Biography

The Riptides began life in Brisbane in 1976 when 5 university students, inspired by the new punk sounds of the time, began to dabble in making music. After name and line-up changes, the group finally solidified as the Riptides in 1978 and released their first single ‘Sunset Strip’. The reaction was instant, with rave reviews in the local and overseas music media and initial pressings of the single selling out quickly. Constant touring and a follow-up single ‘Tomorrow’s Tears’, built on that success and the band moved to Sydney in 1980.Renowned for their live performances, the group built its fan-base to become one of the most sought after live acts in the country, eventually signing to Regular Records and releasing the EP ‘Swept Away’ in 1981. The single ‘Hearts And Flowers’ followed in 1982, along with a posthumous compilation ‘The Last Wave’ after the band called it quits in 1983. In 1987 the Riptides reformed briefly to record a live album titled ‘Resurface’ that finally captured the magic of their live shows and became one of Rolling Stone Magazines’ top 100 Australian albums of all time. As one critic put it “describing the magic of Riptides is, in the words of the Lovin’ Spoonful, “like trying to tell a stranger about rock and roll”. In 2014 the lost 1981 debut album recording sessions were re-discovered, remixed and released as ‘Tombs Of Gold’.