I bought the single of this song and it was my favourite of the bands songs.
Serious Young Insects were a 80s three piece indie band from Melbourne, Australia, each member writing and singing. There were three distinct writing styles. Mick Vallance possessed a vicious bass style and sound, more like a lead guitarist than a bass player. He wrote songs in the post punk power pop tradition of bands like the Jam and the Stranglers. Mark White sang like a bird and played the drums like they were a melodic instrument. His style was darker, moodier, and owed much to both early Cure and Joy Division but also pre-punksters like Eno and Robert Wyatt. Peter Farnan played guitar with no rockist overtones, all jangle and angular skank. His songs were neurotically complicated, arty and pointy.
The band was a repudiation of 1970s macho blues rock culture. Without being overtly political the Insects loathed such culture. They had no moves (although they jerked and pogoed a lot). There was no lead singer as such. They did not use the words 'baby', 'gig', or 'are you having a good time?' There were no normal chords. Solos, if they occurred, were ultra short and had no reference to blues rock - they sounded more like science experiments. The grooves were jerky and punctuated. They didnt rock but they managed to generate an intense and frantic energy. They were like a frog in a lab hooked up to electricity.
They emerged from Melbournes fertile inner city scene, centered around The Crystal Ballroom. Their contemporaries were the Birthday Party, The Reels, The Hunters and Collectors and the Models. Within the first few months of gigging they had performed with a number of their main influences; the Cure, XTC and Magazine. Inner city audiences loved them. All the songs were played at breakneck speed. Their set list changed on a weekly basis. They were both inspired by, and an inspiration to, a scene that was alive and productive.
In a move that both made them and finished them they became a touring band and moved out into the burbs of the capital cities of Australia playing six nights a week. The bill was often Midnight Oil, InXs and Serious Young Insects. They thrived at student nights and once a week at some hip inner city venues. The rest of the time they were met with indifference and sometimes hostility. Audiences, conditioned to boozy beer rock, could not fathom the band. There was no front man. Theyre playing wrong notes. The harmonies sounded dimly Beatle-esque but dissonant.
The band signed a record deal with an indie (Native Tongue) through Epic/CBS (now Sony) and recorded this single with Men At Works producer, Peter McIan at Richmond Recorders. At the end of 81 the band returned to Richmond Recorders with legendary Australian engineer/producer John French to record an album, Housebreaking.
Another year of touring, and TV and radio promo ensued. The band hooked up with the Police when they toured which lead to interest from Miles Copelands IRS label in the US. Once again the lack of a single loomed over the band. No one, least of all the band, realised that it was the very fact that they did the 'wrong' thing that made them so 'right.' IRS passed, CBS refused to get behind any more singles.
Towards the end of 82 Mark White signalled that he'd had enough of touring. Almost immediately the band embarked on another bout of writing. Mark added keyboards so that he sang lead vocals, and played the drums and played the keys at the same time. Their last run of gigs were replete with new and challenging material that further alienated the boozing yobbos on the big supports that peppered the bands itinerary. They played their last gig in December 1982. They played over 35 songs and came off stage arguing over what they forgot to play.
The above is adapted from the band's MySpace page. I left out some of the self critical content as I dont agree. There are no CDs to point listeners to, but there are some unreleased live tracks on the MySpace site.
There is no video for this song (although I understand they appeared on rock show Countdown can someone post it?). Comments and ratings are invited.
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Mr Mister - Hunters Of The Nightby aorscarab645 views
SYI were great, definately one of my favourites from the Crystal Ballroom days. Quirky and jerky, fascinating rhythms. Mick's deep dark vocals, Peter's nasal twang, Mark's marvellous melodies. They reminded me a lot of XTC, and of course The Jam. I still have a mono tape of a live gig I recorded from the radio (3CR?), made just before they brought out Housebreaking. Lyrics of suburban adolescent angst. Parents Go Mental. Why Cant I Control My Body? I Want Cake, indeed.
tooearlyforpearls 1 year ago
@tooearlyforpearls Check out their myspace page as they have about 4 live tracks which were unreleased.
wilsonmcphert 1 year ago