Falling Joys are an Australian
alternative rock
Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...
band formed in
Canberra
Canberra ( )
is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...
in 1985. The original line-up included
Suzie Higgie
Suzie Higgie is an Australian musician. She is the founding mainstay lead singer, guitarist and songwriter of the Falling Joys, an alternative rock band formed in Canberra. She has issued two solo albums, ''Soon Will Be Tomorrow'' (collaboratio ...
on lead vocals and guitar and Stuart G. Robertson on bass guitar. By the end of 1988 Higgie and Robertson, now on guitar, were joined by Pat Hayes on bass guitar and vocals, and Pete Velzen on drums. They have released three albums, ''Wish List'' (1990), ''Psychohum'' (1992) and ''Aerial'' (1993). Both the latter two albums reached the
ARIA Albums Chart
The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...
Top 50. They disbanded in 1995 but reunited in 2011 and, again, in July 2016.
History
1985–1989: Formation and ''Omega''
Falling Joys were formed in Canberra in 1985 by
Suzie Higgie
Suzie Higgie is an Australian musician. She is the founding mainstay lead singer, guitarist and songwriter of the Falling Joys, an alternative rock band formed in Canberra. She has issued two solo albums, ''Soon Will Be Tomorrow'' (collaboratio ...
on lead vocals and guitar (ex-Get Set Go);
Anthony Merrilees on drums; Robin Miles on keyboards and vocals; and Stuart G. Robertson on bass guitar and vocals.
They played in the Canberra area and in Sydney and were soon joined by Andrew McFarlane on saxophone.
McFarlane, Merrilees and Miles, all left the band in late 1985: Higgie and Robertson were joined by Ken Doll on drums.
In April 1986 the trio played their last Canberra gig, before relocating to Sydney; they co-headlined with fellow Canberra-formed band,
the Plunderers, which had moved to Melbourne.
With Craig Adam on keyboards Falling Joys recorded a single, "Burnt So Low", in August.
It was released in January of the following year and the band signed with
Volition Records
Volition Records was a Sydney, Australia-based record label specialising in electronic music styles such as house, techno, synthpop and trance. It was founded by Andrew Penhallow in the late 1980s, but folded in the late 1990s.
Amongst the ...
.
By the end of 1988 Higgie and Robertson, now on guitar and vocals, had recruited Pat Hayes on bass guitar and vocals (fellow Canberrans, the Hayes' brothers included
Bernie Hayes
Bernie Hayes is an Australian singer/songwriter who has released four albums as a solo artist and written songs for other Australian artists notably " You Made Me Hard" which was the third single from The Whitlams ''Love This City'' album.
Hayes ...
of Club Hoy and Anthony Hayes aka
Stevie Plunder
Stevie Plunder, born as Anthony Hayes (15 August 196325 January 1996), was an Australian guitarist and singer-songwriter. He was a founding member of the groups, The Plunderers (1984–1995) and The Whitlams (1992–1996).
Biography Early year ...
of the Plunderers) and Peter Velzen on drums (aka Pete Pillage, ex-the Plunderers). Bernie Hayes, Anthony Hayes, Pat Hayes and Peter Velzen also performed regularly - most every Sunday night at the
Sandringham Hotel in Newtown as the Shout Brothers with a cult following.
Robertson worked in videotape operations and Higgie as a vision mixer. The Falling Joys were part of the Duckberg group, a set of independent bands publishing their own record label, and recorded their first few singles under this label. Secret Seven was another of the bands publishing under this label.
Falling Joys next three singles, "Nearly a Sin" (June 1988), "You're in a Mess" (December 1988) and "Tunnel Vision" (July 1989), were followed by their debut extended play, ''Ω'' (aka ''Omega''), in November 1989.
Australian musicologist,
Ian McFarlane
Ian McFarlane (born 1959) is an Australian music journalist, music historian and author, whose best known publication is the '' Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop'' (1999), which was updated for a second edition in 2017.
As a journalist ...
, noticed that "Higgie's breathy vocals on these records were just one of the band's trademark sounds."
Penelope Layland of ''
The Canberra Times
''The Canberra Times'' is a daily newspaper in Canberra, Australia, which is published by Australian Community Media. It was founded in 1926, and has changed ownership and format several times.
History
''The Canberra Times'' was launched in ...
'' described ''Omega'' as "A tempting four-track EP from
he band
He or HE may refer to:
Language
* He (pronoun), an English pronoun
* He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ
* He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets
* He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' in ...
Recent line up changes do not appear to have had a radical effect on the music, which is still dominated by the vocals and song-writing of Suzie Higgie."
She felt that "probably the best track on the EP, 'Burnt So Low',
san upbeat number with thrumming guitars."
Amanda Lynch, Layland's associate, interviewed Higgie who "draws material from 'every facet of experience' and incorporates these in her songs. 'For instance, I was in an elevator the other day and I hate elevators; I also write about my friends, relationships, and what I do when I get up – there are just so many things to write about'."
