Tactics

Tactics ranked among the standout bands in Australia's new wave movement of the 1970s and 1980s. Their music blended sharp-edged pop, minimalist psychedelia, worldbeat-tinged melodies, and jagged art rock, all anchored by the incisive, thought-provoking words of Dave Studdert. As the outfit's founder, frontman, guitarist, and only permanent presence across its lifespan, Studdert shaped its direction from start to finish.

He launched the group in Canberra during 1977 alongside lead guitarist Angus Douglas Marsh and drummer Robert Whittle. Several bass players passed through before Geoff Marsh joined in 1979. After a string of local performances that drew only scattered curiosity, the band shifted to Sydney later that year. There they built a devoted underground audience and issued their debut EP, Long Weekend, on Doublethink Records, the independent imprint started by Thought Criminals.

My Houdini, their first full-length release, appeared in 1980 with Ingrid Spielman adding piano. Critics responded warmly, and the record later earned recognition as a cornerstone of Australian indie rock, though its complexity kept it from broader commercial success. The follow-up album Glebe arrived in 1981, now featuring Garry Manley on bass after he replaced Marsh earlier that year. Whittle departed in 1982, replaced by Michael Farmer on drums, while Duncan McKenzie joined on keyboards to fill the instrumental space left by Spielman.

The retrospective live set The Bones of Barry Harrison came out the same year, after which internal tensions surfaced. Studdert formally disbanded the group in 1983, only to revive it the following year with a fresh configuration that included Douglas on guitar, Nicky Baruch handling keyboards and vocals, David Miller (also known as Snajik) on bass, and Tony Donohue on drums. This lineup recorded Blue and White Future Whale, released in 1986 on Red Flame Records, though Douglas exited before the project concluded and does not appear on the finished version. Baruch and Donohue left shortly after the album's release, prompting Studdert to step away from the music industry amid growing frustration.

Red Flame later requested additional material, leading Studdert and Miller to assemble another roster that featured Garry Manley switching from bass to guitar, Lex Robertson on keyboards, Malcolm MacCallum on drums, and Amanda Brown contributing violin and backing vocals. This iteration cut The Great Gusto in 1989, augmented by horn players Peter Kelly and Robert Weaver. Disappointed with the results, Studdert limited the band to a few concerts before it dissolved once more.

He subsequently relocated to the United Kingdom and became a member of Mumbo Jumbo. In 1999 he formed Inside Up with former Tactics colleagues Manley and Robertson. Memorandum Records issued the two-disc overview The Sound of the Sound: Vol. 1 in 2006, which contained My Houdini, a remixed edition of Glebe, various single tracks, and live recordings; Studdert convened a version of the band for supporting performances. A second compilation, The Sound of the Sound, Vol. 2, 1984-1988, followed in 2008 and drew on unreleased demos rather than selections from The Great Gusto. Additional reunion shows took place around its release, accompanied by a handful of newly recorded tracks.