The Fun Things earliest beginnings started in the mid 1970s with Brad Shepherd and John Hartley meeting each other to practice at their homes. According to Brad Shepherd, they used to practice Zeppelin and Sabbath and Deep Purple songs in Hartley's rumpus room, or at his place. He lived at The Gap, which is in the western suburbs of Brisbane and Hartley lived at Tarragindi, which is South. They were 14 at the time so they would get their mothers to drive them to each other's place and practice on Sunday afternoons. They did that for a couple of years until Shepherd started reading in RAM (Rock Australia Magazine) about Radio Birdman.
The Fun Things existed between 1979 to 1980, however, they were previously known as The Aliens in Brisbane during 1978. Coincidentally, there was another band called The Aliens from Adelaide at the same time. This other band were considered more new wave orientated. The Brisbane punk rock Aliens members featured Brad Shepherd on guitar and vocals, bassist John Hartley, and Murray Shepherd on drums but dissolved to form the Phantom Agents for a phase without Hartley.
After the Phantom Agents, the original Aliens reformed as The Fun Things with The Phantom Agents guitarist Graeme Beavis. This outfit rapidly gained a strong local following, which was due to their tight and energetic live shows. The Fun Things were still teenagers but managed to record a self-titled EP in 1980. Brad Shepherd recollections of this period were, "It was just part of the punk process. It was something you wanted to do. We were still at school at the time. I borrowed 400 bucks from my parents in order to make the thing happen". According to musicologist Ian McFarlane ''the songs were mixed gutsy guitar riffs, breakneck tempos, punk attitude and youthful exuberance in equal measure," .In 2000 the EP was re-released on Pennimann Records from Spain. Some of the tracks in the past had been subject to bootlegging from outside Australia.
The band split in 1980 at the time of their EP release, which was followed by Brad Shepherd joining The 31st, an alternative rock outfit from Brisbane. Later on, he joined The Hitmen, then The Hoodoo Gurus. Murray Shepherd and Hartley went to form The Screaming Tribesmen in 1981 with Mick Medew and Ronnie Peno from The 31st. Graeme Beavis went on join The Apartments in 1984.
The Headstones hailing out of Brisbane were formed in July 1985. They were a fantastic bluesy R&B 60s psych pop rock'n'rolled into one glorious sweaty beast. Almost as tight as Warwick Capper's shorts and fuelled by one of rocks more pleasing set of vocal chords they went out on a limb and left Brisbane to ply their trade in Sydney in 1986. Signing to Waterfront they released their first single ''When You're Down / All The Things You Do'' followed by ''You Got Love / Give Me Love'' in 1987. Tony Schoenwald left the band shortly afterwards and was replaced by Brian Mann. A mini album followed in 1988 titled 'Lovers Web'. They disbanded not long after.
Members
Chris Flynn (vocals, guitar), Brendan Flynn (bass), Neil McCartney (drums), Tony Schoenwald (guitar), Brian Mann (guitar)
SINGLES
''When You're Down / All The Things You Do'' 1986 Waterfront ''You Got Love / Give Me Love'' 1987 Waterfront
ALBUMS 'Above Ground' 1987 A Macondo Production 'Lovers' Web' 1988 Waterfront
The Someloves were led by Dom Mariani and Darryl Mather each of whom was also in two other Australian garage bands, The Stems and The Lime Spiders. Mariani had met Mather in 1984 when Mather went to Perth to recuperate from what was thought to be leukaemia and saw The Stems playing at the Old Melbourne Hotel. During The Stems first trip/tour of Sydney in 1985 Mariani and The Stems drummer, Gary Chambers, stayed four months in a house on Terminus Street in Petersham that Darryl shared with Bill Gibson (who had just formed The Eastern Dark).
For the first recording session, Gary Chambers was on drums and on bass was Christian Houllemare, a musician from France, who had played in a French band, Bad Brains. Bill Gibson and John Rooney provided the harmonies. The tracks were mixed a few months later by Alan Thorne at Trafalgar and quickly picked up by John Needham at Citadel Records. The single "It's My Time / Don't Talk About Us" was released in 1986 as The Someloves, a name that Mather coined that came from a Real Kids' song, "Some Love Like Yours". A second Someloves single began to take shape in 1987.
In September 1987 Mariani went to Sydney to remix what was to be The Stems' final single, "Sad Girl". Mariani was staying with one of Mather's friends when they did The Someloves' recording of "Know You Now / Don't Have To Try". Mather sent the tapes to Perth, where Mariani, amid the post-Stems tumult, finished the vocals in early 1988. Mather had plans for the second single and sent it to Mitch Easter (who Mather admired through his band Let's Active and his work with other bands like The dBs), with a request that he mix The Someloves single."Know You Now / Don't Have To Try" was released in 1988 on Mushroom's subsidiary White Label.
In 1989 Mushroom allocated a budget of $60,000 for an album. The bulk of the album was recorded in Perth at Planet Studios in 1989 with a variety of personnel including Robbie Scorer on drums, Tony Italiano on bass, Mitch Easter on guitar and keyboards and Angie Easter on keyboards. The Someloves debut album, 'Something or Other', was released in 1990. 'Something or Other' is widely considered one of the essential power-pop recordings and is highly regarded among power pop collectors. Its re-release by Half A Cow in 2006 as a two-CD compilation, 'Don't Talk About Us: The Real Pop Recordings of the Someloves 1985–89', includes a critical review of Mariani and Mather's inter-related stories, substantial interviews and a bonus disc of non-album singles and remixes.
Members
Darryl Mather (vocals, guitar), Dom Mariani (vocals guitar), Christian Houllemare (bass), Gary Chambers (drums), Tony Italiano (bass), Robbie Scorer (drums), Mitch Easter (guitar, keyboards), Angie Easter (keyboards)
SINGLES
''It's My Time / Don't Talk About Us'' 1986 Citadel ''Know You Now / Don't Have To Try'' 1988 White Label ''Melt / Jack Robinson'' 1990 White Label ''Sunshine's Glove (Alone In The Background) / Girl Soul (Single Mix)'' 1990 White Label
ALBUMS 'Something Or Other' (#80) 1989 White Label
The Summer Suns was formed in 1985 and they were part of the vanguard of the Perth pop scene in a truly halcyon era. The band was formed by Kim Williams (ex-Louie Louie, Holy Rollers) on lead vocals, guitar and bass guitar, and had a variable line-up that included Dom Mariani from The Stems, Gary Chambers on drums. They played a melodious blend of '70s influenced power pop and '60s folk rock that featured the songs of Kim Williams. In October 1986 they issued a debut single, " Honeypearl / Rachel Anne", on Williams's own label, Easter Records.
