The Bible Bashers

A slimmed-down Laith Tierney led local ne’er-do-wells The Bible Bashers through a blisteringly good set. It’s just a shame that almost no one was there to see it. A thin crowd can be a drain on the most stage-hardened of bands, and a thin crowd in the Civic back room looks very sparse indeed, but the Bashers rocked it like it was a stadium, and it’s that energy that puts them in the upper echelon of the Perth scene. - Xpress Magazine (travis johnson)

ut if Mongrel Country is the best band out there at the moment, Laith Tierney is the best frontman, regardless of which of his numerous projects he’s playing with at the time. This time around it was The Bible Bashers, and Tierney makes a worthy vehicle for drummer and chief writer Jon Schmidt’s dark, playful lyrics. Tierney is a bold, energetic onstage presence, always moving, always engaging with the crowd, even going so far as to dive into the throng as the Bashers belted out such perverse tracks as Wine Haemorrhage, Cray Bait and Cock Fighting Man. - Reviewer: Travis Johnson / Xpress Mag

Laith Tyranny of the Bible Bashers knows all about stage presence, of course; the boy is a natural showman. His Memphis-tinged vocals are the spoonful of sugar to main songwriter Jon Schmidt’s Faulkner-by-way-of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre lyrics. The Bashers poured their hearts into a typically bombastic and barnstorming set, proving once again that they’re one of the best live acts plying our city today. - Reviewer: Travis Johnson / Xpress Mag

Next were the Bible Bashers, featuring man of the night Laith Tyranny (vocals, and Tyranocorp mastermind). Sleazy, demented and very much fun, The Bible Bashers took the evening up a notch and drove the audience crazy for over forty minutes. Tyranny, ever the expert showman, entertained the crowd by his facial muscles alone, and put on one hell of a performance. No doubt about it, there needs to be a Bible Bashers release as soon as they possibly can, the songs are too good to be wasted. - Reviewer: Zero Interest (Fasterlouder.com.au)

Laith "Tyranny" Tierney has been one busy bee in the local music industry. From fronting bands like The Bible Bashers and Fear of Comedy to running Tyranocorp (a booking, management and distribution company), you could argue that he has dabbled in just about all aspects of music industry.

Out of the various bands that Laith Tierney has fronted, The Bible Bashers might just be his best after all, as this release shows. The self-titled release comes complete with pseudo-worn prayer book brown, which is a clever play on both the name of the band and the somewhat sacrilegious content of the music. Opening up the release shows the band jokingly worshiping in a church, and the lyrics are printed in a "prayer book".


The songs here are short and snappy, cracking over the speakers like psycho-billy bull whips, while Tierney's vocals alternates between shouts, aptly-suitable strangulations and theatrical proclamations that work brilliantly with the music's playfully dark tone. Some sort of alcoholic beverage - and bountiful amounts - seemed to have powered this release, as the album lurches like a drunken ship towards its glorious end. The guitar weaves drunkenly through the songs, hitting moments of accidental genius such as in the last track, Crawl Town, while the bass bounces charmingly out of time in the incendiary first track, Jesus H Motherfucking Christ.

This is probably not the album you'd play on a church service. Take a plunge to the dark side - as the Bible Bashers show, it's way more fun. - Cissi Tsang (Perthbands.com)

"There's not too many blues rockin' bands measure up next to Brisbane's own Six ft. Hick for pure, throat-ripping energy, but the Bible Bashers are at the very least contenders. Front man Laith's vocals are singularly impressive. This swampy and rotten southern rock is led by a fire breathing preacher who is quite happy to lecture on the failures of virtue including but not limited to alcoholism, promiscuity, cannabalism and vagrancy. Music to stir the soul (until it reaches a foetid boil" - Chris Cobroft (4ZzZ-FM Music Dept)

The prophet Ezekiel unplugs his headphones and anxiously looks skyward; the blood drains from his face. His knuckles whiten as he grips the cross around his neck and with tremulous lips he whispers:

“Destruction cometh; and they shall seek peace, and there shall be none.”

Cackles come from a bloodied vinyl. The headphone cord tightens around Ezekiel’s neck and with his last breath he chokes out:

“God save us from The Bible Bashers.”

He lay dead on the floor while the record repeats:

“I’ll deliver you from evil. Save you from vice. Or my name ain’t Jesus H Motherfuckin’ Christ.” ( The Bible Bashers 1:1 )

And so begins the tyranny of The Bible Bashers.

Under their reign the world is a darkly humourous place. It’s smut, it’s cheap booze and it’s crack houses; a barren wasteland of self-destruction. Life exists behind boarded up windows and in stripper’s booths. Body parts boil on the stove.

Such are the stories that come from The Basher’s first seven track testament. John Schmidt’s (drummer) lyricism splatters a grim streak across the record’s walls. Llewellyn Saggers-Gray’s guitars snarl and stomp their way through the sludge of Laith Tyranny’s guttural vocals. Byron Robertson drives the songs with a bass that chugs like Mick Taylor’s ( Wolf Creek ) V8. Listening to this recording is like taking a ride in the boot as Uncle Mick hunts backpackers.

With blessings from the hand of Reverend Max Ducker at Cellar Sessions, the four psychopaths have created a wickedly entertaining debut that says a big fuck off to a Disneyfied world. There’s no whistling robins or princesses, just vultures and whores.

