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Starting out in '88, following on from the late '80s GOD/Bored scene and anticipating the subsequent successes of Spiderbait and Magic Dirt, the Meanies are genuine Melbourne icons and national treasures. Arriving at the same time as grunge, they defied the odds with a pop punk-meets-hardcore sound that preempted what was to come out of the US on labels like Epitaph and Fat Wreck Chords. They became Triple J and Big Day Out faves (they did the BDO in 1992, 1993, 1994 and 1999!) and kings of the all-ages circuit, and they toured their arses off, playing with the likes of Nirvana, The Lemonheads, Redd Kross, Beastie Boys, Pearl Jam and Bad Brains along the way. They toured Europe, the US and Japan and retain an international following. And like their older and uglier brethren The Cosmic Psychos, The Meanies are now enjoying a late career revival, which begun with the release of their first album in 21 years, It's Not Me It's You in late 2015 on Poison City Records. Desperate Measures was released in July 2020.