Lynch opined that "they
resuccessful at playing commercially appealing songs that aim at a broad audience...
ndhave battled hard to achieve recognition with their bright well-crafted sound that has been branded 'pop with muscle'."
In Canberra they had frequently played at the
Australian National University
The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies and ...
(ANU) Refectory Bar. By 1989 the band played frequently at the Annandale Hotel, Sydney. They supported international touring acts, including
Buzzcocks
Buzzcocks are an English punk rock band formed in Bolton, England in 1976 by singer-songwriter-guitarist Pete Shelley and singer-songwriter Howard Devoto. They are regarded as a seminal influence on the Manchester music scene, the independen ...
in that year.
1990–1992: ''Wish List'' & ''Psychohum''
The group released their debut studio album, ''Wish List'', in December 1990.
The album was "quickly picked up" by youth national radio station,
2JJJ–FM, which "has given the record good rotation."
The group had "spent a fortnight in an improvised studio in the
Blue Mountains in ''Wish List''s pre-production period, where a handful of the album's songs were written between 'working out whose turn it was to chop the fire wood ... and Suzie cooking lentils."
The album reached the top 60 on the
ARIA Albums Chart
The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...
. Eleven of its twelve tracks were produced by Adrian Bolland and Falling Joys, with "You're in a Mess" produced by John Harvey.
Higgie reflected on the group's plans to tour the United States, "When we started out no one wanted to know us but now with us going overseas there are people involved that we don't even know."
Bevan Hannan of ''
The Canberra Times
''The Canberra Times'' is a daily newspaper in Canberra, Australia, which is published by Australian Community Media. It was founded in 1926, and has changed ownership and format several times.
History
''The Canberra Times'' was launched in ...
'' reported that they toured North America for six weeks in early 1991 from "Vancouver and winding through Texas, Florida, Washington and New York" which "hasn't jaded the band."
Hannan caught their gig at the ANU Refectory in May, "Higgie's energy and delivery is reportedly better than 'A1' class. Stuart Robertson unleashes guitar work which wasn't recorded on ''Wish List'', while bassist Pat Hayes and drummer Pete Velzen have also been sharing some of the lead singing duties."
The lead single from ''Wish List'', "Lock It", peaked at no. 55 on the ARIA Singles Chart in February 1991.
Hayes described how it was written, "Suzi did the majority of it. Like I did a bit, Pete did a bit, Stu did a bit and Suzi wrote a melody over it and tied it all together."
Hannan declared that it "opened the door to a new audience for the four-piece band. The charming tone which
Higgie Higgie is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
*Jennifer Higgie (born 1962), Australian writer
*Mark Higgie (born 1957), Australian diplomat, political advisor, and intelligence analystMegan Higgie
(born 1977), New Zealand-born, A ...
's writing skills address the topic of early love in 'Lock It' extracts true emotion from the band... So often expressions of love interest can be over-the-top but the
roupcouldn't put it in a more genuine manner in 'Lock It' – 'Christ, I really like you.'"
The next single, "Jennifer", appeared in April 1991 with a five-track EP released in August 1992.
The title track is dedicated to Higgie's sister,
Jennifer Higgie
Jennifer Higgie is an Australian novelist, screenwriter, art critic and editor of the London-based contemporary arts magazine, ''Frieze''.
The Australian band Falling Joys, whose lead singer is her sister Susie Higgie, released the song "Jennife ...
.
The EP reached the top 60 on the ARIA Singles Chart in September.
The group followed with a European tour during 1991 and recorded their second album, ''Psychohum'' which was released in May 1992.
''Psychohum'' peaked at No. 35 on the ARIA Albums Chart – their highest-charting release.
McFarlane opined that ''Psychohum'' was "harder edged" and "yielded three singles: the noisy, guitar-driven pop of 'Black Bandages' (May) and 'Incinerator' (September), plus the ballad 'A Winter's Tale' (March 1993)."
Charles Miranda, also of ''The Canberra Times'', felt that "It is a lot different to the band's first album, ''Wish List'', having a more live, 'earthy' sound and flavour – from energetic heavy rock to soft vocaled love songs."
They were named most popular independent act at the 1993 Australian Music Awards by local version of ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
''.
1993–1997: ''Aerial'' and break up
The group's third studio album, ''Aerial'', was released in August 1993 and was produced by
Paul McKercher
Paul McKercher is an Australian record producer, audio engineer, sound mixer and multi-instrumentalist. He has received five ARIA Artisan Awards and has produced over 50 albums. McKercher has worked with Australian artists Josh Pyke, Bert ...
.
The group went to
Kangaroo Valley
Kangaroo Valley is a river valley along the Kangaroo River in the Shoalhaven region of New South Wales, Australia, located west of the seaside in the City of Shoalhaven. It is also the name of the small suburb within it, formerly known as Osbor ...
