Allniters

This article is about the Australian ska group. For uses of the similar sounding term, see The Allnighter (disambiguation).

Allniters

The Allniters were an Australian ska pop band based in Sydney during 1980–1987. Original line-up was Ted Ayers on sax, Dave Betts on drums, Stuart Crysell on guitar, Martin Fabok on guitar, Peter Hill-Travis on vocals, Graham Hood on bass guitar, Brett Pattinson on vocals and Mark Taylor on keyboards. Numerous changes occurred in band members with Fabok, Hill-Travis and Pattinson common to almost all line-ups.

In 1983, The Allniters performed a ska-style cover of Bobby Bloom's hit "Montego Bay", which peaked at #16 on the Australian singles charts. They followed with an album D-D-D-Dance, which contained the slower and more mainstream "Love and Affection" single, both album and single received wide airplay on radio stations around Australia and were top 40 hits. More singles followed but Allniters separated for six months during 1985 and then continued on until July 1987 before disbanding more permanently. They briefly reformed in 1999 to tour and then record, Another Fine Mess was released before they disbanded once more, they reformed yet again during 2004 but no new material was released.

Biography

The Allniters were centred on founding guitarist Martin Fabok in 1980 in Sydney, New South Wales, the other original members were Ted Ayers on sax, Dave Bebb on drums, Stuart Crysell on guitar, Peter Hill-Travis on vocals, Graham Hood on bass guitar, Brett Pattinson on vocals and Mark Taylor on keyboards. The band's first performance was at the Sussex Hotel in September, 1980. They were an ill-defined line-up with not all members performing at early gigs. They released "She Made a Monkey Out of Me" for the independent Green Records in August 1981 and followed with "You Shouldn't Stay Out Late" in 1982.

Ayers, Betts, Crysell, Fabok, Taylor of The Allniters together with other musicians, Dave Pye on trumpet (Fast Cars), Kirk Pengilly on saxophone (INXS) and Graham on trombone recorded as studio-based band, The Igniters, at Sydney's 2JJJ radio studio, and released a dub reggae EP Igniters in 1982 on Green Records.

The Allniters signed with Midnight Oil's label Powderworks and with RCA in 1983. First single for Powderworks was "Hold On" in May, followed by a cover of Bobby Bloom's "Montego Bay" in September, which peaked at #16 on the Australian singles charts. Their debut album, D-D-D-Dance was released in October and a third single, "Love and Affection" followed in November. The album and all three singles had reached the Top 40 on the Australian charts. The line-up were Ayers, Crysell, Fabok, Hill-Travis, Pattinson and Taylor, and new members, Perry Andronos on bass guitar, Julie Conway on vocals, Dave Lennon on drums and Stephen Luke on trombone.

In 1984, a new line-up of studio band, The Igniters, containing Crysell, Fabok, Luke and Taylor, together with Toni Allaylis on vocals, Simone Dee on vocals, Cliff Griggs on drums (Spy vs Spy), Patou Powell on vocals (Carribe), Martin Stuart on brass, Kate Swadling on vocals and Mike Weiley on guitars (Spy vs Spy) was formed to record a second EP. The Allniters also released two more singles in 1984, "Screaming Dreaming" in August and "I Saw You First" in December. The band separated in January 1985 as Ayers, Crysell and Taylor formed Castles in Spain.

By July 1985, Conway, Fabok, Hill-Travis, Luke and Pattinson reformed The Allniters with Peter Bolke on bass guitar, Ralph Franke on saxophone, Mark Fuccilli on saxophone, Dale Pandit on drums and Mark Tanner on guitar. February 1986 saw another line-up change where Conway, Franke, Hill-Travis and Pattinson, teamed with new crew of Michael Allen on keyboards, Troy Duncomb on bass guitar, Simon Knapman on drums and Mickey Marnie on guitar. This line-up recorded "All That Easy", which was released by Mushroom Records in July 1987 with Mental As Anything's Martin Plaza producing. The single had no chart success and The Allniters disbanded. A compilation album, The Very Best of... was released in 1997. The Allniters reformed with a new lead singer, Miss Velvet Vass (aka Juliana Vasilkov), and released "Nowhere Fast" on the Sound System Record label, with Another Fine Mess following in early 2000. In 1998 they teamed up with The Porkers for the east coast 'Skafari' tour. Vass joined up with The Louisville Sluggers as The Allniters disbanded again in 2001. They reformed in 2004 to support reggae band, UB40's Australian tour, but they did not record new material.

Members

Listed alphabetically:

• Michael Allen — keyboards (1986–1987)
• Perry Andronos — bass guitar (1983–1985, 1999–2000)
• Ted Ayers — saxophone (1980–1985)
• David Betts — drums (1980–1983)
• Peter Bolke — bass guitar (1985)
• Julie Conway — vocals (1983–1985, 1985–1987, 1999–2000)
• Stuart Crysell — guitar (1980–1985)
• Troy Duncombe — bass guitar (1985–1988)
• Martin Fabok — guitar (1980–1985, 1985–1986, 1999–2000)
• Ralph Franke — saxophone (1985–1987)
• Mark Fuccilli — saxophone (1985–1986)
• Peter Hill-Travis — vocals (1980–1985, 1985–1987, 1999–2000)
• Graham Hood — bass (1980–1983)
• Simon Knapman — drums (1986–1987)
• Dave Lennon — drums (1983–1985)
• Stephan Luke — trombone (1983–1985, 1985–1986)
• Mickey Mahoney — guitar (1986–1988)
• Dale Pandit — drums (1985–1986)
• Brett Pattinson — vocals, percussion (1980–1985, 1985–1987, 1999–2000)
• Mark Tanner — guitar (1985–1986)
• Mark Taylor — keyboards (1980–1985)
• Juliana Vasilkov (aka Miss Velvet Vass) — vocals (1999–2000)

Discography

Albums

• D-D-D-Dance — Powderworks (October, 1983)
• The Very Best of... — (1997)
• Another Fine Mess — Sound System (2000)

Singles

• "She Made a Monkey Out of Me" — Green/Larrikin (August, 1981)
• "You Shouldn't Stay Out Late" — Green/Larrikin (1982)
• "Jingle Bells" — (December, 1982)
• "Hold On" — Powderworks (May, 1983)
• "Montego Bay" — Powderworks (September, 1983)
• "Love and Affection" — Powderworks (November, 1983)
• "Screaming Dreaming" — Powderworks (August, 1984)
• "I Saw You First" — Powderworks (December, 1984)
• "Wake up Sydney" — Independent (1985)
• "All That Easy" — Mushroom (July, 1987)
• "Nowhere Fast" — Sound System (1999)

Compilations and collaborations

• Sound of Sydney - Volume 1 — Method Records (1983) ("She Made A Monkey Out of Me")
• Shake & Shout — (1983) (Soloman Gundie)
• Ska Skank Down Under - Volume 1 — Sound System Records (1988) ("She Made A Monkey Out of Me")
• Ska Skank Down Under - Volume 2 — Sound System Records (2001)

("Frustration")

• Spare Shells - a tribute to the Specials — Sound System Records (2000) ("Rudy, a message to you")
• United Colours of Ska - Volume 3 — Pork Pie (2000) ("Nowhere Fast")
• Version Excursion — Sound System Records (2002) (Who's that Man? remix)