You just know the band is going to drag us all to hell as we can’t help but dance to their treachery. It’s slaughterhouse rock made for sinners.



“When I crawl into town, so does the disease. The crows feast and the churches fill with refugees.” ( The Bible Bashers 1:7 ) - Squagz (Fasterlouder.com.au)

This dreadfully fun self titled offering from swamp punk act The Bible Bashers is simply impossible to dislike. Laith Tierney’s swaggering growl holds power and charisma of a young Tex Perkins, with enough venom to kill a rattlesnake. Wine Haemorrhage and Cookin’ show off Tierney’s leather vocal cords, while rambling rockabilly number Peep Shows sees the band in full flight, guts, glory and all. It’s a little puzzling that the band has chosen to
put out a seven track ep when a 10-track album would no doubt earn the band a lot more attention in an industry that’s currently only interested in full-length records. Let’s hope they’ve got another 10 or more tracks up their sleeve, as this tongue-in-cheek gem leaves the bourbon-swilling inner child thirsty for more - Jaymes Brown (Drum Media)

Hyde Park Hotel, North Perth
Friday 23rd October, 2009


So if you’re not into unexpected, spontaneous acts of rock, then you would be downright uncomfortable during The Bible Bashers. For those of us that like it raw though, this is a visually hyper-happening experience. It’s not usual that anyone would admit being terrified during a rock show, but with Laith Tyranny on vocals, there were a couple of frightened looks. Especially from the older gentlemen up the front of the bar, who got more than they bargained for when Laith deep-throated the microphone, both impressive in technique and gusto.

The music is fairly hyperactive to match, and retro rock hasn’t looked so scary or entertaining in Perth for a while… sort of like The Birthday Party on crack. Hopefully punters are grateful to catch a frontman who gives his all throughout an entire performance. - Reviewed By: Laura Glitsos ( Xpress)

The Bible Bashers were up next, and if there was any confusion about their religiosity on this Christian holiday weekend, these punkabillies were not bashing you with the bible, rather bashing the bible… Oh and a couple of the audience members received an ear bashing or a sweaty man hug from the frothing and furious lead man Laith Tyranny It was difficult to understand anything much of what was being bellowed into the mic, but whatever it was, it was entertaining, and passionately delivered. - by ashryn, 14th April, 2009 (Fasterlouder.com.au)

Next up were the equally awesome BIBLE BASHERS, a darkly humorous, ever so slightly deranged treat for the ears and mind. The infamous Laith Tyranny, Perth's very own combined version of Tom Waits and Lux Interior, lead his un-merry men into total musical combat with a perhaps slightly inhibited audience. The subdued audience notwithstanding, Bible Bashers were on magnificent form. Each and every song was a highlight (even the new track, which Tyranny suggested they might fuck up, but didn't) with not a single dull moment to be found. The Bible Bashers and The FAIM Project presented possibly the equally most outstanding performances of the evening. Unfortunately, this was very much to the detriment of the following band.
- Reviewer: Zero Interest SPACESHIPNEWS.COM.AU

The Bible Bashers are a must-see if you’re into true, balls-out, leather-clad cock-rock. In fact, the song Cock Fighting Man was a personal favourite. Lead vocalist, Laith Tierney, pre-empted the song with the statement that ‘this song is very close to our hearts – the hearts that are in our pants’. The singer was, initially, impossible not to like; but after jumping off stage with a wild-eyed frenzy to scream lyrics in the face of an oblivious young lady walking back from the toilets – he was impossible not to love. The whole band was entertaining, loose as chips and twice as tasty. - Reviewer: Laura Glistos (Xpress)

On this night, as I have done several times, I found myself wondering if birthday boy Laith ‘Tyranny’ Tierney will ever find himself the band. Most, if not all, of the projects he sings for have been at the very least interesting – Tierney’s voice slotting nicely into a variety of styles, and his personality and pop culture references being similarly versatile – but there’s never been a band that had them all. Perhaps such a thing is just not possible, and the versatility itself means an all-encompassing middle-ground would be too diluted, but as far as Tierney’s bands go, The Bible Bashers is one of the best, as it has a large amount of the performer’s penchant for theatre at its core.

Musically, the band is less influenced by the gothier side of Tierney’s record collection, but it still has his characteristic blackness to it – via The Bible Bashers’ sense of humour at least. The songs were fun, the playing right where it needed to be, and the frontman (as always) caught up in the moment. If anything was missing, it was perhaps that – as a themed band – The Bible Bashers could go as far as KISS in the theatrical and wardrobe stakes… but they are safe not doing that for the moment, as half-way wouldn’t cut it, and ‘not at all’ is far more effective than ‘kinda’. Still, the option is there, and The Bible Bashers’ angle is at this stage secondary to their playing and energy, which is well into the advanced stages for such a new band. - Reviewer: Mike Wafer (Xpress)

[REVIEW] )


"The Bible Bashers are the first on and we hear the tail-end of their set. They play loud and motorin’ punk rock with theatrical vocals. The singer is wearing a Charles Manson – not so cool but their song The Way I Drive certainly is. This band are pure quality and will secure some excellent support slots this year I hope."

Danny Crombie
MusicVice.com - Danny Crombie MusicVice.com

The Bible Bashers were thoroughly impressive, preaching blues-rock and punk-pop to the already converted. With vocalist/band smith extaordinaire Laith Tyranny out front, the four piece ripped through a set of sleazy but simple rocking tunes. - Drum Media