Biography

The Ramones-loving Australian punk-pop group Eastern Dark were formed by guitarist/vocalist James Darroch in 1984. Featuring drummer Geoff Milne and former Lime Spiders MC Bill Gibson on bass, the trio blended the three-chord tunefulness of the Ramones with the guitar attack of their Australian compatriots like the Celibate Rifles (for whom Darroch briefly played bass) and the New Christs. After playing live for almost a year, the group entered the studio with producer Rob Younger (of Radio Birdman/New Christs fame) and recorded its first single, "Julie Is a Junkie"/"Johnny and Dee Dee," which was released by Waterfront Records in 1985. More touring ensued before the band returned to the studio with Younger at the helm again. Tragically, before the resulting songs could be issued, the band was in a van accident that killed Darroch and seriously injured his bandmates. The EP Long Live the New Flesh! was given a posthumous release later that year. Since then, the band's work has been regularly reissued, starting in 1989 with a collection of demos and live recordings titled Girls on the Beach (With Cars). In 2000 (and again in 2010 with revised packaging), a CD compilation of the band's entire recorded output, Where Are All the Single Girls?, was released by the Australian label Half a Cow. ~ Tim Sendra, Rovi