Shindiggers were an Australian beat pop quartet formed in 1983 by Steve Agar on bass guitar, Pete Andrews on lead guitar, Bill Leggett on vocals and Spud Wildman ( Steve Andrews) on drums. They released a studio album, ''Crash Your Party'' (1986), before disbanding in 1987. Agar, Andrews and Leggett reformed the band in 1997, with Rodney McMurrich on drums to issue another album, ''Surf Sex Shindiggers'' (1998), but disbanded thereafter. A double-album compilation, ''Maximum Beat'', was released in 2008.

History

Shindiggers were formed as a beat pop group in Melbourne in 1983 by Steve Agar on bass guitar, Pete Andrews on lead guitar (ex-Twangin' Heartthrobs, Corpse Grinders), Bill Leggett on vocals and Spud Wildman ( Steve Andrews) on drums (ex-Dancehall Racketeers). They initially performed

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

s of 1950s and 1960s material, "

Hippy Hippy Shake "Hippy Hippy Shake" is a song written and recorded by Chan Romero in 1959. That same year, it reached No. 3 in Australia. Romero was 17 years old when he wrote the song. Personnel * Chan Romero – guitar, vocals * Barney Kessel – rhythm gui ...

", "

I'm Talking About You ''New Juke Box Hits'' is the fifth studio album by rock and roll pioneer Chuck Berry, released in March 1961 by Chess Records. Unlike his previous four LPs, only two songs, "Little Star" backed with "I'm Talking About You", had been previously re ...

", "

Treat Her Right Treat Her Right was an American rock group, formed in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, in 1985. The band originally featured Mark Sandman on "low guitar," Billy Conway on cocktail drum, David Champagne on guitar, and Jim Fitting on harmon ...

" and "Til the Following Night". The latter song is by 1960s beat music and

shock rock Shock rock is the combination of rock music or heavy metal music with highly theatrical live performances emphasizing shock value. Performances may include violent or provocative behavior from the artists, the use of attention-grabbing imagery ...

artist,

Screaming Lord Sutch Screaming Lord Sutch (10 November 1940 – 16 June 1999), who had his name legally changed from David Edward Sutch, was an English musician and perennial parliamentary candidate. He was the founder of the Official Monster Raving Loony Party an ...

, whom Andrews and Leggett acknowledged as a stylistic influence, "he was the first guy to wear shoulder-length hair in 1962 and dress like a vampire or something. He can't sing for nuts but he had a great band." n.b. online version is an extract created by an optical character reader (OCR). ''Baby Let Go'', their first four-track extended play was issued in March 1985, which was produced by Graeme Thomas for his independent label, Preston. 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 ...

observed, " tcaptured the band's raw and primitive sound in all its unembellished glory." A six-track mini-album, ''Beat Is Back'' (June), which was produced by

Lobby Loyde Lobby Loyde (born John Baslington Lyde, 18 May 1941 – 21 April 2007), also known as John Barrie Lyde or Barry Lyde, was an Australian rock music guitarist, songwriter and producer. He was a member of two 1960s groups: Purple Hearts, which had ...

for Man Made. It has three cover versions,

Roy Head Roy Kent Head (January 9, 1941 – September 21, 2020) was an American singer, best known for his hit song "Treat Her Right". Career Roy Kent Head was born in Three Rivers, Texas and achieved fame as a member of musical group The Traits from ...

's "Treat Her Right",

the Missing Links The Missing Links were an Australian garage rock, R&B, and protopunk group from Sydney who were active from 1964 to 1966. The group was known for wearing their hair long and smashing their equipment on-stage. Throughout the course of 1965, the b ...

' "All I Wasn't" and the Beatles' rendition of " Shimmy Shimmy", as well as three originals written by Leggett. The quartet followed with another four-track EP, ''Go Wild'', in the same year. For Shindiggers' debut studio album, ''Crash Your Party'', they were signed by Waterfront, which issued it in October 1986. Steve Spinalli of ''Maximum Rock n Roll'' noticed the album provides, "catchy songs, all done in a variant of the Mersey style with a slight rockabilly edge... a lot of bouncy poppish fun". The group disbanded in February 1987 with Agar and Legget forming another group, the Joysticks; Pete Andrews joined various bands including Moment of Truth. In 1997 Shindiggers reformed with Agar, Pete Andrews and Leggett joined on drums by Rodney McMurrich. They released another album, ''Surf Sex Shindiggers'' (1998), but disbanded again. A double-album, ''Maximum Beat'', was issued via Off the Hip in April 2008.

Members

* Steve Agar – bass guitar * Pete Andrews – lead guitar * Bill Leggett – vocals * Spud Wildman ( Steve Andrews) – drums * Rodney McMurrich – drums

Discography

Studio albums

* ''Crash Your Party'' (October 1986) – Waterfront * ''Surf Sex Shindiggers'' (1998) – Corduroy

Compilation albums

* ''Maximum Beat'' (2×CD, 8 April 2008) – Off The Hip

Extended plays

* ''Baby Let Go'' (March 1985) – Preston * ''Beat Is Back'' (June 1985) – Man Made * ''Go Wild'' (1985) – Man Made

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shindiggers Musical groups established in 1983 Musical groups disestablished in 1987 Musical groups from Melbourne