Australian Crawl

ARIA Hall of Fame inductees Australian Crawl were an Australian rock band that formed in 1978. Based in the outskirts of Melbourne, the lineup was originally James Reyne, Bill and Guy McDonough, Paul Williams, Robert Walker, and Simon Binks. Reyne left a year into its inception to finish his acting degree.

Their rise to prominence began with the release of 1979’s “Beautiful People,” a song which peaked at #22 on the national charts. Their notability only improved with their 1980 debut album, The Boys Light Up, peaking at #4.

Having been in the limelight, Australian Crawl released Sirocco and Sons of Beaches, both of which peaked at #1. Their best performing single was not released until 1983. “Reckless”, from the Semantics EP, was their first and only #1 single.

Bill McDonough, the drums player, was replaced by Graham Bidstrup after he got sent to hospital. McDonough was also later replaced. Shortly after, John Watson replaced him. Additionally, Guy McDonough, the vocalist and one of the guitar players, also left, and Mark Greig assumed his role.

With the lineup changes sorted, Australian Crawl went on to release their final album: Between a Rock and a Hard Place. The album was a commercial disaster. It peaked at #12 but quickly left the charts. This was the beginning of the end for Australian Crawl. They performed various live performances and recorded The Final Wave before disbanding in 1986 to allow the members to substantiate their visions for solo careers.

Ten years after the split, they were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame. Several compilation albums have since been released.