The Exiles were a Brisbane based band formed in early 1966 by rhythm guitarist Bert Mullemeister and drummer David Elias. They were joined by lead guitarist Lindsay Basing, Ray Suckling on bass and vocalist Barry McLean.

The group played at various dances, hotels and disco’s in and around Brisbane supporting southern bands like the Easybeats at the Bowl in South Brisbane and The Scene in the city. They increased their coverage to take in Ipswich, where they featured at the In Scene and the Bowl, before regular gigs at Gympie and the Sunshine Coast where they had a regular spot at the Pearl Hotel, Caloundra and the Alexandra Headlands Surf Club. Bookings also came from the Gold Coast where the group played at various hotels, on the beach venues at Greenmount and Burleigh Heads and Danceland, Coolangatta where they backed artists such as Dinah Lee.

In mid 1967 Bert Mullemeister and David Elias left the band and were replaced by Clive Dunham on keyboards and guitar and Bruce Fraser on drums. Bruce suggested a name change and the band became known as Vision.

Some months passed and Barry moved on being replaced by vocalist, guitarist Mike Preston. They continued to play basically the same circuit with the odd Battle of the Bands thrown in and in early 1968 Lindsay left being replaced by Brian Hanson on lead guitar. Midway through that same year Ray Suckling left to further his career and was replaced by Dave Aust on bass. The band continued in that format until 1969 when they decided to go their seperate ways with Mike persuing a successful solo career.

Even though in the early days the band wrote and performed some of their own material, no recordings were ever made.

Images

Members

• Bert Mullemeister – Guitar
• David Elias – Drums
• Lindsay Basing – Guitar
• Ray Suckling – Bass
• Barry McLean – Vocals
• Clive Dunham – Keyboards, Guitar
• Bruce Fraser – Drums
• Mike Preston – Vocals, Guitar
• Brian Hanson – Guitar

Spy vs Spy, also known as v. Spy v. Spy, The Drug Grannies and The Spies, are an Australian ska/pub rock band from Sydney formed in 1981. They became known for tackling political issues through their music, including racism, homelessness and contemporary drug culture. They were named after a comic strip, “Spy vs. Spy” in the US Mad magazine.
From wikipedia

History

Aside from Midnight Oil, vSpy vSpy are arguably one of Australia’s most politically- oriented rock bands. While Midnight Oil’s politics were those of conscience, Spy V Spy were outspoken representatives of the Street. Primarily they started out as the voice of the homeless squatters of early eighties Sydney, but their songs spoke for everyone who felt under the thumb of The System. They told stories polite Australia didn’t necessarily want told. The original group came from separate corners of the world.

Guitarist Mike Weiley arrived in Sydney from an industrial city in England and almost immediately found a soul-mate at Nelson Bay High School in would-be bassist Craig Bloxom. American Craig had studied in Alaska for a time, and arrived in Sydney in his mid-teens via LA. The group’s token Australian, drummer Cliff Grigg, arrived in Sydney from the Northern Territory, and settled in an inner suburban squat in Glebe that didn’t even have a roof when he first moved in. From the day they met at high school Mike and Craig had talked about music and in around 1980 started talking about forming a band together. Cliff heard about it though mutual friends and Spy V Spy was born. To save on rent and keep from having to find day jobs Mike and Craig moved into Cliff’s squat. They took the name from a regular strip in Mad magazine. Living in a squat had other advantages. They were able to rehearse almost every day. One day they received a call from the Sussex Hotel asking them to fill in for a band who couldn’t make it, and Spy V Spy performed their first gig.

In the beginning their music style was dominated by the ska sound popular in inner Sydney pubs at the time. A year into their life the band recorded its first single. Michael Hutchence of INXS offered to produce, but they turned him down. The single ‘Do What You Say’ was followed by an EP, ‘Four Fresh Lemons’, both recorded for friends on an independent label, Green. The EP’s original pressing was a limited release of 1000 copies. They sold out in 5 days. But the band expected something else to happen, and broke up shortly afterwards.
It took just a few months to realize that Spy V Spy was more fun than the bands they were now playing with, and Spy V Spy reconvened in July 1983 with second guitarist Marcus Phelan. The ska had been dropped for a more straight-ahead rock attack. In 1983 Weiley became sick and confined to a hospital bed for a considerable time. Their equipment was stolen. Phelan left. Things changed with the help of Midnight Oil’s Peter Garrett, who’d become a fan and would attend every performance he could.