Mariani left for other commitments but returned in 1989 for a new line-up of The Summer Suns with Williams now joined by Martin Moon and on drums and Steve Kyme on bass guitar. They issued a second single, "All Away / Girl In A Mexican Restaurant", in September 1989 before Mariani moved on again. Their output as at 2023 is four albums and their releases appeared on many of the world's finest pop labels including Easter, Waterfront, Bus Stop, Parasol, Get Hip, and House Of Wax. After some years exploring other musical avenues with Bashful, The Love Letters, and The White Swallows, Kim Williams resurrected The Summer Suns as a recording band in 2013 and released the album 'Eulalie.'
Members
Gary Chambers (bass), Kim Williams (vocals, guitar, bass), Dom Mariani (guitar), Tony Italiano (bass), Steve Kyme (bass), Martin Moon (drums), Jeff Baker (guitar), Graham Hope (bass), Pascal Bartolone (drums), Joe Algeri (guitar, vocals), Simon Hensworth (bass/guitar),
SINGLES ''Honeypearl / Rachel-Anne'' 1986 Easter ''All Away / Girl In A Mexican Restaurant'' 1989 Waterfront ''The Angel Angeline / Samantha'' 1994 House Of Wax
ALBUMS 'Calpurnia' 1991 House Of Wax Records 'Bedbugs' 1996 House Of Wax Records 'The Summer Suns' 1997 Get Hip Recordings 'Eulalie' 2013 Moogy's Mobile Record Store
Hailing from Perth, Western Australia, The Kryptonics were a tough, melodic pop punk outfit that existed between 1985 and 1992. Guitarist, Ian Underwood first met bassist Cathy Webb at Balcatta Senior High School in 1982, forming a band, when drummer Shakir Pichler answered a drummer wanted classified ad. The Kryptonics spent eighteen months in rehearsals before their first public performance, supporting The Stems in August 1985. Underwood however was not confident singing and playing guitar at the same time, so Michael Reynolds was approached to perform lead vocals for the band. Shortly after the band recorded its first single, which contained three tracks, " Baby / As Long As Your Mine / Plastic Imitation on local label, Cherry Top. On the eve of the single being released in January 1986 Pichler left the band to join another local band, The Bamboos.
With the loss of Pichler, Underwood decided to go for an even bigger change with the band line-up, taking over the front man responsibilities from Reynolds and recruiting drummer Brett Ford, who had been spending time in England, and had just returned to Perth. In addition to Ford, they also had decided to add a guitar player, Peter Hartley, from a band called Lavender Disaster. With the new line-up the released their next single, "Land That Time Forgot / She's Got Germs", in 1987 on the Easter label and the flexi-single "Cyclops / Rock Me to Sleep" which came with issue No. 6 of Vortex fanzine. By this time, the band had reached the critical point where Perth bands either collapse or make the attempt at going the next step up, playing interstate. Playing interstate from Perth however is a different story than touring out of Brisbane, Melbourne or Adelaide. On their first trip, their van broke down in some little town in the middle of nowhere, and they spent three days trying to get rolling again with gigs waiting on the other end of the country.
When they finally got up on a Sydney stage, things went much better. The band played well and audiences liked them, and they got to open for bands such as The Screaming Tribesmen and The Psychotic Turnbuckles. They also did some shows as headliners in smaller hotels. Chris Dunn from Waterfront Records saw them a couple times on this tour and told them that if they ever wanted to make a record, to come see him at Waterfront. After a two-week tour of Sydney, the band returned to Perth, but, buoyed by the success of the tour, they decided to try it again. The trip was a disaster, with Ford and Underwood getting arrested halfway across the Nullabor, subsequent tour dates being cancelled or rescheduled, resulting in a split within the band. Webb, Ford and Hartley all left the band and they were replaced by Russell Hopkinson and Greg Hitchcock, both from The Bamboos. This line-up recorded the band's first mini album, 'Sixty Nine', which was released by Sydney-based label Waterfront in May 1989. Hopkinson and Hitchcock however left the band prior to the tour to promote the record, leaving Underwood to recruit his fourth line-up.
There were numerous changes of drummers and bass players, before the line-up of Underwood (vocals and guitar), Tony Rushan (guitar), Peter Kostic (drums) and Jeff Halley (bass) was eventually finalised. The band issued the single "When It's Over / Oedipus Complex" on Waterfront in September 1989. A revised line-up of Underwood, Rushan, Kostic and Richard Corey on bass recorded a new single for the Seaside label, "Bad September / Another Girl Another Planet" (live) / Telephone Line" (live) which was released in November 1990.The band re-located to Sydney in August 1990 and toured heavily up and down the Eastern seaboard. The Kryptonics issued a 12-inch EP, 'Tonka Tuff', on the Zero Hour label in 1991 before parting company in mid-1992. They are remembered chiefly today for the number of ex-members who have gone to feature prominently in high profile Australian artists including You Am I, Front End Loader, Lubricated Goat, Regurgitator & The Chevelles. In November 2007 Underwood, Kostic, Corey and Rushan reformed to play a one-off performance in Perth, where they were joined by former guitarist Hitchcock for a number of songs.
