Spy V Spy

Aside from Midnight Oil, Spy V Spy is Australia's most politically-oriented rock band. While Midnight Oil's politics were those of conscience, Spy Versus 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. Singer Mike Weilbey arrived in Sydney from an industrial city in England and almost immediately found a soulmate 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 Crigg, 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 Weilbey 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 V.Spy V.Spy 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 Arts Council) '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 V.Spy V.Spy moved from Midnight Oil's Powderworks label to WEA. This album, 'A.O. Mod. TV Ver.' (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 Ver.' earned V Spy V Spy a platinum record. Without warning, the record company demanded a new album, and within six weeks the band wrote and recorded 'Xonophobia (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 V Spy V Spy 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 travelled to Brazil to follow-up on a strong fan base established there through the surfing community. Mike stayed behind, while back in Australia, Cliff Bloxom and Mark Cuffe teamed up with Icehouse house 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 (he'd never quite fit in) while Craig left that group to dedicate himself to Spy V Spy . Paul Wheeler was named as Spy V Spy's new drummer.

The enthusiasm of Brazilian Spyfans means that Spy V Spy can stay alive, while maintaining a low profile on the Australian music scene.