Now called vSpy vSpy to avoid legal action from Mad magazine, the group acquired Midnight Oil’s manager Gary Morris and released the mini-album ‘Meat Us Inside’ and its single ‘One Of A Kind’.

Their first album ‘Harry’s Reasons’ contained the singles ‘Injustice’ (about the Aboriginal struggle) ‘Something’ (directed at the media) and the title track, dealing with a friend’s misuse of heroin. Harry was a euphemism for the drug. For their next album vSpy vSpy moved from Midnight Oil’s Powderworks label to WEA. This album, ‘A.O. Mod. TV Vers.’ (standing for Adult Oriented Modified TV Version), contained their “hit” record ‘Don’t Tear It Down’, a plea to the developers bulldozing historic Sydney, and a ode to the scourge of the day, ‘Credit Cards’. ‘A.O. Mod. TV Vers.’ earned vSpy vSpy a platinum record. Without warning, the record company demanded a new album, and within six weeks the band wrote and recorded ‘Xenophobia (Why?)’. The title was inspired by the mood around Australia’s Bicentennial year, but the messages in the songs were universal enough to see the album released in 14 other countries. 1989′s ‘Trash The Planet’ was recorded in England at Richard Branson’s Manor House studios.

Branson kept Irish Wolfhounds as pets at the Manor, one of which savagely attacked Craig. Cliff Grigg was desperately unhappy with his drums sound on that album. His departure from the band at the end of 1991 led to a year’s absence from live performances. Mike and Craig took the opportunity to move to Queensland and went through a period of search and trial of new drummers until their support of a best of collection in June 1992 saw the group’s return, with Mark Cuffe on drums. In 1983 the vSpy vSpy signed a new contract with Sony, and released ‘Fossil’, written in the studio, before breaking up (again) in 1994.

In 1995 – back to calling itself Spy V Spy, the band traveled to Brazil to follow-up on a strong fan base established there through the surfing community. Mike stayed behind, while back in Australia, Craig Bloxom and Mark Cuffe teamed up with Icehouse drummer Paul Wheeler to form a new group, the Shock Poets, allowing Cuffe to leave the drums for the microphone. More Brazil tours followed, and the two groups existed concurrently. In 1997 Mark left to dedicate himself to Shock Poets while Craig left that group to dedicate himself to vSpy vSpy. Paul Wheeler was named as vSpy vSpy’s new drummer. The enthusiasm of Brazilian Spyfans means that vSpy vSpy can stay alive, while maintaining a low profile on the Australian music scene.
From the vSpy vSpy website

Members

• Mike Weiley – Guitar
• Craig Bloxom – Bass, Vocals
• Cliff Grigg – Drums
• Marcus Phelan – Guitar
• Mark Cuffe – Drums
• Paul Wheeler – Drums
• Neil Beaver – Bass
• Mick Laws – Drums

Videos

Recordings

• Harry’s Reasons – March 1986
• A.O. Mod. TV. Vers. – December 1986
• Xenophobia (Why?) – March 1988
• Trash the Planet – November 1989
• Fossil – May 1993
• The Honey Island Project – April 1998
• Demolition – 2004

Images

Known Gigs

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About

The Valentines were an Australian rock ‘n’ roll band active from 1966-1970, chiefly noted for their lead singers, Bon Scott, who later went on to great success as lead vocalist with AC/DC, and Vince Lovegrove, who subsequently became a successful music journalist and manager of Divinyls.

