John Baxter (Prettymess)

Shooting out catchy tunes straight from the hip, the guys in Australia's Prettymess don't mess around. These fellows make power pop drenched in hooks that is reminiscent of late Redd Kross and The Gigolo Aunts. The band's driving rhythms are counterbalanced with loud fuzzy guitars...but its those vocal melodies that really deliver the punch ("Tripping" has an amazing melody). Greyscale Broadcast features eleven tunes that soar off into the clouds and beyond. This is pure feelgood music. This band doesn't require any thought or emotional energy. All you have to do is turn up the volume and you're guaranteed to have a great time. Passionate, urgent, and ultimately entertaining, this album is bound to sound great decades from now. Killer rockers include "Leaving Look," "Rescue Me," "Falling Pins," and "Escape." Absolutely great from start to finish. - Babysue.com

Prettymess are the Icecream Hands meets Motorace. Yep, it’s superior pop rock, catchy and classic. Main man John Baxter was a latter day member of Melbourne’s great pop contenders of the mid-90’s, Holocene. He knows how to write and deliver a nifty pop tune. The opening act, Leaving Look, which Baxter wrote with Danny McDonald (look out for his second solo album soon), grabs your attention from the git-go – documenting a rocky relationship (“She had faith and she believed in him/Now she’s got that leaving look in her eye“) with punchy guitars and backing vocals that have you singing along. And it’s all done in 2:42 minutes. If you can recall the pop glory of Buffalo Tom, this is an album you should own. - JB/HI Magazine

There’s nothing greyscale about this melodic release, as the Aussie rockers launch into a biting debut. Mixed bt Shane O’Mara (Paul Kelly/Christine Anu), it’s the luscious harmonies against hardened guitars and drums that underpin its attractiveness.
Having stamped itself with highlt evolved poetic lyrics, the bands biggest challenge will come not slipping with its diverse and memorable offerings, with tracks like All I Care About and Falling Pins soon forgotten.
With Rescue Me proving its first success, is such a standard is maintained then there’s a bright future for these Melbourne boys who aren’t afriad to celebrate their Melbourne roots lyrically.
Regulars to Tassie, it appears the band is easily ready to step beyond such markets and embrace the capital cities. - The Hobart Advocate

Howzat! recently wrote that Tiltmeter could be this city's most underrated rock band. Following the same theme, Prettymess could be our most underrated pop band. Fingers-crossed, all that should change with the release of the band's debut album in February. The first single, All I Care About, is out now through Shock. Howzat! first came across singer John Baxter when he was in the final version of Great Pop Contenders Holocene, and he's been at the top of the game ever since. Mixed by the omnipresent Shane O'Mara, All I Care About is a melancholic pop gem. Investigate. - Inpress Melbourne

Nothing sums up Revolting on Chapel more than Prettymess. The ex-band of new Living End drummer Andy Strachan, their driving guitars and anthemic vocals rang through the stained walls of this, the most beautiful shithole in town. Playing tunes from their new EP "Surface Glow", the band played right up to it, and although most people in Revolver don't know who they are, what the hell's going on or ever remember anything about being there, the crowd were left wanting heaps, heaps more.
They were then followed by Silver Night Drive, and with sounds similar to that of Rolling Stones cover band Jet, their short set at least kept the crowd amused before the main act came out. Raging pessimists Epicure got their abled bodies out on stage and negged the place right up. No sooner were they launching into their radio hit "Armies Against Me" (which on radio sounds good but live sounds like the soundtrack to a grim death march), before they had the crowd beaming huge frowns and bobbing their heads up & down like crazy. Even though they create a wall of sound with brilliant vocals and awesome guitars, Epicure don't believe in setting their metronome on more than 10 beats a minute when trying to make a good song.
With a number of Revolver's not-at-all weird patrons by now standing on the edges of its windows looking down onto Chapel saying "goodbye world", Epicure finally brought some light into the room, finishing off a great triple-bill night with the excellent new single "Life Sentence". Someone obviously screwed up the playing order of the night though because it was opening act Prettymess who rocked the stinking joint right out.
If you love your dancey Rock'n'Roll; Prettymess, just check 'em out. If you enjoy life, and have an Epicure CD, just chuck it out. - Seed Magazine