Kim Salmon - Early Work

Early Work

In 1976, Kim Salmon formed Perth's first punk band the Cheap Nasties, who later became The Manikins.

Salmon's work with The Scientists in the 1980s influenced grunge music, which rose to prominence around Seattle, United States, before impacting on popular music in the early 1990s. The Scientists relied on unorthodox bass-heavy rhythms and distorted guitars, the latter being a direct precursor for grunge. The term itself was coined by Salmon in the mid 1980s to describe The Scientists' sound, as noted in a documentary on Australian music, Long Way to the Top, in 2001.

In 1979, the debut single from The Scientists was released, "Frantic Romantic", the original line-up was Kim Salmon and Roddy Radalj on guitars and vocals, James Baker on drums and Boris Sujdovic on bass. The band broke up and re-formed, spawning the single, "This Is My Happy Hour" at the end of 1982.

In 1983 they released the mini album Blood Red River which was an influential record of the post-punk era. The following mini-LP, This Heart Doesn't Run On Blood, included the "A Monster in the Tub" album cover by artist/performer Ewan Cameron who played in Adelaide's Purple Vulture Shit. It topped the indie charts. The Scientists then toured the UK and Europe playing their amalgamation of blues/punk/noise.

The Scientists went through several incarnations, with Kim remaining a constant member, before the band broke up in late 1987.