The band was formed in late 1966 with the amalgamation of Perth groups The Spektors and The Winstons. They capitalised on the success of both the former bands, plus the interest created by having two lead singers in Scott and Lovegrove. Inspired by The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, and local stars The Easybeats, they enjoyed considerable local success and released a few singles.
From Wikipedia

History

Alongside their Adelaide contemporaries Zoot, Perth pop group The Valentines was, for a brief period, one of the most popular bands in the country. Although they started out a energetic soul/R&B band, their best known image was associated with the so-called “bubblegum pop” phenomenon of 1968-70. But there was a wild side to the band which was evident in their live performances (and their off-stage carousing). These days, of course, they’re best known by reference to the fact that one of the singers ended up in a little band called AC/DC — although the enormous interest in them has resulted in many previously unreleased tracks becoming available in recent years.

The Valentines formed in Perth in mid-1966, bringing together members of three leading local beat groups: Scott and Milson were from The Spektors, Lovegrove, Ward and Cooksey from The Winztons, and Findlay from top WA band Ray Hoff & The Off Beats. Playing a mixture of soul, R&B and mod covers, by the start of 1967 they were already Perth’s top group. A major drawcard was the double-vocal attack of dynamic frontmen Bon Scott and Vince Lovegrove, and within a few weeks of their live debut they were packing in crowds at their shows at venues like Canterbury Court and the Swanbourne Surf Livesaving Club (known locally as the Swanbourne Stomp).

It wasn’t long before their local popularity came to the attention of Martin Clarke, who operated Perth’s only record label in the 1960′s, Clarion. The Valentines signed to Clarion in March 1967 and released their first single in May. The single was a good indication of where their early influences lay – the A-side was a cover of Arthur Alexander’s “Every Day I Have To Cry”, and backed by a cover of “I Can’t Dance With You”, an early track by British mod icons The Small Faces. It was a strong beginning, sellling well locally and peaking at #5 on the Perth charts.
From Milesago

Members

• Bon Scott – vocals
• Vince Lovegrove – vocals
• Wyn Milsom – guitar
• Ted Ward – guitar (1967-69), bass guitar (1969-70)
• Bruce Abbott – bass guitar (1967-68)
• John Cooksey – bass guitar (1968-69)
• Warwick Findlay – drums (1967-68)
• Doug Lavery – drums (1968-69)
• Paddy Beach – drums (1969-70)

Discography

While the Valentines produced many hit singles, unfortunately they never recorded an album.

Videos

About

Vonsonic Launched their career early 2006 after many years of searching for the right bass player recording songs and finding their sound. They have emerged from this as a well defined hard rock band with a commercial edge. aJay is a strong and well crafted songwriter, singer/guitarist. Rob is a master at beats and time, Fox is a Bass Jazz mister improv king. This musical combination brings out flavors you never thought would go together, like chocolate and mint, Hard Rock with Slap Bass and a crankin back beat.
The debut album, nearly two years in the making, has
been co-produced by Syd Green at Mononest (iOTA, Dirty Lucy, Matt Tonks, and Christ Art Museum) and aJay. The album was made without the use of Metronome’s, or pitch correction software that you would often hear on pop and commercial rock records.
From www.vonsonic.com

History

Vonsonic is a band steeped with history, aJay has toured stages in WA, ACT and NSW, peeling paint and raising havoc for over 4 years. Rob Smith has smacked skins for well known bands Subterranean and The Hanging Tree, while Fox has been performing with a jazz improvisation group.
Together as Vonsonic their strength lies in their
professional musicianship and excellent execution of a “balls out” rock show that you would have to be dead not to enjoy, and deaf to miss. There are elements of the lighter colors in the album which may remind you of Thirsty Merc or Jeff Buckley. This provides a great commercial aspect to the band, but the bulk of the music is in the heartland of hard rock Nickleback, Silverchair, Shihad, AudioSlave and RATM.
From www.vonsonic.com

Members

• aJay – Vocals and Guitar
• Rob – Drums
• Fox – Bass

Other Resources

• VonSonic Website
• VonSonic on MySpace
• Hear VonSonic on our Internet Radio Station

About

There aren’t many groups who managed to stay together musically and physically at a time when bands seem to come together for a brief period and then fade from the scene. It’s refreshing to listen to a group like The Vagabonds.

History

The band was formed by Greg Scott and Craig Sutton.

Members

• Maurice Nicholson – Vocals
• Craig Sutton – Guitar
• Greg Scott – Guitar
• Jim McColl – Bass
• Cade Pallasch – Drums

Images