Biography
An Australian rock group known as Fraternity operated only briefly during the opening years of the 1970s, testing out numerous prevailing musical currents of the era while fronted by Bon Scott, who had yet to achieve widespread recognition. Beginning with a gritty, country-inflected rock approach comparable to The Band, the band also incorporated psychedelia, blues rock, progressive elements, and Sabbath-esque proto-metal passages across their abbreviated career. Just two albums appeared before the members dispersed into separate ventures, coinciding with Scott’s rise to lasting fame after he joined AC/DC as lead singer in 1974, leaving the group’s recordings largely overlooked until the 2021 retrospective Seasons of Change.
Bassist Bruce Howe, acting as the primary leader, assembled Fraternity in 1970 alongside guitarist Mick Jurd, keyboardist John Bisset, and drummer Tony Buettel, all formerly of the recently dissolved Levi Smith’s Clefs. The lineup had not yet secured a dedicated vocalist when they recorded their debut single “Why Did It Have to Be Me?,” yet they promptly recruited Ronald Belford “Bon” Scott once his bubblegum outfit the Valentines disbanded. Even as the personnel stabilized, Fraternity attracted immediate industry attention due to the prior experience of its members, and as they moved from blues-rock toward art rock under the sway of King Crimson, the Moody Blues, and Deep Purple, their performances earned enthusiastic notices from the Australian press.
The band tracked its first album, Livestock, though Sweet Peach delayed its release for nearly a year; in the meantime, Fraternity sustained growing attention through repeated television spots in late 1970 and a national tour supporting Jerry Lee Lewis. During that trek the musicians reached Adelaide, where local audiences and writers greeted them warmly, prompting well-connected patron Hamish Henry to offer sustained financial backing on the condition that the group relocate there permanently. Howe and several others accepted, an arrangement that distanced Fraternity from the industry centers of Melbourne and Sydney and ultimately hampered their progress.
Following appearances at the major post-Woodstock events Odyssey in Sydney and Myponga in Adelaide, the musicians settled at Hemmings Farm outside Adelaide. They cut the single “Seasons of Change” in April 1971 and soon added harmonica player “Uncle” John Ayers, who arrived for a visit and remained. Livestock finally surfaced that June, yet its art-rock excursions drew limited praise despite subsequent nationwide shows. Restlessness eventually prompted Bon Scott, Howe, and Bisset to leave the farm for central Adelaide late in 1971, where they sought to revive the band after Sweet Peach dropped them. Henry again supplied funds, enabling the April 1972 RCA release of Flaming Galah. The album largely abandoned progressive leanings for a bluesier, boogie-driven sound, though it contained several re-recordings alongside a few new tracks.
An attempted relocation to England yielded little momentum, and members drifted back to Australia individually as Fraternity dissolved. Shortly after returning in early 1974, Scott recovered from a motorcycle accident and joined AC/DC, while the remaining musicians pursued name changes and sporadic reunions. Vocalist Jimmy Barnes briefly replaced Scott without recording before entering Cold Chisel. By 1976 the group operated as Some Dream and later as Mickey Finn from 1978 to 1981, issuing two singles before disbanding permanently.
Scott’s subsequent work with AC/DC until his death in 1980 elevated interest in his earlier projects. Fraternity’s association with him sustained their reputation, and their scarce albums circulated through bootlegs. In 2021 Cherry Red issued Livestock and Flaming Galah together with unreleased material, alternate single versions, and additional recordings as Seasons of Change, The Complete Recordings 1970-1974, underscoring both Scott’s distinctive voice in an unfamiliar context and the stylistic shifts Fraternity underwent across four years.
Bassist Bruce Howe, acting as the primary leader, assembled Fraternity in 1970 alongside guitarist Mick Jurd, keyboardist John Bisset, and drummer Tony Buettel, all formerly of the recently dissolved Levi Smith’s Clefs. The lineup had not yet secured a dedicated vocalist when they recorded their debut single “Why Did It Have to Be Me?,” yet they promptly recruited Ronald Belford “Bon” Scott once his bubblegum outfit the Valentines disbanded. Even as the personnel stabilized, Fraternity attracted immediate industry attention due to the prior experience of its members, and as they moved from blues-rock toward art rock under the sway of King Crimson, the Moody Blues, and Deep Purple, their performances earned enthusiastic notices from the Australian press.
The band tracked its first album, Livestock, though Sweet Peach delayed its release for nearly a year; in the meantime, Fraternity sustained growing attention through repeated television spots in late 1970 and a national tour supporting Jerry Lee Lewis. During that trek the musicians reached Adelaide, where local audiences and writers greeted them warmly, prompting well-connected patron Hamish Henry to offer sustained financial backing on the condition that the group relocate there permanently. Howe and several others accepted, an arrangement that distanced Fraternity from the industry centers of Melbourne and Sydney and ultimately hampered their progress.
Following appearances at the major post-Woodstock events Odyssey in Sydney and Myponga in Adelaide, the musicians settled at Hemmings Farm outside Adelaide. They cut the single “Seasons of Change” in April 1971 and soon added harmonica player “Uncle” John Ayers, who arrived for a visit and remained. Livestock finally surfaced that June, yet its art-rock excursions drew limited praise despite subsequent nationwide shows. Restlessness eventually prompted Bon Scott, Howe, and Bisset to leave the farm for central Adelaide late in 1971, where they sought to revive the band after Sweet Peach dropped them. Henry again supplied funds, enabling the April 1972 RCA release of Flaming Galah. The album largely abandoned progressive leanings for a bluesier, boogie-driven sound, though it contained several re-recordings alongside a few new tracks.
An attempted relocation to England yielded little momentum, and members drifted back to Australia individually as Fraternity dissolved. Shortly after returning in early 1974, Scott recovered from a motorcycle accident and joined AC/DC, while the remaining musicians pursued name changes and sporadic reunions. Vocalist Jimmy Barnes briefly replaced Scott without recording before entering Cold Chisel. By 1976 the group operated as Some Dream and later as Mickey Finn from 1978 to 1981, issuing two singles before disbanding permanently.
Scott’s subsequent work with AC/DC until his death in 1980 elevated interest in his earlier projects. Fraternity’s association with him sustained their reputation, and their scarce albums circulated through bootlegs. In 2021 Cherry Red issued Livestock and Flaming Galah together with unreleased material, alternate single versions, and additional recordings as Seasons of Change, The Complete Recordings 1970-1974, underscoring both Scott’s distinctive voice in an unfamiliar context and the stylistic shifts Fraternity underwent across four years.
Albums
Singles