Members
Ian Underwood (guitar, vocals), Michael Reynolds (vocals), Cathy Webb (bass), Shakir Pichler (drums), Peter Hartley (guitar), Brett Ford (drums), Greg Hitchcock (guitar), Russell Hopkinson (drums), Jeff Halley (bass), Richard Corey (bass), Greg Brennan (bass), Peter Kostic (drums), Andrew Robinson (drums), Tony Rushan (vocals, guitar)
SINGLES
''Baby / As Long As Your Mine / Plastic Imitation'' 1986 Cherrytop ''Land That Time Forgot / She's Got Germs'' 1986 Easter ''Baby / Plastic Imitation'' 1986 Cherrytop ''When It's Over / Oedipus Complex'' 1989 Waterfront ''Bad September / Another Girl, Another Planet (Live) / Telephone Line (Live)'' 1990 Seaside
The Holy Rollers were around for a few years in the mid 1980s and they were one of a couple of bands led by Greg Dear. The Holy Rollers featured his sister Felicity "Flick" Dear on drums, Craig Chisolm on guitar and on bass Kim Williams (of The Summer Suns and the man responsible for the Easter Records and House Of Wax record labels, both of which have released many great Perth bands). Their sound was different to most of their peers in Perth at the time (which tended to the swamp rock of bands such as the Kryptonics or the Bamboos or the power pop of bands such as The Stems or The Marigolds), closer to the musical stylings of The Triffids, but with influences including the New York sounds of the Velvet Underground and Television.
The Holy Rollers recorded a double A-side single ''Above The Law / Lifestyle'' in 1985 and a self-titled album in 1986, both released on Easter Records. The Holy Rollers were regulars at Saturday night gigs at the Shenton Park Hotel with the Marigolds, with each band headlining on successive weeks. Greg Dear also led The Beautiful Losers and released some solo recordings on cassette in the 1980s. Felicity "Flick" Dear went on to play drums with Charlottes Web, Wooden Fische, Box and Butternut (with Gretta Little from The Rosemary Beads and Sascha Ion from Spank). Craig Chisholm died in 2025.
Members
Greg Dear (vocal, guitar, piano, keyboard, tambourine), Craig Chisholm (guitar, bass), Kim Williams (bass, guitar), Felicity Dear (drums)
Brisbane rock band, Voodoo Lust, made a name for themselves in the mid ‘80s with singles ''Shake Shake Hey Yeh!'' and ''Stop Breakin’ My Heart''. Established in 1985 as an independent, Australian-rock group, Voodoo Lust cut a swathe through the local scene of big-hair bands and synthesized pop. The first lineup was Gary Slater (vocals), Tony "Houndog" Harper (guitar) Brad Ferguson (bass) and Dean Muller (drums).
In their relatively brief lifespan as a band, Voodoo Lust styled themselves outside the confines of a studio-based recording group, opting to become a hard-edged, rock band chiseled to perfection by some 1,000-plus live shows. Needless to say, things got messy on the road. “There were definitely a few hotel rooms trashed over the years, there’s no doubt about that,” Gary laughs. “Oh my God, some of the things we got up to. It was the heady days of touring and playing; we played 150-200 shows a year, so we just toured relentlessly. It is phenomenal. Tony was a fanatical diary/ log-book keeper, that’s the reason we know exactly how many shows we did play.”
In 1989 Ferguson and Muller moved on and were replaced by Steve King on bass and Phil Jacquet on drums (The Celibate Rifles) for their last recording, a four track EP, 'Life Love Booze And Bitterness'. After five years, and releasing two EPs and three singles, the group disbanded for various reasons, as frontman Gary Slater explains. “Tony Harper, the guitarist, he’d always had this whim to go to England and live over there and play over there,” Gary says. “So around the time he was talking about doing that, I’d had an offer to join The Trilobites, so it was just circumstances. We played ourselves out to a degree. We’d played so many gigs and we were at the treading-water stage… that was it really, there was no horrible break-up or bad stories. It just fizzled a little bit; Tony went on with a dream he had, I got a good offer and that was it.” They reformed in 2015 to do some one-off shows.
Members
Gary Slater (vocals), Tony "Houndog" Harper (guitar), Steve King (bass), Phil Jacquet (drums), Brad Ferguson (bass), Dean Muller (drums)
SINGLES ''Shake Shake, Hey Yeh / No No No No'' 1985 Sundown ''Stop Breakin' My Heart / Gossip'' 1986 Lone Wolf ''Cathy's On Heat / How Do You Sleep?'' 1988 Rattlesnake
EPs 'Voodoo Lust' 1987 Rattlesnake 'Life Love Booze And Bitterness' 1989 Rattlesnake
Mark Alexander "Jacko" Jackson (born 30 August 1959), is a former Australian rules footballer who played professionally for several teams, including St Kilda, Melbourne, Geelong and South Fremantle. After his football career he became notable for his television appearances, namely the Energizer and Nutri-Grain commercials, along with several feature films. Jackson has also written an autobiography, Dumb Like a Fox. Following his retirement from football, "Jacko" used his fame and popularity to launch a singing career. His first single, "I'm an Individual" went to #15 on the Australian singles chart. A second single, "Me Brain Hurts" was not so successful. A 1991 release "You Can Do This" also failed to make an impression. Jacko combined a rap-like delivery with lyrics based on Australian comedy and larrikinism.
SINGLES ''I'm An Individual (#15) / Our Relationship Is Giving Me The Creeps'' 1985 Raw Prawn ''My Brain Hurts / Like I Want You'' 1985 Raw Prawn ''You Can Do This / You Can Do This (Instrumental)'' 1991 Ruse ''Rippin Undies'' [with Warwick Capper] 2000 Regency Recordings
The Happy Hate Me Nots (HHMN) rumbled out of Sydney in the mid-80s, releasing a slew of singles, and the album 'Out'. Not quite agro enough to be considered bona-fide punk rockers, but too fiery to set up shop in the power-pop neighborhood, HHMN were more in league with home country brethren Hoodoo Gurus and Exploding White Mice. The initial lineup was Tim Mc Kay on guitar, Peter Lennon on bass and vocals, Paul Berwick on guitar and vocals and Mark Nicholson on drums. In 1987 Peter Lennon was replaced by Chris Houllemare (ex-The Someloves).
In early 1988 the band released their masterpiece, the album 'Out'. This is the record that Waterfront's Chris Dunn reckons is one of the two or three best the label has ever released. From the opening crash intro to "Things Wearing Thin" through to the very end, this is a record that fairly crackles with vitality. Produced by Rob Younger with Alan Thorne again as engineer, it's packed with huge, ringing guitar bits and contains some of the most mind-boggling precision hitting drum work ever heard. With this record the band began to make some headway on an international scale; there was a US release on the large independent Rough Trade that included a CD version. No European release happened but the record was a success in Australia. In 2007 a 40-cut double CD anthology, 'The Good That's Been Done', was released. The band released the album 'Time And The State' in 2011 with Matt Galvin on guitar. Chris Houllemare died in June 2014.
