Episode 36: Tim Steward – Screamfeeder

Screamfeeder. Credit: Supplied

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When it comes to the ‘Australian alternative rock scene’, it’s pretty hard to look past the likes of Screamfeeder.

After all, they’ve been around for over 30 years now, and whenever anyone imagines an Australian alternative band, it’s a band like Screamfeeder they’re thinking of. Loud, melodic, critically-acclaimed, and commercially-overlooked, Screamfeeder commands an intense fanbase, and you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone with a bad word to say about them.

While records like 1996’s Kitten Licks are a brilliant example of the sort of music that both Screamfeedr and Australia were putting out, albums like Flour, Burn Out Your Name, Fill Yourself With Music, and Rocks On The Soul are firm favourites as well. In the 2000s however, Screamfeeder remained a little bit quiet, and though the band never broke up, Tim, Kellie, Dean, and Darek, weren’t really doing a whole heap, with other musical projects filling that void.

In 2017, they returned with a new album – their first in 14 years – and in 2022, they released their latest record, Five Rooms. More recently, however, they’ve been surprisingly busy. After all, there’s been loads of amazing shows, there’s been a book on Kitten Licks by authors Ben Green and Ian Rogers, and Tim and Kellie even have The Ending Goes On Forever podcast.

But that’s not all, because now Screamfeeder are also readying the Demolition compilation; 100 demo recordings from between 1992 and 2022. Don’t get too keen, however, because Tim warns you it’s “all filler, no killer” – even for diehard Screamfeeder fans.

But you know what? I could talk about Screamfeeder for hours, or Tim could do that for me. Thankfully, he’s on hand to do so because he’s my guest on this week’s episode. Fortunate, eh?

Anyway, I strongly urge you to check out Screamfeeder’s brilliant discography, and once you’re done giving that a spin, have a listen to our chat, and I’ll see you at the end of the episode for some general housekeeping.

Tim Steward’s Trusty Chords

Tim’s One Influential Artist

1. Hüsker Dü

Tim’s Three Impactful Albums

1. Sex Pistols – Never Mind The Bollocks, Here's The Sex Pistols (1977)

2. The Hold Steady – Almost Killed Me (2004)

3. The Rolling Stones – Beggars Banquet (1968)

Tim’s Five Trusty Songs

1. The Hold Steady – 'Killer Parties' (2004)

2. The Clash – 'Death Is A Star' (1982)

3. The Smiths – 'Never Had No One Ever' (1986)

4. The Cure – 'Dressing Up' (1984)

5. Spiritualized – 'Always Together With You' (2022)