, Higgie explained, "We took our studio with us and went to this amazing house in the valley for three weeks, then we mixed it down at a place called Megaphone in Sydney, so we're up to our third album now... I think because of equipment and everything, it is getting easier to go and record anywhere. You've really got to throw yourself into it and it's a great way of doing it. If I got stuck for lyrics I'd just go walking off into the bush and see what I came up with."
It reached No. 46 on the ARIA Albums Chart.
McFarlane declared that it was "the band's most accomplished, varied and cohesive release to date."
Miranda pointed out that it "oozes relaxed and cohesive diversity. It's
simple but still leaves plenty for one to ponder on and is devoid, like the band's music for the past seven years, of conforming commercialism. No doubt it will do brilliantly again."
''
Tharunka
''Tharunka'' is a student magazine published at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. Established in 1953 at the then New South Wales University of Technology, ''Tharunka'' has been published in a variety of forms by various s ...
''s reviewer opined that it "has a laidback, 'organic' feel, and captures that spark which can so often be lost in studio recordings. The album sounds range from pure pop and hard guitar work to rhythm and grooves, producing song offerings which are diverse and yet maintain an indelibly fresh and strong thread throughout."
In July 1994 Velzen was replaced by Jason Morrisby on drums – the latter was recorded on the EP, ''Universal Mind''.
According to Hayes, Velzen left due to family commitments, "Pete had twins, so it was a bit of an up-end when it happened because we had shows booked."
They played their last gig at Canberra's ANU Bar on 5 October 1995, Higgie declared it would be "one of the last Joys shows for a very very long time."
Band members were set "to pursue their own interests for a while, whether it's carpentry, chefing, or studying."
Higgie later explained, "It was ten years and we were getting a bit weary. We toured very heavily, very heavily. We’d been to America, we were all just a bit over it and I think we needed to stop."
Volition issued a compilation album, ''Singles'', in 2001.
1998–present: Post break-up and reunions
In 1998,
Suzie Higgie
Suzie Higgie is an Australian musician. She is the founding mainstay lead singer, guitarist and songwriter of the Falling Joys, an alternative rock band formed in Canberra. She has issued two solo albums, ''Soon Will Be Tomorrow'' (collaboratio ...
collaborated with keyboardist
Conway Savage
Conway Victor Savage (27 July 1960 – 2 September 2018) was an Australian rock musician.
He was a member of Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, providing piano, organ & backing vocals from 1990–2017.
Savage released solo albums entitled ''Nothing ...
, a member of
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds are an Australian rock music, rock band formed in 1983 by vocalist Nick Cave, multi-instrumentalist Mick Harvey and guitarist-vocalist Blixa Bargeld. The band has featured international personnel throughout its care ...
, on an album, ''Soon Will be Tomorrow''.
Her first solo album, ''Songs of Habit'', was released in 2002. Higgie had another collaboration, with Andrea Croft from the Honeys and Catherine Wheel, which provided a four-track EP, ''Splinter'' (1992), which was re-released in 2013. Pat Hayes played bass guitar in the band,
Stella One Eleven
Stella One Eleven were an Australian pop, rock band, which formed in September 1997. They released three studio albums, ''Mr Big Car'' (1999), ''In Your Hands'' (2000) and ''Stella One Eleven'' (October 2003). Three of the band's singles, "Go S ...
.
Volition issued a compilation album, ''Singles'', in 2001.
On 26 February 2011 Falling Joys played their first live show in 15 years at the outdoor amphitheatre of the
National Museum of Australia
The National Museum of Australia, in the national capital Canberra, preserves and interprets Australia's social history, exploring the key issues, people and events that have shaped the nation. It was formally established by the ''National Muse ...
, Canberra.
The band also played at the Oxford Arts Factory in Sydney on 10 June in that year.
Along with
The Hummingbirds
The Hummingbirds were an Australian indie pop and jangle pop band from Sydney, who formed in 1986 from Bug Eyed Monsters. They were one of the most highly regarded outfits to emerge from Sydney's inner-city scene during the late 1980s and were ...
, the band reunited to play two shows on 2 and 3 July 2016 at the
Newtown Social Club, Sydney.
In February 2018, the Falling Joys finished a national tour of Australia with
The Clouds
''The Clouds'' ( grc, Νεφέλαι ''Nephelai'') is a Greek comedy play written by the playwright Aristophanes. A lampooning of intellectual fashions in classical Athens, it was originally produced at the City Dionysia in 423BC and was not as ...
.
Discography
Albums
Compilation albums
Extended plays
Singles
References
{{Authority control
Australian alternative rock groups
Australian Capital Territory musical groups
Australian indie pop groups
Culture of Canberra
Musical groups established in 1985
Musical groups disestablished in 1995
1985 establishments in Australia