Named after the 1971 Alan Arkin-directed film, Rob Griffiths formed Little Murders in 1979 and they soon became the most influential mod band during the late ’70s and early ’80s in Melbourne, Australia.
The band’s debut single, “Things will Be Different”/”Take Me I’m Yours,” (December 1979), quickly sold its initial 1000 copies and remains a classic Australian pop record of the time. They would move into the power-pop scene as the years progressed and release classics like ‘She Lets Me Know’ and ‘100 drugs’.
40 years later to almost the day Little Murders have released their eighth album Dromana-Rama on Off The Hip records. And 40 years have not diluted their energy one bit.
As the title suggests the album was initiated by Rob Griffiths (singer/writer) recollections of travelling and gigging around the Mornington Peninsula back in the early eighties. It starts before then as Rob’s introduction to rock and roll was seeing the legendary sixties band Zoot rock out on Dromana beach for 3AK radio.
Later Little Murders would play along the coast. Frankston, Sorrento, Hastings and more where their sixties beat captured the surfing crowd.
There is also a nod in the energy of the tracks to Little Murders tour of Japan in 2018 where they witnessed and took part in the full-scale garage rock revival going on there.
So what we have here is guitar pop complete with harmonies, melodies and minor chords. Rod Hayward remains on lead guitar playing scintillating solos. This time he is joined by Andrew Royal who takes on some of the lead guitar duties. Danny McDonald adds guitar. Bruce Minty plays bass (switching from the guitar in previous line-ups)
On drums Shaun Lohoar.
The whole package is wrapped with the production of Craig Pilkington who also plays various instruments. And to complete the circle the artwork was done by Stuart Beatty who produced that first record 40 years ago (and did the artwork)
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