Australian Rockers The Angels Honored With Laneway & Mural in Hometown

Influential Australian rockers The Angels have been memorialized with a new mural and the naming of a laneway in their honor in the city of Adelaide.

The group, who first formed as The Keystone Angels in 1974, were enshrined into the very geography of their hometown on Monday (Aug. 4) at a ceremony attended by Lord Mayor Dr Jane Lomax-Smith.

“From packed pubs to festival stages, The Angels helped shape the sound of South Australia and now their legacy has a permanent place in our city’s streets,” Dr Lomax-Smith said in a speech at the ceremony.

“This honour both acknowledges rock royalty and reinforces Adelaide’s global reputation as a UNESCO City of Music.”

The ceremony was also attended by the family of late vocalist Bernard “Doc” Neeson, and former singer Dave Gleeson. 

The honor sees Adelaide officially welcome The Angels Lane (and an accompanying mural) to their maps, with the lane itself found between the City West campus of TAFE SA and local venue the Hindley Street Music Hall. 

Plans to rename a street in the band’s honor first came about in 2019 when the Adelaide City Council approved the decision. However, the original location – an unnamed private road in Gawler Place – was nixed after building owners refused the installation of a commemorative plaque and public artwork.

The Angels rose to fame throughout the ’70s and ’80s, delivering a uniquely Australian blend of hard rock often labelled ‘pub rock.’ 

While their 1977 self-titled debut achieved little chart success upon its release, the group’s 1978 album Face to Face saw them impact the Australian top 10, and even hit No. 152 on the Billboard 200 – albeit under the name Angel City and later, The Angels From Angel City.

Their biggest North American success came about by way of 1980’s Dark Room, which peaked at No. 133 on the same chart.

In Australia, it was a different story, however. While 1984’s Two Minute Warning would peak at No. 2 on the local Albums chart, it also spawned the single “Underground,” which managed to give the group their sole appearance on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart when it reached No. 35. The following year, the group’s cover of The Animals’ “We Gotta Get Out of This Place” would peak at No. 7 in Australia, while they would score their sole chart-topping album in 1990 with Beyond Salvation.

The Angels would be inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 1998, and would split just two years later. Reforming in 2008, Neeson would remain as frontman until 2011, eventually being replaced by the Screaming Jets’ Dave Gleeson, who would retire from the role in 2003. Neeson would pass away in 2014, one year after longtime bassist Chris Bailey.

While cited as an influence by the likes of Pearl Jam and Guns N’ Roses, in Australia, The Angels’ legacy is largely tied to the enduring success of their debut single, “Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again.” Though initially escaping wider chart success in 1978, a live recording in 1988 saw the track hit No. 11 in Australia –  largely thanks to the profane call-and-response chorus added in by local fans.

“It wasn’t a very big deal at the time but it seems to have become a big deal — that was incredible,” guitarist John Brewster told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

“It’s just ironic that the response that’s happened, which is exactly in rhythm with my rhythm guitar, it’s Australian humour and I just think it’s fantastic, it’s a larrikin Australian,” he added. “It wouldn’t happen in America.”

In late July, “Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again” was voted in at No. 11 in triple j’s Hottest 100 of Australian Songs poll. 

The track beat out songs by other Adelaide acts such as Cold Chisel and Paul Kelly, who have both been honored with laneways in the South Australian capital. Other local artists to have received a similar honor include Indigenous rock outfit No Fixed Address and Hot 100-chart topper Sia Furler.