The Venetians were an Australian New Romantic band in the 1980s.
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 David Skeet (guitar and vocals), Matthew Hughes (keyboards), Peter Watson (bass guitar) and Tim Powles (drums) to form Ve...
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The Venetians were an Australian New Romantic band in the 1980s.
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 David 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...
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