THE PASSENGERS

The Passengers appeared in Sydney following the demise of Radio Birdman. Among the many bands who blazed bright in the post-apocalyptic era at the turn of the decade, The Passengers stood alone. Their music was compelling and different, and their following was fanatically dedicated. The Passengers were born from the Sydney inner city punk culture in 1979. They were the first band released by Phantom Records recording ''Face With No Name/Girlfriend's Boyfriend''. Taking their name from an Iggy Pop song, the band was fronted by Angie Pepper, and also included former Survivor and future New Christ Jim Dickson on bass, with Jeff Sullivan (later of the Flaming Hands) on guitar and Steve Harris on keyboards. Peppers vocals and the sixties girl-group nature of the lyrics made an instant comparison to Blondie inevitable, but Harris's electric piano sound was substantially different from Blondie's approach. Unfortunately, the band was short lived, and they disbanded at the end of 1980.

Angie Pepper recalls her time in the Passengers: “It was wonderful. There wasn’t one gig I didn’t enjoy – I don’t think I’ve ever felt so good as when I played gigs with the Passengers. As far as the performances go, I was very much aware of the audience, but I wasn’t afraid of the audience. When I was singing those songs with the Passengers, I meant every line I sang. and the band played with a lasting conviction that made it possible for me to really sing from my heart. I felt that I was revealing a very personal side of me that would be impossible for me to reveal in any other circumstances. Even though there were hundreds of people watching me, it felt okay to be that raw.”

Members

Angie Pepper (vocals), Jeff Sullivan (guitar), Jim Dickson (bass), Steve Harris (keyboard), Gerry Jones (drums), Alan Brown (drums)

References

http://stripedsunlight.blogspot.com.au/2008/05/angie-pepper-passengers-its-just-that-i.html