The story of Australian power pop band The Affections began in Sydney in the mid 70’s when school friends Rob Smith, Rob Risio and George Ellis discovered each other’s passion for 60’s pop and bubblegum and decided to form a band of their own.
While still on the lookout for a drummer, the trio jammed and listened to their favourite LP’s from The Beatles, The Monkees, The Who, The Beach Boys and The Raspberries. The trio soon recruited Greg Tolhurst (drums) and Wayne Hammonds (vocals) and the line-up was complete.
Their early gigs were mainly school dances and parties playing covers of classic 60’s tunes. The band soon realised they needed to play their own songs if people were going to take notice. Impressed by the raw power and energy of bands like The Ramones and Generation X, The Affections were excited about the idea of playing a more powerful guitar based brand of pop.
With the emergence of bands such as Cheap Trick, The Motors and The Romantics, the local scene was ready for a home-grown power pop outfit to match.
After entering and winning their state final of a “Battle of the Bands” competition held by rock & roll radio station 2SM, the band began to stir interest amongst local record companies and promoters who could sense they had something special.
After hearing some early home demos, producer Jim Manzie (ex Ol’ 55) offered to pay for some demos at Sydney’s Trafalgar Studios.
The sessions produced four tracks: Little by Little (later released as a B side), Heartbreaker Girl, 16’s My Lucky Number, and This is Love.
The band signed with fledgling Sydney label Deluxe Records. With artists such as INXS and The Dugites on its roster Deluxe boss Michael Browning (ex AC/DC) saw the band as Australia’s next Easybeats.
With the departure of original drummer Greg Tolhurst, the band recruited ex-Just Die Young drummer, Brad Robinson.
In between touring and supporting bands such as The Angels, Dragon, Cold Chisel, and Mental As Anything, they soon found themselves back in the studio, recording their first single This is Love.
Released in mid 1982, the single gained modest airplay up and down the east coast of Australia as the band kept touring and building its growing fan base. Unfortunately their record label failed to deliver what was earlier promised and eventually folded.
The individual band members, disillusioned with the endless grind of touring, decided to break up and go their separate ways.
Wayne Hammonds
Vocals
Rob Smith
Guitar, Vocals
Rob Risio
Guitar, Vocals
George Ellis
Bass
Greg Tolhurst
Drums
Brad Robinson
Drums
