Gil Matthews (portrait)

In the early 1970s David Porter was a contributing photographer for some of the most influential Australian Rock music and underground publications (Go-Set, Daily/Planet, Rolling Stone (Australian Edition), The Digger. Porter was based in Melbourne, his subject the zeitgeist of its Rock/Pop music, underground theatre, and Counterculture scenes, sometimes working as ‘David Porter’, sometimes ‘Jacques L’Affrique’, sometimes ‘Jack Africa’. In 1973 he left Melbourne, stopped working in commercial photography, and pursued a teaching career.

Gil Matthews. Drummer Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs (1970-75), Levi Smith’s Clefs (1967-68), Thump’n Pig and Puffin’ Billy (1973), Cybotron (1975-77), Kevin Borich Express (1976), Mondo Rock (1979), Richard Clapton Band (1983-84)

BILLY THORPE AND THE AZTECS (1971-75)
Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs. 1960’s pop band, 70s rock legend. Billy Thorpe (guitar, vocals), Gil Matthews (drums), Warren Morgan (keyboards), Paul Wheeler (bass). Albums include Aztecs Live (1971), The Hoax is Over (1971), Live at Sunbury (1972).

“Rising phoenix-like from the irrelevance of a fallen Pop idol” (Rolling Stone 3/3/72) Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs were epic at Sunbury ‘72. Having described Australia as ‘only a rehearsal space’, Thorpe - to chants of ‘suck more piss’ – thundered out two mesmerising sets at Sunbury (and repeated the feat six weeks later to an audience of 200,000 at Melbourne’s Myer Music Bowl). For some, Thorpe was arrogant and self-serving. To others he personified a glorious period of Australian Rock.

Published: Billy Thorpe Attacks Volume Critics and “Gutless” bands. Go-Set 29 January 1972 (p.5)