashion as the Dills rendition of “What Goes On,” the Leftovers don’t necessarily remain completely true to the original track. But in that, the scant musical imagination of the band can be figured. It’s all rolling bass and crashing cymbals. Tossing a Love cover in the mix doesn’t hurt either.
But when taking a listen to the shambolic assemblage of music that passed for the Leftover’s live show, it’s not too difficult to understand why the ensemble didn’t gain the sort of wide spread favor as the aforementioned Saints or even the Scientists. That’s not figure that these guys weren’t a decent punk act, it’s just that they weren’t exactly a cohort of trailblazers. Of course, the fact that Radio Birdman and the like were kicking around makes it alright. The Aussies were entertained.