Members
Tim Mc Kay (guitar), Peter Lennon (bass, vocals), Neil Toddie (drums), Mark Nicholson (drums),
Paul Berwick (vocals, guitar), Mick Searson (drums), Christian Houllemare (bass), Matt Galvin (guitar)
SINGLES ''It Won't Do Any Good / Silent Boys / Aren't You Glad You Know'' 1985 Waterfront ''You're An Angel / What Did They Say'' 1985 Waterfront ''Salt, Sour And Brighton / Inside'' 1987 Waterfront ''Don't Move Too Far / Lively Up Yourself'' 1988 Waterfront ''Soul Rejection / Resistance'' 1989 Waterfront ''Something / Crucial Time'' 1990 Waterfront ''I Could See It Coming / Letter To The Company'' 1991 Waterfront
John Kennedy was born in Liverpool, England on 1 July 1958. His father's name is also John Kennedy. In October 1965 the Kennedy family migrated to Australia and settled in Brisbane. Kennedy took the confirmation name, Francis, when he was ten and – as his middle name – it completes the famous JFK initials. According to his website, "It seemed like a good idea at the time. The joke has long since worn off for him, but it still takes some explaining." Kennedy grew up in Acacia Ridge, where he developed a preference for country-influenced music, especially Elvis Costello's debut album, 'My Aim Is True' (July 1977). He later recalled that "My parents listened to a lot of popular country – people like Burl Ives, Tom Jones, who was doing country then, and Johnny Cash... It was quite sophisticated country music – big vocals and a big production sound."
John Kennedy, on lead vocals and guitar, formed his first band, JFK & the Cuban Crisis, with former school friend James Paterson on vocals and mandolin in Brisbane in October 1980. The rest of the initial line-up was John Downie on bass guitar, Paul Hardman on keyboards, Holger Maschke on slide guitar and Stephen Pritchard on drums. They established themselves on the local scene, taking up a residency at 279 Club, with their smart Squeeze influenced pop. According to Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, they "played a brand of jangly guitar pop with country overtones." They released two cassette albums, 'Over the Underpass and Under the Overpass' (1981) and 'Down and Out in Brisbane and Sydney' (1982). They played support spots for the Pretenders and Ian Dury and the Blockheads. The band issued their debut single, "Am I a Pagan / That Alarming Sound", in March 1982 with the lineup of Kennedy, Pritchard and Paterson and then moved to Sydney in May.
For the band Kennedy and Paterson recruited a new rhythm section: Greg Hall on bass guitar and Paul Rochelli on drums. They started a residency at the Southern Cross Hotel in Surry Hills. A four-track extended play, 'Careless Talk Costs Lives' (December 1982), had been recorded in Brisbane earlier and was the first release on the new Waterfront Records label. It featured the song, "The Texan Thing", which received alternative radio airplay. Kennedy had started writing it as "Take Something", which was a "jaunty keyboard-driven song". When Paterson recommended "The Texan Thing" as their next single, Kennedy thought "that's a bit rude, he'd already had the A-side of the first single, and now he was mentioning this song I'd never heard of". However Paterson had "misheard ['Take Something'] as 'Texan Thing'. So I had to go back and rewrite the lyrics."
JFK & the Cuban Crisis was established on the inner city live scene alongside contemporaries, the Triffids. In 1983 Paterson was replaced by Graham Lee on guitar. Soon after the group had "moved away from its pop roots, allowing the country elements to dominate proceedings." In April 1984 they issued a three-track EP, 'The Ballad of Jackie O', and followed in May with their studio album,' The End of the Affair'. In June that year, Kennedy disbanded the group due to "musical differences". In September 1986 Stuart Coupe of The Canberra Times observed that he "suffered, as he still does, from accusations that he was imitating the nasal tones of Elvis Costello – something that's still very noticeable – but Kennedy insists that it's just coincidence."
Kennedy embarked on his solo career by releasing a single, "Forget / The End Of The Affair", in September 1984 on Waterfront Records. To promote it he formed John Kennedy's Love Gone Wrong (from early 1987, it was trimmed to Love Gone Wrong). Alongside Kennedy were Lee on acoustic guitar, pedal steel and vocals; Adrian Bingham on saxophone; Ike on double bass; Peter Kennard (ex-Rockmelons) on percussion; Peter Timmerman (ex-Cheatin' Hearts) on drums and Martin Tucker on piano. Kennedy described his music as "urban and western". The band released a single, "Miracle (in Marrickville)" in March 1985. Also in that month Colin Bloxsom joined on lead guitar (ex-Pop Rivets).
John Kennedy's Love Gone Wrong appeared on the TV talent quest series, Starsearch, winning four heats and making the final in April 1985. Kennedy and Bloxsom were joined by Mark Dawson on drums, Margaret Labi on harmony vocals and Barry Turnbull (ex-Chad's Tree) on bass guitar. This line-up toured the Australian eastern states and recorded another single, "King Street" (November 1985). Coupe described their work "Most notable among the records are 'King Street', an ode to the main street in the inner Sydney suburb of Newtown, and 'Miracle in Marrickville', a song about the suburb Kennedy was living in at the time."
Early in 1986, for two months, Kennedy travelled through the United States and Mexico, while putting the band in hiatus. Upon his return to Australia, Kennedy, Dawson and Turnbull were joined in the studio by Amanda Brown on violin, Sandy Chick on harmony vocals, Cory Messenger on acoustic guitar and Ian Simpson (of Flying Emus) on banjo and pedal steel. They recorded a new single, "Big Country" (July 1986), McFarlane described how "the song captured an authentic country truckin' feel." Also early in 1986, while auditioning for new members of Love Gone Wrong, Kennedy had a casual band with Messenger and Turnbull: John Kennedy's Sweet Dreams. They played country-inspired John Kennedy's Love Gone Wrong originals and covers of popular country songs.
