The end of an era appears to be upon us, with news breaking that iconic Aussie soap-opera Neighbours is set to be cancelled at the end of the year, just a few months short of a landmark 40th anniversary. The news follows the shows UK backers, Channel 5 pulling out of their funding agreement with the show, which has been a traditional ratings winner in the UK for as long as most of us have been alive.
All hope might not be lost though with Channel 10, which has been the shows home since 1986, said to remain committed to the show and producers Fremantle Media looking to find new broadcast partners for the show. An absolute institution for Australian audiences, Neighbours has been the proving ground for many Aussie acting megastars including Liam Hemsworth, Russell Crowe, Margot Robbie and Guy Pearce.
It has also been the launchpad for several Aussie pop-stars including Kylie Minogue, Natalie Imbruglia, Delta Goodrem and Holly Valance. So to prepare ourselves to say goodbye to Ramsay Steet and its acting and pop music production line (and Toadies mullet) forever, we've put together a tribute of sorts, in the form of this playlist of the best heavy covers of hits by Neighbours alumni.
Leo Moracchioli - Can't Get You Out Of My Head (Kylie Minogue)
One of the most annoyingly catchy earworms of the '00s gets an epic metal reimagination here by YouTube superstar Leo Moracchioli. Moracchioli's version is a little bit System Of A Down, a little bit industrial and a whole lot of earworm.
Charlene would approve.
LORD- On A Night Like This (Kylie Minogue)
Australian heavy metal band LORD give this Kylie track a classic metal treatment with results that can't be argued with really. You can just see Toadfish and his mullet loving this one. Also massive shoutout to Ukrainian symphonic metal band Edenian for their cover of Confide In Me.
Neck Deep- Torn (Natalie Imbruglia)
Look, we know Neck Deep aren't very metal or very heavy, but out of the overwhelming amount of covers of this song that exist this is undisputedly one of the best and one of the most popular. The songs structure and hooks are perfectly suited for the pop-punk genre and the shot-by-shot remake of the video that Neck Deep create here is also a winner in our eyes. Part of Songs That Saved My Life, a charity compilation for mental health awareness and suicide prevention, this sunny treatment of the song is like an endless sugar high. Also this is a cover of a song written for a Danish popstar, that was then covered by an American indie rock band whose cover inspired a cover by an aussie pop star in Natalie Imbruglia whose cover was then covered by a UK pop-punk band. Wild.
Scotty Daniels - Kiss Kiss (Holly Vallance)
Despite distinctly rememberer seeing many local metal bands thrash this one out live when we were younger, we had to look long and hard to find a metal cover of this absolute floor filler from Holly Vallance. Just when we thought all hope was gone we stumbled across this absolute RAGER of a cover by YouTuber Scotty Daniels. This is pure sonic chaos and we nearly missed it. A word to the wise, Scotty D, your covers slap, but you need to brush up on your SEO, try putting 'metal cover' in the title next time, because this is too good to only have 500 views!
Frenzal Rhomb - Russell Crowes Band
Look, we know, technically this isn't a cover of a pop hit from the Neighbours cast, it's not even a cover, a pop song or a hit, but it is a punk song written about a Neighbours cast member who is both an enormously famous Hollywood actor AND a recording artist, so close enough right? Also, it's just too fun not to include. Language warning, Frenzal Rhomb gonna Frenzal Rhomb.
Listen to metal now
