Legendary Australian rock band The Angels have been commemorated in Adelaide with a vibrant mural and a laneway officially bearing their name.
Formed originally as The Keystone Angels in 1974, the group was permanently woven into their hometown’s fabric on Monday, August 4, during a ceremony led by Lord Mayor Dr. Jane Lomax-Smith.
“From intimate pubs to major festivals, The Angels shaped South Australia’s musical identity, and now their influence is literally embedded in the city’s streets,” Dr. Lomax-Smith remarked in her address.
She added that this tribute not only honors rock royalty but also reinforces Adelaide’s reputation as a UNESCO City of Music.
The ceremony drew the family of the late frontman Bernard “Doc” Neeson and former lead vocalist Dave Gleeson.
“The Angels Lane,” complete with its accompanying mural, now appears on Adelaide’s maps between the TAFE SA City West campus and the Hindley Street Music Hall.
Initial plans to dedicate a street emerged in 2019, when the Adelaide City Council approved renaming an unnamed private road in Gawler Place; however, the site was later withdrawn after building owners declined the installation of a plaque and artwork.
Throughout the 1970s and ’80s, The Angels pioneered a uniquely Australian hard-rock style—aptly dubbed “pub rock.”
Although their 1977 self-titled debut made little impact, their 1978 album Face to Face vaulted into the Australian Top 10 and reached No. 152 on the U.S. Billboard 200 under the names Angel City and The Angels From Angel City.
Their biggest U.S. breakthrough arrived with 1980’s Dark Room, which climbed to No. 133 on the Billboard 200.
At home, their 1984 release Two Minute Warning peaked at No. 2 on the Australian Albums Chart and spawned “Underground,” their sole entry on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart at No. 35. The following year, their cover of The Animals’ “We Gotta Get Out of This Place” hit No. 7 in Australia, and in 1990 they secured their first chart-topping album with Beyond Salvation.
The Angels were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 1998 before disbanding in 2000. They reunited in 2008 with Neeson at the helm until 2011, when Screaming Jets frontman Dave Gleeson took over. Neeson passed away in 2014, one year after longtime bassist Chris Bailey.
While acts like Pearl Jam and Guns N’ Roses cite The Angels as an influence, their lasting legacy in Australia centers on their debut single “Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again.” Initially overlooked in 1978, a live version released in 1988 climbed to No. 11 domestically, fueled by an irreverent audience call-and-response.
Guitarist John Brewster told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, “It felt routine then, but now it’s extraordinary. That cheeky chant, perfectly in sync with my rhythm guitar, is pure Aussie larrikinism—I doubt it would fly in America.”
In late July, “Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again” was voted No. 11 in triple j’s Hottest 100 of Australian Songs poll.
The track outpaced entries from fellow Adelaide artists such as Cold Chisel and Paul Kelly—both honored with lanes in the city. Indigenous rock pioneers No Fixed Address and international star Sia Furler are among other musicians similarly immortalized in Adelaide.
