Australia has a long history of artists from AC/DC and Air Supply to Olivia Newton-John and Kylie Minogue that achieved success around the world. Beginning in the 1960’s with the Easybeats (“Friday on My Mind”) and continuing in the 1970s with cult punk rockers Radio Birdman and chart toppers Little River Band, Australia provide that their country was loaded with top artists. Despite the great number of artists making hits in the 60s and 70s, nothing compared to the quality and quantity of bands that emerged from Australia in the 1980s. My list below shows some of the top bands from that great decade of music from the Land Down Under.
INXS
One of the most successful international acts out of Australia. From 1982-1992, the band hit the US Top 40 singles chart nine times, with seven Top 10 hits – including “What You Need,”“Need You Tonight” and “Never Tear Us Apart.” They also found great success in the UK with 16 Top 40 singles. On the album side, they also found major success with albums such as 1985’s Listen Like Thieves (2 million copies in the US), 1987’s Kick (6 million copies in the US) and 1990’s X (2 million copies in the US).
The Church
Formed in 1980 and still recording and touring today, the Church are one of the most prolific Australian bands of all time. To date, they have released 17 studio albums and numerous live and compilation albums. Despite having only one Top 40 single in the US – 1988’s “Under the Milky Way” (#24) – the Church are highly acclaimed and their albums and tours are followed by a passionate fan base around the globe. They are best known for albums such as The Blurred Crusade (1982), Starfish (1988) and Gold Afternoon Fix (1990).
Men At Work
For a time in the early 1980’s, Men At Work were one of the biggest bands on the planet. Their debut album – 1981’s Business As Usual – sold 6 million copies in the US alone and reached #1 in the US, UK, Norway, Australia and New Zealand. Between 1981 and 1983, Men At Work hit the US Top 10 four times – including two #1 hits in “Who Can it Be Now?” and “Down Under.”
Midnight Oil
Releasing their first album in 1978, it took Midnight Oil a decade to make waves outside of Australia. Everthing changed in 1987 with the release of their sixth album – Diesel and Dust. Pushed by the strength of the single “Beds Are Burning” (#17 in the US), the band enjoyed success around the globe. 1990’s Blue Sky Mining continued their success and cemented the band as a major act.
Hunters and Collectors
Despite a rabid following and chart success in their home country, Hunters and Collectors never achieved fame in the US. The band released nine albums between 1982 and 1998 and were inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association in 2005.
Real Life
Coming out strong with their debut album in 1983 – Heartland – Real Life seemed destined for internaitonal fame. Their lead single – “Send Me An Angel” hit the Top 40 in several countries – including Top 10 in Australia, Austria, Switzerland, Germany and New Zealand. In addition to “Send Me An Angel” the band hit the US Top 40 with the follow up single “Catch Me I’m Falling.” The band continued to release albums through the 80s and 90s but never recreated the commercial impact of the debut album.
Divinyls
“I Touch Myself” became an International hit for the band in 1990 – peaking at #4 in the US. Despite having only one hit in the US, Divinyls were far from a one hit wonder in Australia where they had eight other Top 40 hits including 1981’s “Boys in Town” and 1985’s “Pleasure and Pain.”
Moving Pictures
Another one hit wonder in the US, Moving Pictures saw success in their brief career of two studio albums – 1981’s Days of Innocence and 1983’s Matinee. Their debut album – with the hit “What About Me” (#29 US) – shot to #1 on the Australian Album charts. The band reformed and released a third album in 2015 – Picture This.
Mental As Anything
Beginning in 1979, new wave band Mental As Anything ruled Australian radio for more than a decade. The band released 19 Top 40 hits in Australia between 1979 and 1995. To date, the band has released 13 studio albums. They are best known for their single “Live it Up” which was featured in Crocodile Dundee and went Top 10 in Australia, UK, Germany, Norway, Ireland and New Zealand.
Hoodoo Gurus
Never a mainstream act in the US, Hoodoo Gurus for a few years were one of the most popular alternative acts in the world. They came crashing onto the music scene in 1984 with Stoneage Romeos and continued their impressive early work with 1985’s Mars Needs Guitars!. Songs such as “Bittersweet,” “Death Defying,” and “Come Anytime” were huge hits on alternative radio – the latter being #1 on the US Alternative Charts in 1989. The Gurus are still going strong with the release of the 10th album in 2022 – Chariot of the Gods.
The Choirboys
The Choirboys were a hard rock band from Sydney. They released their first album in 1983 titled Choirboys, which peaked at #26 on the Australian Album charts. Their debut single from the album – “Never Gonna Die” – was a Top 40 hit in Australia. Their second album – Big Bad Noise – would become a huge success in Australia, peaking at #5 on the Australian Album charts. The album featured their biggest hit – “Run to Paradise,” which would peak at #3 in Australia and #13 in New Zealand. The single would also crack the Billboard Mainstream Rock charts at #33. Big Bad Noise would also produce two other hits in Australia – “Boys Will Be Boys” (#14) and “Struggle Town” (#34). Although the Choirboys would not continue their chart success in the 90’s, they released eight studio albums from 1991 to present – including 2021’s Feels Good.
