The Celibate Rifles are a rock band from Sydney, Australia. The band was fo… Read Full Bio ↴The Celibate Rifles are a rock band from Sydney, Australia. The band was formed in 1979 and released their first album Sideroxylon in April 1983 on the Hot Records label. The band has toured both America and Europe extensively, releasing fourteen studio albums.
Members:
Dave Morris
Damien Lovelock
Kent Steedman
Paul Larsen
Jim Leone
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Kent Steedman, Dave Morris, Michael Couvret, Phillip Jacquet and Ian Martin conceived the band in 1979 when they were still in high school. The band's name is believed to be inspired by (being a complete antonym of) the Sex Pistols.

Hot Records signed the band and reissued the EP in March, 1983. James Darroch (bass; ex-Trans Love Energy, Fifth Estate, Slaughterhouse 5) replaced Couvret (who joined Mushroom Planet) and the band issued its debut album, Sideroxylon (May 1983). As the album came out, Steedman joined The New Christs when that band supported Iggy Pop on his June 1983 Australian tour.

Couvret and Jacquet left the band in September, 1986 to be replaced by Rudy Morabito (bass; ex-Amused) and Paul Larsen (drums; ex-Funhouse, Gun Control). The band toured Europe and recorded Roman Beach Party in Holland during June, 1987. The album appeared in November. Morabito left in 1988 to be replaced by Jim Leone (ex-No Man's Land). By that stage, Couvret was playing with The Lime Spiders, and Jacquet had joined Voodoo Lust. The Rifles' last release on Hot Records to that time was a 12-inch EP featuring a cover of Patti Smith's "Dancing Barefoot" (May, 1988). The Rifles signed to True Tone and issued Blind Ear (April, 1989), which contained several of the band's best singles, the riff-happy "Johnny" / "El Salvador" (February, 1989), the rollicking "O Salvation!" / "Fish and Trees" (June, 1989) and the double 7-inch "Wonderful Life" / "5 Lamps"; "Where the Action Is", "She's So Fine" / "Hot Stuff" (March, 1990).

Hot closed its Rifles account with the double retrospective set Platters du Jour (October, 1990), a selection of rare early singles and EP sides with a limited edition 7-inch EP containing three unreleased tracks. The band members undertook various extra-curricular activities between 1988 and 1990. Lovelock had already written and produced a one-off single in 1984, "Summertime (All Round the World)" / "Sunnyboyfriend", for Australian world female surfing champion Pam Burridge (issued under the name of Pam and the Pashions during October, 1984). In June, 1988 he issued his debut solo album It's a Wig Wig Wig Wig World followed by the single "Disco Inferno"/"Sisters" (April, 1990).

In October 1990, Larsen left The Rifles to join The Screaming Tribesmen. Nik Rieth took Larsen's place. At the end of 1991, the Rifles signed to Festival. They issued the double album Heaven on a Stick (March, 1992), the single "Groovin' in the Land of Love" (December, 1991) plus the double 7-inch single "Where the Wild Things Are..." (March, 1992). The Rifles shared "Where the Wild Things Are..." with The Hard-Ons to coincide with a joint Australian tour the two bands undertook mid-year. The Rifles' tracks were "5 Lamps" and "Electric Flowers". Straight after that, The Rifles embarked on the Live Stick '92 world tour which took in dates across the UK, Europe and the USA. Festival issued a second, double 7-inch single from Heaven on a Stick, "Cold Wind", in May 1992.
1992 ended for the Rifles with Hot issuing re-mastered CD versions of the band's first five albums. The Rifles returned to Hot For Yizgarnnoff (a second live album) and SOFA (a 20-track `Best of' compilation) which came out in May and December 1993 respectively. In late 1993, Steedman and Rieth joined Deniz Tek to record his Outside album. Steedman and Rieth toured extensively with The Deniz Tek Group over the next few years and recorded a new album in 1996, Le Bonne Route. Spaceman in a Satin Suit (May, 1994) was arguably The Celibate Rifles' best studio album since Blind Ear. The band also contributed a cover of The Sports' "Boys! (What Did the Detective Say?)" to the various artists project Earth Music. "Boys! (What Did the Detective Say?)" appeared on the Earth Music CD EP (August, 1994) along with Died Pretty covering Laughing Clowns' "Eternally Yours" and Painters and Dockers doing Mental as Anything's "The Nips Are Getting Bigger".

In late 1996, Hot issued the mail-order only On the Quiet, a selection of acoustic reworkings of previously released material. On the Quiet came with a limited edition bonus all-electric CD EP of Australian covers.

Netherworld
The Celibate Rifles Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

As I slip down into the night
Down into the darkness
As the sickness enters my blood
Rebellion into madness

In my netherworld
Fire burns brightly
Netherworld

My soul on fire

Whispers, murmurs in the jungle
Others watching in silence
Familiar and unspeakable
Being there's the thing

In my netherworld
Fire burns brightly
Netherworld

Travel to the land of 13 suns
Home of the sacred symbol
Sail out on an endless sea
And my sail, it is golden

In my netherworld
Fire burns brightly

Netherworld
My soul on fire

Overall Meaning

The Celibate Rifles's song "Netherworld" is a dark and mysterious journey into the unknown. The opening lines suggest a descent into a world of darkness and an impending sense of doom. The imagery of sickness entering the singer's blood points to a deeper internal struggle. As the song progresses, we get a sense that the singer has entered into a realm that is not of this world, a netherworld. The world is filled with whispers and murmurs that seem to be coming from the jungle. These sounds are both familiar and unspeakable, suggesting a sense of foreboding.

The singer then speaks of traveling to the land of 13 suns, a place that is home to a sacred symbol. This could be interpreted as a reference to an afterlife or a new beginning. The mention of a golden sail suggests a journey towards a better place. These lines are interwoven with the chorus, where the singer speaks of fire burning brightly in his netherworld and his soul on fire. This could be a reference to a battle within himself, where his soul is in turmoil and he is trying to find balance.

Overall, “Netherworld” is a complex and multi-layered song that leaves a lot to interpretation. It touches on dark themes such as madness and rebellion, while also hinting at the possibility of something more significant beyond this world.

Line by Line Meaning

As I slip down into the night
I am descending into the darkness

Down into the darkness
I am entering a state of darkness

As the sickness enters my blood
I am overwhelmed by rebellion and madness

Rebellion into madness
I am consumed by dissent and insanity

In my netherworld
I am in a state of inner turmoil

Fire burns brightly
I am in the midst of passionate turmoil

Netherworld
I am in a shadowy realm

Whispers, murmurs in the jungle
I am hearing indistinct voices in my mind

Others watching in silence
I am aware of the presence of others but am alone in my experience

Familiar and unspeakable
I am confronting something deeply familiar but unspoken

Being there's the thing
Being present in this moment is the most important thing