Artist · chart history
Radio Birdman
Band Sydney Australia Formed 1974
Radio Birdman formed in 1974 in Sydney, Australia. Radio Birdman has 3 chart appearances on 3 radio countdowns from 1 station on RockLists, spanning 1989–1991. The most successful song on radio countdowns is “Aloha Steve And Danno”, which appears on 3 lists with a best position of #23. The station that charted Radio Birdman most often is Triple J (Australia (national)), with 3 appearances.
Radio Birdman took their name from a misheard line in the Stooges' "1970", which tells you exactly which altar they knelt at. Deniz Tek and Rob Younger put the band together in Sydney in 1974, fresh out of TV Jones and the Rats, and filled out the ranks with a classically trained keyboard man, Philip "Pip" Hoyle, plus Ron Keeley on drums and Carl Roke on bass.
Nobody in town wanted them at first, so they played garages and rented community halls until 1975, when they landed a residency at the Oxford Tavern on Taylor Square, then simply took the joint over and rechristened it The Oxford Funhouse. By then ex-Rats man Warwick Gilbert had the bass, and a fledgling Sydney punk scene was gathering around them. Rock Australia Magazine editor Anthony O'Grady helped them pick a studio, and out came the Burn My Eye EP and then Radios Appear, released on Sire in 1978.
"Aloha Steve And Danno" is the track that keeps turning up: a breakneck, grinning charge with a chorus built for shouting rather than singing, guitars going off like a blowtorch. Classic Rock magazine has since called them the first Australian punk band to really leave a mark.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
Songs by Radio Birdman on radio countdowns
| # | Song | Strength | Lists | Best | #1s | Peak year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aloha Steve And Danno | 3 | #23 | – | – |
Albums with charting songs
Where each song was first released, from MusicBrainz.
Every countdown appearance
| Year | # | Song | Countdown |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 47 | Aloha Steve And Danno | Triple J Hottest 100 of All-Time (1991) |
| 1990 | 54 | Aloha Steve And Danno | Triple J Hottest 100 of All-Time (1990) |
| 1989 | 23 | Aloha Steve And Danno | Triple J Hottest 100 of All-Time (1989) |
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