Dream Dates - Moans On the Phone

Tracks

Side 1

		Track Name	Length
	1	Moans On the Phone	02:42
	2	Heartattack Rhythm	02:55

Side 2

		Track Name	Length
	1	The Mess You're In	03:46
	2	Search & Destroy	03:45

Photos

Videos

No Video

Information/Write-up

The Dream Dates emerged from Hamilton’s late-1970s punk underground, a scene that also produced Teenage Head, Simply Saucer, and the Forgotten Rebels. Formed in 1979, the band began life under the name Bored Youth, before being rechristened The Dream Dates by Forgotten Rebels frontman Mickey DeSadist — a name delivered half-ironically, half-affectionately, and very much in keeping with the era’s sharp humour and bravado.

The core lineup featured Dikky Fix (vocals), Deemer (guitar), Lance Womanhandler (bass), and Beef Stu (drums). Fix and Deemer first connected in 1978, bonding over a shared obsession with early punk and raw rock ’n’ roll at a time when Hamilton and Toronto were still hostile territory for underage punks. By 1979, the band was active on stage, making an early live appearance opening for Toronto’s notorious Viletones, and quickly establishing a reputation for chaotic, high-energy performances.

Musically, The Dream Dates drew from a volatile mix of early rockabilly, mid-1960s garage punk, and the ferocity of contemporary bands like The Stooges, Dead Boys, and The Heartbreakers. Their songs were fast, lean, and confrontational, driven by Fix’s sneering vocals and Deemer’s stripped-down guitar attack. While rooted in Hamilton, the band spent much of their time playing Toronto venues, most notably The Turning Point, which effectively became their home base, alongside appearances at Larry’s Hideaway, the Hotel Isabella, and other short-lived but crucial punk spaces.

In November 1979, The Dream Dates entered Kill Studios in Hamilton to record a seven-song session engineered and produced by Richard Kill. Recorded on four-track equipment in Kill’s basement studio, the session captured the band at full intensity, pairing original material such as ‘Moans On The Phone’, ‘Heartattack Rhythm’, and ‘The Mess You’re In’ with explosive covers including ‘Search & Destroy’. Despite the strength of the recordings, the tapes went unreleased at the time and were largely forgotten as the band focused on live shows rather than studio work.

The Dream Dates continued gigging regularly through the early 1980s but never returned to the studio. As punk fragmented into new wave, rockabilly revival, and eventually hardcore, the band dissolved in 1982. Members went on to remain active within the underground, with Fix later fronting groups such as The Manglers, The Kimona Nails, The Chosen Few, and Zombie Sea Serpants of Love, while maintaining close ties to figures within the Forgotten Rebels orbit.

More than two decades later, the long-lost 1979 recordings were finally restored and issued by Ugly Pop Records, beginning with the EP Moans On The Phone. The release was dedicated to Crazee Harry (1957–1999), a beloved Hamilton punk fixture and early supporter of the band. The belated appearance of the recordings cemented The Dream Dates’ place as a vital but overlooked link between Canada’s first wave of punk and the harder underground that followed.

Though their recorded output was minimal, The Dream Dates remain remembered for their uncompromising live presence and for capturing, if only briefly, the raw spirit of Hamilton and Toronto punk at the moment it was still dangerous, unpolished, and very much alive.
-Robert Williston

Musicians
Greg Dick (aka Dikky Fix): vocals
Brian Deemer: guitar
Lance Womanhandler: bass
Beef Stu: drums

Songwriting
Written by Deemer / Dikky Fix
‘Search & Destroy’ written by Pop / Williamson

Production
Produced by Richard Kill
Recorded at Kill Studios, November 1979, Hamilton, Ontario

Artwork
Front cover photo by Rodney Bowes

Notes
The Dream Dates thank only themselves.

Dedicated to Crazee Harry
1957 – 1999

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