For the Big Country Tour of Australia Kennedy, Messenger and Turnbull were joined by Wayne Connolly on electric guitar and Vincent Sheehan on drums for a new line-up, which visited rural venues outside the major cities. Kennedy acknowledged that "It's very hard to actually get people from the established country music industry in Australia to accept outsiders, and what they see as alternative bands." Coupe described their typical set list as "mostly Kennedy's songs although they frequently do cover versions of songs by Bob Dylan and The Byrds, from the periods where these artists moved into country-influenced music." Red Eye Records released an eight-track compilation album, 'From Woe to Go', it covered Kennedy's material since 1984.
In January 1987 Michael Armiger replaced Turnbull on bass guitar and Kennedy shortened the band's name to Love Gone Wrong. He explained "People know who we are now, so I've severed that connection... Love Gone Wrong has a stable line up, and the members are contributing to the writing and the music. We perform mostly my stuff, but it's no longer John Kennedy and backing members." They issued a single, "The Singing City" (September), which was about his birthplace, Liverpool. It was followed by a studio album, 'Always the Bridegroom', in December on Mighty Boy Records. The Canberra Times' Michael Wellham found it "is country music that avoids the cliches of being done wrong by women and depending on mates with hearts of gold. Intelligent lyrics and music that, while not easily accessible, is still immediate. Neither cattle fodder nor radio fodder." In August 1988 Love Gone Wrong disbanded after Armiger left to join The Johnnys and Kennedy resumed his solo career.
In August 1988 John Kennedy flew to Germany and performed at the Berlin Independence Day celebrations. He returned to Australia where he released a solo album, 'One Day' (February 1989), and an associated single, "Out of Town" (January). He undertook the Out of Town Farewell Tour of the nation before moving to the US, then United Kingdom before settling in Berlin. In 1990 Red Eye released a compilation album, 'Have Songs Will Travel', and in November he toured Australia to promote it.
He returned to Germany where he formed John Kennedy and the Honeymooners. The line-up included Christopher Blenkinsop on bass guitar and accordion, Michael "Moe" Jaksch on double bass and guitar, and Hans Rohe on guitar. An album recorded before he left Australia, 'Fiction Facing Facts', finally came out on Berlin-based label Twang!/PolyGram in May 1993. In early 1994 Kennedy moved to Hong Kong, and then in early 1997 he moved to London. He moved back to Australia in late 1999.
In 2000 he released 'Kennedy Town', for which he returned to Berlin and used former Honeymooners to record. In the following year he released a retrospective album, 'Inner West: Greatest Bits and Pieces', rescued from aging master tapes. Back in Australia Kennedy formed John Kennedy and the Lone Gunmen. Then he formed John Kennedy's '68 Comeback Special in 2003, a band which included former members of Love Gone Wrong.
SINGLES ''Forget / The End Of The Affair'' 1984 Waterfront ''Miracle (In Marrickville) / Two People'' 1985 Waterfront
''To Love Somebody / Tourists In Heaven'' [with Billy Baxter'' 1989 Mighty Boy ''Out Of Town / Miracle (In Marrickville) / You Brought It All Back To Me'' 1989 Mighty Boy
''Peter Says (The Cat Protection Society Song) / Change Is For The Good'' 2018 Popboomerang
ALBUMS ''Fiction Facing Facts'' 1993 Twang! Records 'Kennedy Town' 2002 Laughing Outlaw 'Sons Of Sun Vol. 1 And Vol. 2' 2012 Foghorn
1960s-influenced band The Arctic Circles played the Melbourne independent scene in the mid-1980s. The band’s sound fused garage-punk, psychedelia and tough R&B riffs. The initial lineup was Leo Kelly (vocals), Alex Plegt (guitar), Michael Cronin (bass) and Anders Neilsen (drums). Nielsen and Cronin departed, and they were replaced by Istvan ''Steve'' Danko on drums and Greg Baxter on bass. The band issued the single ''My Baby Said That / Angel'' in October 1985 produced by Lobby Loyde. Keyboardist Dave Hannan joined the band before the mini-album 'Time' was recorded in 1986. The Arctic Circles also contributed three tracks ''Walk Away'', ''You Satisfy Me'' and ''Why?'' to Radio 2JJJ’s 1985 Various Artists compilation, 'Cooking With George Mark Too'. In 2015 Buttercup Records released the single ''Why / Taxman'' recorded from a live performance at the Seaview Ballroom in 1984 and a compilation album 'Full Circle' in 2020. Plegt later played with beat-op band Forbidden Planet. Drummer Anders Nielsen died in 2014.
Members
Leo Kelly (vocals), Alex Plegt (guitar), Michael "Rex" Harper (bass), Anders Nielsen (drums), Michael "Wombat" Cronin (bass), Greg Baxter (bass), Istvan ''Steve'' Danko (drums), Dave Hannan (keyboards)
SINGLES ''My Baby Said That / Angel'' 1985 Mr. Spaceman
The Zimmermen were formed in Melbourne in June 1983 by Tim Brosnan on guitar (ex-Millionaires, True Wheels, Romantics, Paul Kelly and the Dots), John Dowler on lead vocals (ex-Spare Change, Young Modern, Glory Boys, Talk Show), Mick Holmes on guitar and backing vocals (ex-Negatives, Eric Gradman: Man & Machine, Romantics, Paul Kelly and the Dots, Fatal Attraction), Peter "Pedro" Steele on bass guitar (ex-Fatal Attraction), and Trevor Upton on drums (ex-Lipservice, Fatal Attraction). The band name is a pun on Bob Dylan's birth surname. Brosnan left the group in the following month and was replaced on guitar by Steve Connolly (ex-Cuban Heels, Rare Things). Later that year Upton was replaced on drums by Michael Barclay (ex-Japanese Comix, Little Murders, Runners).
Dowler was the group's main songwriter and "had written a batch of first-rate pop songs, and he began making plans" to record an album. However, late in 1984 both Barclay and Connolly had left to join Paul Kelly Band. Connolly was replaced by Peter Tulloch on guitar and vocals (ex-Wrecked Jets) while Barclay was initially replaced by Graeme Perry early in 1985 and then by Neil Osborn (ex-Wrecked Jets) on drums in mid-year.
