BAKER’S BIG BASH! A MEMORIAL GIG FOR THE LATE, GREAT JAMES BAKER
Description
BAKER’S BIG BASH! is a memorial gig celebrating the life and legacy of the late, great James Baker — one of Australia’s most influential and beloved drummers.
A cornerstone of the Australian underground, James shaped the garage punk landscape for decades through his work with countless bands and collaborators, and through the energy, humour, and generosity he brought to every room he played in.
Taking place on what would have been his 72nd birthday, BAKER’S BIG BASH brings together friends, fans and fellow musicians of the Perth music community to honour James and his music in the best way possible — loose, loud and live!
Featuring performances from Kim Salmon, The Beautiful Losers, Phantom Island, The Surf Mist and Leadville, plus tracks from DJ Deadbeat throughout the night.
All proceeds to the bands!
Lineup
Kim Salmon
Founding Scientist, Surrealist and seminal agitator, Kim Salmon remains one of Australia’s most singular guitar minds. From Perth’s punk underground to the swamplands of the East Coast scene - his work continues to reverberate across genres, balancing precision with distortion.
The Beautiful Losers
Perth mainstays The Beautiful Losers bring their unique blend of “grungy ballads and quirky pop” to the stage, driven by simple, compelling song structures and lyrics that mix “dark humour with tenderness and strong emotion”.
Phantom Island
Phantom Island is inhabited by people who’ve played in bands before, but never like this! With the various members drawn from garage, punk, indie and noise scenes, their guitar-music has been described as a “kind of Gun Club accident.” Maybe file them under garage post-punk.
The Surf Mist
Established in 2013, The Surf Mist mix classic ’60s surf instrumentals with their own reverb-fuelled garage-anthem originals. Equal parts sun-drenched twang and basement show energy, they deliver high-gloss tremolo with a grin.
LEADVILLE
Ontological dream punks LEADVILLE emerged in 2025 after Dean Anthonisz and Nathan Savage returned to WA to score, with Bruce Manai, the soundtrack to an imaginary road movie directed by David Lynch, Wim Wenders and Sergei Eisenstein. Cinematic, angular and slightly unhinged in the best possible way.
FAQs
- Accessibility
We want to make sure everyone has the information they need before heading our way.
Please note that this event is located on the second floor of the Fremantle Buffalo Club.
Regrettably, as the venue is an older building, it does not have an elevator or lift. Access to the event space is via a flight of stairs only.
We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this causes. If you have any concerns about access, please get in touch with us directly.
Tickets for good, not greed Humanitix dedicates 100% of profits from booking fees to charity