Biography
Out of the many musical upheavals that reshaped global charts, the wave of Australian acts breaking through in the early 1980s tends to receive the least recognition, even though Men at Work, Midnight Oil, and INXS all rose to worldwide superstardom. Additional acts from the region, including the Church, Icehouse, and Pseudo Echo, also landed successful singles during the same stretch. England’s new wave leaders may have eclipsed them in visibility, yet Australia produced a comparable volume of material. Among the many post-punk outfits that emerged from the country at that time, Machinations stood apart for its reliance on the synthesizer-driven new romantic style then flowing out of the U.K. The group came together in Sydney in 1980 when Fred Loneragan took vocals, Tim Doyle handled guitar, Nick Swan played bass, and Tony Starr supplied keyboards. Its debut single, “Average Inadequacy,” appeared in 1981. The 1983 album Esteem reached American listeners and contained the band’s best-known cut, “Pressure Sway.” The follow-up, Big Music, arrived in 1985, yet Machinations never matched the broader commercial reach attained by many contemporaries either domestically or overseas. Dance clubs nevertheless formed a devoted cult audience that remained the band’s most consistent base of support. After issuing Uptown in 1988 the members parted ways and scattered into various local projects, though the original lineup reconvened in 1997.
Albums