The Zimmermen's debut single, "Don't Go to Sydney", appeared in December 1985 and was co-written by Dowler and Holmes. It had been recorded prior to Barclay and Connolly leaving the group. Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, described how, "it was an instant classic, an exceptional slice of harmony-drenched guitar pop. It became one of the most successful independent singles for 1986." Their debut album, 'Rivers of Corn' (February 1987), was produced by Harry Williamson and the group, which was released via Au Go Go Records. It provided the group's second single, "Ordinary Man", in the same month.
During 1987 Steele was replaced on bass guitar by Alan Brooker (ex-Clean Cut, Paul Kelly and the Dots, Little Murders) and Perry returned on drums to replace Osborn. In November 1988 the band started recording their second album, 'Way Too Casual' (April 1989), with Lobby Loyde producing. It was issued by Mushroom Records/Festival Records and was preceded in February by the related single, "What Really Hurts". McFarlane observed that the album, "was a more balanced effort than the debut, displaying a depth, freshness and sense of humour that made for excellent listening. It contained several of Dowler's most fully realised compositions.". The group undertook a national tour but disbanded early in the following year. Steve Connolly died in May 1995, aged 36.
Members
John Dowler (vocals), Michael Holmes (guitar), Michael Barclay (drums), Tim Brosnan (guitar), Steve Connolly (guitar), Peter Steele (bass), Tevor Upton (drums), Peter Tulloch (guitar), Neil Osborne (drums), Graeme Perry (drums), Alan Brooker (bass)
SINGLES ''Don't Go To Sydney / A Spy In The House Of Love'' 1985 Au-go-go ''Ordinary Man / Are You Still Alone?'' 1986 Au-go-go ''What Really Hurts / The Waltz'' 1989 Mushroom
ALBUMS 'Rivers Of Corn' 1986 Au Go Go 'Way Too Casual' 1989 Mushroom
The band was formed in 1984 when then Celibate Rifles bassist James Darroch decided to leave and form his own band. Darroch switched from bass to guitar and enlisted drummer Geoff Milne and former Lime Spiders backing vocalist Bill Gibson on bass. After some rehearsals the three became The Eastern Dark, named after a place in The Phantom comics. The three piece began playing live in May 1984, quickly garnering local support and earning notoriety for their habit of opening each set with a different Ramones cover, working their way chronologically through the Ramones' discography. Their first single, "Julie Is A Junkie / Johnny And Dee Dee," was released on Waterfront Records in July 1985. This single was also released in France on the Sonics label.
With Rob Younger as producer the band recorded the EP 'Long Live The New Flesh!' in 1986. On March 4, 1986, days after finishing the EP, and en route to a week-long series of shows in Melbourne, the band's van went off the road; Darroch died in the accident, and Milne and Gibson were hospitalised. 'Long Live the New Flesh!' was released posthumously later that year, and a collection of live recordings and demos was released as 'Girls on the Beach (With Cars)' in 1989. A CD collection of the previously released material, 'Where Are All the Single Girls?' was released on Half A Cow Records in 2000 (and re-released in 2010).
Members
James Darroch (vocals, guitar), Bill Gibson (vocals, bass), Geoff Milne (drums)
SINGLES
''Julie Is A Junkie / Johnny And Dee Dee'' 1985 Waterfront
The story goes, two British musicians, guitarist Terry Clarke and bassist Brian Curtis, emigrated down under in 1969 laying claim to being members of (Ronnie Wood's) Birds. Settling in Perth and forming the band with local drummer John Goldsmith (ex-House Of Lords), they had no link or connection with the UK band of the same name other than the selection of ''No Good Without You'', a cover of the U.K. Birds release, as the 'B' side to their first release on the Clarion label. The 'A' side was a cover of Honeybus' UK hit ''I Can't Let Maggie Go''.
It seems the band tried to capitalise on the existence of their UK counterparts and a publicity handout even stated that Terry Clarke and Brian Curtis had played all over England and appeared on TV as the UK Birds. Their second release was a cover of ''I See The Rain'', a Marmalade single backed by ''Rene'', which had been recorded by The Small Faces. Neither of these efforts was very distinguished. Their third release was another UK Birds song ''(Say Those) Magic Words''.
It did transpire that Terry Clarke and Brian Curtis were both from Britain and played together in a band called Clockwork Orange which morphed into Doves. Clarke was also in The Herd, being replaced by a certain Peter Frampton, but Clarke did not play on the band's Parlophone releases. Some of their songs found their way on to compilation albums - ''Magic Words'' on 'Diggin' Up Downunder' (1999), ''No Good Without You'' on 'Devils Children' (2000) and ''Dust In My Pants'' on 'Ugly Things Vol 2' (1983). The Ascension label released all their singles on the album - 'The Birds Clarion Singles Collection' in 2000. The Birds supported Elton John in Perth on his 1971 tour.
Members
Terry Clarke (guitar/vocals), Brian Curtis (bass/vocals), John Goldsmith (drums)
SINGLES
''I Can't Let Maggie Go / No Good Without You'' 1969 Clarion ''I See The Rain / Rene'' 1970 Clarion ''Magic Words / Dust In My Pants'' 1970 Clarion
The founding members, Graeme Synold and Tony Ameneiro, met in Sydney in 1980 while studying art at the Alexander Mackie College of Advanced Education (later a campus of Sydney College of Advanced Education). One of the band's first appearances was as a support act to Sardine V at the Civic Hotel in Sydney in 1980. Various lineup changes settled down in 1981 with Gye Bennetts on drums (ex-The Agents), Ian Robertson on bass guitar and Ed Lee on guitar, along with Ameneiro on synthesiser and Synold on lead vocals.
The line up of Ameneiro, Bennetts, Lee, Robertson, and Synold recorded material for an album, 'Gate', with Lobby Loyde in 1981 at the Alberts recording studio in Sydney. The album was never released because of financial problems. Various bootleg copies were in existence from the master tapes, though they are of poor quality as the recordings had not reached the mixing stage. The intended single, "Between the Lines", and "Access", was never released. There were also a previous series of recordings with Colin Newham of The Reels.