Boom Crash Opera
Formed in 1985, Boom Crash Opera released their debut album – Boom Crash Opera – in 1987 with great attention from the Australian listening audience. Two songs on the debut album – “Great Wall” and “Hands Up in the Air” landed inside the Top 20 on the Australian singles chart. Their follow up album – 1989’s These Here Are Crazy Times – included the band’s only US Modern Rock charting single “Onion Skin.” Although they never recaptured the success of their early albums, Boom Crash Opera continued to release albums in the 90’s and even reunited in 2009 for Dancing in the Storm.
The Go Betweens
While the band did not reach mainstream success – even in their own country – The Go Betweens were darlings of music critics worldwide. Albums such as Spring Hill Fair (1984), Liberty Belle and the Black Diamond Express (1986) and Tallulah (1987) cemented the band as a critically acclaimed indie band. Their only alternative radio charting hit in the US was the single “Was There Anything I Could Do?” released in 1988 from their 16 Lovers Lane album.
Noiseworks
Harder rocking than many of the Australian counterparts in the 80’s, Noiseworks generated initial success with their 1987 self titled debut album. The single “Take Me Back” from the debut album went to #7 on the Australian singles charts. They came back the following year with their album Touch with the title track going to #12 in Australia. The band recorded one more album in 1991 before calling it quits.
Icehouse
With 18 Top 40 Australian hits – including six Top 10 hits – Icehouse were one of the most successful acts to emerge from Australia in the 1980s. In addition, all five albums they released in the 1980s peaked inside the Top 10 on the Australian album charts. The US market, however, would take longer to crack. Despite twice landing in the US Billboard Hot 100 in the early 80s, Icehouse did not hit big until their fifth album 1987’s Man of Colours – which included two major hits in “Crazy” (#14) and “Electric Blue” (#7). Although the band continued to sell records in their home country through the 1990s, Icehouse did not see future gain in other music markets.
The Triffids
Formed in Perth in 1978, The Triffids were a highly regarded band that failed to achieve major fame. Starting with their debut album in 1983 – Treeless Pain – the band released a total of five albums in the 1980s. Their second album – 1986’s Born Sandy Devotional – is a cult favorite among music aficionados. Oddly enough, their only chart success was “Wide Open Road” from Born Sandy Devotional, which peaked at #26 in the UK but only made it #64 in Australia and “Bury Me Deep in Love” – from 1987’s Calenture – which peaked at #34 in New Zealand but failed to crack the Top 40 in their home country.
Painters and Dockers
Formed in 1982, Melbourne’s Painters and Dockers brought a revved up rock sound with plenty of fun and lots of brass. The band released their first full length album in 1984 – Love Planet. Their big breakthrough in Australia came in 1988 with he album Kiss My Art. The album peaked at #23 on the Australian album charts and included their two charting singles – “Nude School” (#29) and “Die Yuppy Die” (#49). In 1988, they were nominated for an ARIA Music Award for Best New Talent. Unfortunately, the band’s up tempo rockers did not find much success outside of their home country. In 1989, Painters and Dockers released their follow up album – Touch One Touch All, which failed to chart in Australia. The band would release another album in 1994 – The Things That Matter. Painters and Dockers still perform today and released a live album in 2020 titled You Know That You Want to.
Paul Kelly and the Messengers
Although he’s not a household name in the US, Paul Kelly is a music legend in Australia. Since 1981 and his debut album Talk, Paul Kelly has released 28 studio albums under various band names (such as Paul Kelly and the Messengers) and collaborations. He is best known in Australia for classics such as “Before Too Long,” “Darling it Hurts” and “To Her Door.” Kelly also flirted with US fame in 1988 with the single “Dumb Things” from the album Under the Sun. The single peaked at #17 on Billboard’s Alternative Airplay charts. Kelly continues his prolific recording as recently as 2021 with Paul Kelly’s Christmas Train.
The Celibate Rifles
Australian punk band The Celibate Rifles garnered a cult following in their home country and are relatively unknown outside of indie circles throughout the world. The band released five albums during the 1980s but never found mainstream success. In fact, their only album to chart in Australia was their sixth album – 1992’s Heaven on a Stick.
Dead Can Dance
Formed in Melbourne in 1981, ambient band Dead Can Dance released their debut album in 1984 on 4AD Records. The band would release four albums in the 1980s – including Spleen and Ideal and The Serpent’s Egg – with little commercial movement. Their fortunes changed in 1993 with their sixth album – Into the Labyrinth – which charted in the Netherlands, UK and US. The follow up – 1996’s Spiritchaser – was even more successful in the US (peaking at #75 on the Billboard 200). The group’s best known single – “The Ubiquitous Mr. Lovegrove” – peaked at #8 on Billboard’s Alternative Airplay charts.
