After Australian band The Lighthouse Keepers disbanded in early 1986, Greg Appel and Juliet Ward went on to form The Rainlovers which became Widdershins in 1987 with the addition of James Cruickshank, Peter Timmerman and Barry Turnbull (ex-John Kennedy’s Love Gone Wrong).
Widdershins (it’s a traditional Scottish word describing movement in a direction contrary to the sun’s course, which is considered to be unlucky) released their debut single, Now You Know on the Sydney-based Waterfront label.
Three years of sporadic playing around Australia to a small devoted following and four releases on vinyl earned them the respect of critics throughout Australia but the band called it a day in March 1990 after a final performance at Sydney University.
James Cruickshank joined The Cruel Sea, while Greg Appel and his brother Steve gigged occasionally with Ward, Timmerman and others in a loose-knit outfit called Hammerhead.
James Cruickshank died in 2015
Juliet Ward
Vocals Greg Appel
Guitar, vocals James Cruickshank
Guitar, keyboards, vocals Barry Turnbull
Bass Peter Timmerman
Drums
