The Venetians

about

The Venetians formed in late 1982, when Rik Swinn (lead vocalist) arrived in Australia with a 24-track master demo of a song he'd recorded in England. He read a newspaper advert placed by two musicians looking for a lead singer. Within weeks, Swinn hooked up with Dave Skeet (guitar and vocals), Matthew Hughes (keyboards), Peter Watson (bass guitar) and Tim Powles (drums) to form Venetians. "The chemistry was definitely there from the beginning," says Swinn. The Venetians released their first single "Sound On Sound" in 1983, a version of Swinn's original demo. The band signed with Festival Records' Parole Records label. Though accompanied by a video which attracted a lot of airplay, "Sound On Sound" failed to chart significantly. Their second single "Chinese I's" generated some chart action while the band began to build their reputation as a live act. They also began work on their debut album, Step Off the Edge, produced by Vic Coppersmith-Heaven. Following the release "Ooh La La" as the first single from Step Off the Edge, they got their first major break: as opening act on the Split Enz's "Enz With A Bang" farewell tour. This led to further major tour activity with Icehouse and Nik Kershaw. By 1985, they were an Australian live attraction in their own right. The band released the second single "Shine The Light" in February 1985, and the album Step Off The Edge in May 1985. Near the end of 1985, Venetians went into the studio with producer Mark Opitz to cut two songs,

top songs

albums

Calling in the Lions

Amazing World

Shylock Sings the Blues

Step Off The Edge

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So Much For Love

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Chinese I's (Here Come the Minute Men)

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So Much For Love (Australia 12")

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Blank & Jones Present So80s (So Eighties) - Vol. 11 - CD 2

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Temple Of Bitchin' Vol.10

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ABC Euro-Italo-Disco vol.247

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So80S (So Eighties), Vol. 11 [Presented by Blank & Jones]

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Throwback 80s

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