Tablewaiters were managed by SCAM (suss city artist management), which also looked after Sardine V, The Sunnyboys, Machinations and Local Product. Loyde also produced material by other SCAM artists including: The Sunnyboys (extended play, December 1980), Machinations (November 1981) and Sardine v's single, "Sabotage". Bennetts left Tablewaiters after the 'Gate' recordings and was replaced by Phillip Hyrwka on drums. Hyrwka was previously a drummer for Agents, the same band which had Bennetts earlier. Rob Barnham became Tablewaiters' regular manager. A publishing deal was signed and in 1984 they recorded and released a double A-sided 7" single, "Scattered Visions / Small Quiet Children", through Powderworks Records & Tapes. The cover artwork for the single was by Ameneiro.
With the pub rock scene in its heyday, Tablewaiters performed several nights a week, both in support spots and as a headline act. Being Sydney-based they were regulars at The Civic Hotel, The Trade Union Club, Governor’s Pleasure at the Rocks, as well as at many suburban venues. In Melbourne, they had several residencies at Macy’s in Toorak. Several tours and important support spots included playing with Simple Minds, The Psychedelic Furs, Split Enz, INXS, Midnight Oil, Machinations, Laughing Clowns, Models, Hunters and Collectors, Eurogliders, and The Birthday Party. After some more self-funded studio recording the band broke up in 1986.
Members
Tony Ameneiro (keyboards, vocals), Gye Bennetts (drums), Phillip Hyrwka (drums), Ed Lee (guitar), Ian Robertson (bass), Graeme Synold (vocals)
SINGLES ''Scattered Vision / Small Quiet Children'' 1984 Powderworks
Following in the footsteps of their slightly more successful forbears The Saints, Presidents Eleven were originally a garage/punk band formed in the Brisbane suburb of Corinda. Although earlier versions had a floating membership going under names such as The Zones and IQ Zero, what can be described as Presidents Eleven Mark I formed in 1980. This lineup was Ian Whittred (vocals), Damon Faggioni (drums), Greg Baxter (bass), Alex Plegt (guitar) and Peter van Vuuren (guitar).
At this stage the band’s repertoire consisted mainly of covers albeit played with a Dead Kennedys’ wall of sound, blitzkrieg attack. Renowned for their prodigious drug intake they made some demos of their few original songs including the classic ''Got Me, Got You'' before a summer’s worth of mushroom tripping, petty thievery, unwelcome attention from the Queensland Police Force and general debauchery saw the breakup of their communal household and the band. When the smoke (and their heads) had cleared, and with no preferred choice of career, Presidents Eleven had a lineup change with Baxter, Plegt and van Vuuren departing. Plegt and Baxter went on to form Arctic Circles. Damon Faggioni moved to bass and the band added Michael Faggioni on drums and Richard Best on guitar.
This version of the band boasted a much more professional approach and a tough Detroit rock sound that wouldn’t have sounded out of place on the Citadel record label. Whilst Damon Faggioni made an extremely psychotic drummer in the original version of the band, his musicianship and song writing ability came to the fore in this version of the group, aided and abetted by the more ‘musical’ talents of his older brother Michael on drums and Richard Best on guitar. This line up played almost all original material although they were well known for delivering truly face melting performances of The Damned’s ''New Rose'' and Radio Birdman’s ''Hangin’ On''. The band gigged regularly, supporting international acts such as The Gun Club and recording original material such as ''Your Sister Said'', ''Rotten to the Bone'', ''No More'', ''It Could Be You'' and a throwaway ditty called ''Summer Vacation''. Seduced by the more obvious American Detroit rock sound of the times, Richard Best left to join Brisbane band Les Bon Bons in early 1984.
After trying a couple of different guitarists the band finally settled on Roger ‘Golden Boy’ McDonald as lead guitarist remembering him from The Resistors who had played alongside Presidents Eleven at their first official show at Bingo Pete’s in the Valley in 1981. This version of the band saw Damon Faggioni’s song writing talents begin to expand beyond the simple Detroit rock parameters and start to take on a more European flavour as witnessed on the moody waltz time ballad ''Hold On'' and the multi layered arrangement of their rock masterpiece ''Lovely Day''. However, in spite of such gems the gimmicky pop song ''Summer Vacation'' became something of favourite with 4ZZZ – themselves no stranger when it came to the promotion of gimmicky songs. The track was a highlight of the 4ZZZ cassette only release 'Queensland in Quarantine', giving the band their greatest success but at the expense of their hard rock credibility.
With Roger McDonald now on board as lead guitarist the band spent three weeks in Sydney recording their first single ''Summer Vacation / Don’t Follow Me'' at Emerald City Studios and playing shows with the likes of The Happy Hate-Me-Nots and The Beasts of Bourbon. Although unhappy with the ‘safe’, radio friendly production job done by producer John Zahlika, the single went through three separate pressings, making it to #5 on Sydney’s Out on the Street’s Independent Charts and becoming the first song by a local band to make it to #1 on the 4ZZZ Hot One Hundred. This period saw the band playing on a weekly basis and supporting the likes of Public Image Ltd at Festival Hall. Although arguably the best rhythm section in town with only the Atkinson brothers from Ups and Downs able to lay a glove on them, the fiery relationship between the Faggioni brothers became untenable resulting in Michael leaving the group. The band took this opportunity to go on ‘winter vacation’ for 3 months and consider their options. The departure of Michael Faggioni saw him eventually replaced by Justin Foley, ushering in the final version of the band.
In January 1986 the group went into Brisbane’s Suite Sixteen recording studios at Milton and recorded six songs for a mini-LP to be called 'Hold On'. The band continued to play regularly, supporting The Flamin’ Groovies at Easts Leagues Club and even travelling to Townsville for a week to promote the imminent release of their new product. It was meant to rid the band of the unwelcome and unrepresentative albatross of ''Summer Vacation'' once and for all and also be the catalyst for a successful move to Sydney and a recording deal with either Waterfront Records or Citadel. Unfortunately, problems with the pressing of the vinyl were not detected until after the release had been distributed to record outlets. The resulting confusion and frustration saw the release stall and sales dropped off before the first pressing had sold out. Although they continued to play regularly, disappointed, disillusioned and losing enthusiasm, the band limped on until they played their final show on New Year’s Eve 1986 at Morticia’s nightclub.
