Dropbears

The Dropbears were a popular part of the Australian music scene in the early 1980s. They had a couple of national chart hits and received national airplay. They had a minor charting hit with "Shall We Go" in 1985.

History

The band started life as "The Socket Set" in 1980 (Johnny Batchelor, Phil Hall (Sardine v, Lime Spiders) and a string of drummers). Under the name The Socket Set, they played shows which included the sell-out opening night of The Saints return Australian tour in 1980 (the Paralytic Tonight, Dublin Tomorrow tour).

As Dropbears, the band formed in Darlinghurst Sydney 1981 with Johnny Batchelor, Simon Rudlin and Chris Toms (Chris Cross) - Chris coined the name Dropbears - prior to this Johnny and Simon had been jamming with bass player Rod Brunel (from Sydney band "The Singles"), but it wasn't working well. Chris Cross from Sydney punk band The Bedhogs lived downstairs and Johnny asked him to join the, as then, unnamed band.

In 1982, The Dropbears released two singles: "Fun Loving" and "Lay Him Down", which both peaked at number one on the Sydney Indie charts. The following year, the band signed to WEA records and went on to release a series of successful singles.

In 2011, "The Essential Dropbears" was released through Warner Music Australia. This is available on Australian iTunes and features 10 tracks including the 1985 chart hits "Shall We Go" and "In Your Eyes".

Members

  • Johnny Batchelor, Guitar, Vocals - 1980-86, 1987
  • Chris Cross (Chris Toms), Bass - 1981-82 (died 17 October 2010)
  • Phil Hall, Bass, Vocals - 1980, 1982–86, 1987
  • Simon Rudlin, Drums - 1981-82
  • James Elliot, Drums - 1982
  • Mike (Snapper) Knapp, Drums, Backing Vocals - 1982-86, 1987
  • Bob Cooper, Saxophones, Lyricon - 1983
  • Robert (Bert) Hearn, Guitar, Guitar Synth - 1983-84

Discography

Studio albums

Year Album details Peak chart positions
AUS
[1]
1984 Untitled
  • Released: October 1984
  • Label: WEA Records (250809-1)
  • Format: LP
 66

Compilations

Year Album details
2011 The Essential Dropbears [2]

Singles

List of singles as lead artist, with selected chart positions and certifications
Year Title Peak chart positions Album
AUS
[1]
1981 "Fun Loving" - non-album single
1983 "Lay Him Down" -
1984 "Shall We Go" 61
"Proud" - Untitled
1985 "In Your Eyes" 90 non-album single
1986 "Fun Loving" (re-release) -

References

  1. 1 2 Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives: Australian Chart Book. p. 96. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. N.B. The Kent Report chart was licensed by ARIA between mid-1983 and mid-June 1988.}}
  2. ↑ "The Essential Dropbers". iTunes Australia. Retrieved 20 November 2017.

Album

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