Mick Turner

Mick Turner (born 1960) is an Australian musician and artist.

He is the founding mainstay guitarist for Dirty Three and has had art exhibitions around Australia and internationally.

Mick Turner, born in 1960, grew up in Black Rock, Victoria.

In 1979, Turner (as Mick Sick), on guitar, formed Sick Things in Melbourne alongside Gary Hirst (as Gary Sick) on drums, Dugald Mackenzie (as Dugald Bluuuugh) on vocals and Geoff Martyr (as Geoff Sick) on bass guitar.

Tim Peacock of Record Collector magazine opined that the group were "Arguably the city's [i.e. Melbourne's] rawest hardcore outfit".

The Moodists were a rock group which had formed in 1980, with Turner aboard the line-up was Dave Graney on lead vocals, Steve Miller on guitar, Clare Moore on drums and Chris Walsh on bass guitar.

McFarlane writes that Turner was "adding his squalling guitar work to the band's unnerving, avant-garage rock noise."

In 1982 Turner formed Fungus Brains as a proto-grunge and punk rock group with Simon Adams on bass guitar, Peter Maddick on trumpet, Geoff Marks on vocals and saxophone, Simon Sleigh on guitar and drums, and Andrew Walpole on drums and guitar.

Venom P. Stinger toured the US and recorded a live album, Live (in Davis) (1982) in Davis, California.

Previously he was a member of the Sick Things, the Moodists (1983–84) and Venom P. Stinger.

Their debut album, Ron Pistos Real World, was released in 1983.

McFarlane described it as "a stylistic collision of punk, Birthday Party trappings, avant no-wave jazzy noise and a dozen other reference points."

That group went into hiatus when Turner joined the Moodists, in April 1983.

In October 1983, as a member of the Moodists, Turner relocated to London.

They issued their debut studio album, Thirsty's Calling, in April 1984.

The Moodists toured Europe and the United States before returning to Australia in November that year.

They supported the Australian leg of a tour by UK group, Public Image Ltd, after which Turner left to reconvene Fungus Brains.

They recorded a single, "Committed to Suicide" (1985) before Turner and Mackenzie left in 1982.

Fungus Brains released a self-titled album in 1986 but Turner at which time Turner was also playing with Venom P. Stinger in 1985 with former Sick Things bandmate Mackenzie on lead vocals, Alan Secher-Jensen (who had played in Brainshack with Mackenzie, as well as Beachnuts) on bass guitar and Jim White on drums (ex-People with Chairs Up Their Noses, Feral Dinosaurs).

McFarlane explained that the group "took the experimental avant-garde route to its logical conclusion with an unnerving sound that thrived on raw energy, a complex rhythmic base and unconventional song structures."

Their debut album, Meet My Friend Venom, was issued in January 1987, which contained "clattering slices of avant-rock with absolutely no concession to commercial gains."

Marc Masters of Pitchfork felt it is "a marvel of primal thrust, tearing through the air so forcefully you often feel like you're just catching its smoke trails."

The album was followed by a single, "Walking About", in July 1988.

It also appeared on their posthumous album, The Sounds of Silence on Shock Records (1989).

Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, has written that "the records featured ferocious guitar riffs and distorted vocals, displaying the band's penchant for flat-out, Black Flag-style hardcore punk."

By 1989 Fungus Brains were reactivated with Turner and Walpole joined by Paula Henderson on saxophone (ex-White Cross), Ricky Howell on lead vocals and Peter Villiger on bass guitar.

This line-up issued another album, I'm So Glad, in 1990 before Turner returned to Venom P. Stinger.

That group released their second album, What's Yours is Mine, in October 1990.

They followed with a four-track extended play, Waiting Room in November 1991.

Early in 1992, back in Melbourne, Turner, on lead and bass guitar, and White, on drums, formed an instrumental trio, Dirty Three, with Warren Ellis on violin and bass guitar (ex-These Future Kings in 1986).

Their first performance was at the Baker's Arms hotel in Abbotsford in April 1992.

During late 1992 to early the following year Turner's living room was used as a recording studio, Scuzz Studio, for the group's first cassette album.

Eight of its twelve tracks were produced and engineered by Turner, with the other four tracks by Julian Wu.

Turner runs Dirty Three's record label, Anchor & Hope Records and has provided the cover art for all of their major albums after the first.

Prior to that Venom P. Stinger had issued their final album, Tear Bucket, in 1996.

He has released four solo studio albums, Tren Phantasma (1997), Marlan Rosa (1999), Moth (2003) and Don't tell the Driver (2013).

Outside of his work for Dirty Three, Turner issued his debut solo album, Tren Phantasma, on US label, Drag City, in September 1997.

Turner with White formed an instrumental rock duo, the Tren Brothers, in 1998, which released singles and extended plays.

The Tren Brothers were also the backing band for Cat Power, Boxhead Ensemble and Bonnie 'Prince' Billy.

Since 2003 Turner has had his artwork displayed in galleries in Australia, UK, US, Italy and Ireland.