Members
Ian Whittred (vocals), Damon Faggioni (drums), Greg Baxter (bass), Alex Plegt (guitar), Peter van Vuuren (guitar), Michael Faggioni (drums), Roger McDonald (guitar), Justin Foley (drums), Richard Best (guitar)
David Farrell (guitar), Ben Wallace-Crabbe (bass), Peter Shand (bass), Nick Burton (drums), Michael Braid (sax), Kathleen Stewart (vocals), Fiona McGregor (sax)
The band formed in Adelaide in 1981 and ended in 1992. The initial lineup was Ken Sykes (guitar, vocals), Graeme Burdett (guitar) Rees Hughes (bass), Craig Rodda (drums) and Paul Hughes (vocals, saxophone). Musicologist Ian McFarlane described their songs as ''brimming with refined songs and highly proficient, melodic guitar thrash''. Their first album with Greasy Pop was 'Communist Mutants From Space' which won praise for the Screaming Believers. A distribution deal with Big Time Records resulted in 50,000 copies being pressed for sale in the USA.
In 1985 Graeme Burdett was replaced by John Cavuoto (ex-The Innocents) and Rees Hughes was replaced by Cloudi Katern Their second Greasy Pop album, 'Refugees from the Love Generation' in 1987 gained the band European attention and a recording contract was offered in 1989 by Megadisc for three albums. McFarlane suggests it is ''a great shame that they failed to attract a wider audience''. The group played alongside great bands like Spy V Spy and The Trilobites. Chris Lambden replaced Katern on bass guitar after the second studio album, had been recorded and Lambden was replaced in turn by Jodie Petersen. Screaming Believers had recorded an unreleased album and disbanded in 1991. John Cavuoto went on to play with The Ninth Wave and Vegans in Leather, Graeme Burdett to the Garden Path and Craig Rodda played with the Ists, Double Wammy and Vic Conrad and the First Third amongst others. They have had reunion shows from time to time.
Members
Ken Sykes (guitar, vocals), Graeme Burdett (guitar) John Cavuoto (guitar), Rees Hughes (bass), Cloudi Katern (bass), Craig Lambden (bass), Craig Rodda (drums), Paul Hughes (vocals, saxophone) Jodie Peterson (bass)
SINGLES ''I Want To Have You'' 1984 Greasy Pop ''My Eyes / Unprofessional'' 1984 Greasy Pop ''Sandra / Is Vic There?'' 1987 Greasy Pop
EPs 'Show Me Your Money' 1981 Empty Dogma
ALBUMS 'Communist Mutants From Space' 1985 Greasy Pop 'Refugees From The Love Generation' 1988 Greasy Pop
Craig Csongrady, on lead vocals, formed Boss as a hard rock group in Adelaide during 1979. Kevin Pratt soon joined on lead guitar and the group moved to Sydney in 1980. Peter Sutcliffe on guitar, from Dapto and Scott Ginn on bass were added to the line-up. Boss commenced a heavy schedule of live performances on the Sydney pub and club circuit. Some of their early performances were at the Astra Hotel, Bondi. In 1983 Boss released a single ''Strange Games / The Woman Is Hot'' on RCA, produced by Joe Kennett.
They released their debut album, 'Step On It' in October 1984, using the line-up of Csongrady, Pratt. Sutcliffe, Ginn and Joe Tatts on drums. It was produced by Eddie Hansen and co-engineered by Heather Dalton, Spencer Lee and Richard Lush for RCA Records. Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, observed that "The band built a solid live reputation in Sydney but could not sell records in Australia. 'Step on It', however, managed to sell 20000 copies in Germany and Japan." Fans were disappointed to learn that a drum machine was used instead of a real drummer on the album. Boss released a number of singles as well. The group supported shows by Iron Maiden, Twisted Sister, and Ronnie James Dio.
In 1986 the line-up of Csongrady, Pratt, Peter Heckenberg on drums and Laurie Marlowe on bass guitar (ex-Heaven) disbanded. In the following year Csongrady, Heckenberg and Pratt founded another hard rock group, BB Steal, in Sydney. In 2003 Csongrady co-wrote "United Forever", the theme song for Adelaide United FC.
Members
Craig Csongrady (vocals), Kevin Pratt (guitar), Pete Sutcliffe (guitar), Scott Ginn (bass), Joe Tatts (drums), Dave Ray (drums), Rob Grosser (drums), Kevin McDonald (bass), Greg Bailey (guitar), Alan Bryant (drums), Peter Heckenberg (drums), Laurie Marlow (bass)
SINGLES ''Shake It / Free Wheeling'' 1983 RCA ''Dancin' Queen / Kick Ass (Rock N Roll)'' 1984 RCA ''Cry Cry / Take It Or Leave It'' 1984 RCA ''Strange Games / The Woman Is Hot'' 1984 RCA
Born on the sweaty inner-city pub circuit in 1982, with Gary Munro on drums, Dean Coulter on guitar, Bruce Tatham on keyboards, Phil Kerney on bass, Bruce Tindale on guitar and Mark Roxburgh on vocals. The band spawned a single ''What I Feel / Flesh'' one mini album 'The Hammer Speaks' and the EP, 'Too Much Armour, Not Enough Brains' before going into hibernation five years later. They played at venues like the Bondi Hotel, Leichardt Hotel, the Trade Union Club and the Mosman Hotel.
The inclusion of their song ''Don’t Look Down'' on the first 'Do The Pop!' retrospective collection prompted a re-group in 2009 with a re-tooled rhythm section. A year of constant gigging followed before the Reptiles recorded their debut long-player, '13 Songs For The Rodeo Grrls'. Sounding like the blues-rock bastard offspring of the Stooges, the Doors and the Stones, this is an album that’s stunning in both its broad musical vision and sonic intensity.
Members
Dean Coulter (vocals, guitar), Bruce Tatham (keyboards), Mark Roxburgh (vocals), Bruce Tindale (guitar), Phil Kerney (bass), Gary Munro (drums), Mark Welsh (drums), Andy Newman (bass), Derek Tinworth (drums)
SINGLES ''What I Feel / Flesh'' 1984 Waterfront
EPs 'Too Much Armour Not Enough Brains' 1986 Waterfront
ALBUMS 'The Hammer Speaks' 1985 Waterfront '13 Songs For The Rodeo Grrls' 2010 I-94 Bar
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