The Best Australian Psychedelic Rock Bands

Looking for some new psychedelic rock to check out? Here are some of the best Australian bands in the genre!

The Psychedelic Furs

The Psychedelic Furs are an English rock band that was founded in 1977. The band’s music has been described as a blend of punk rock and new wave. The Psychedelic Furs’ sound has been influenced by a variety of genres, including garage rock, post-punk, and new wave. The band’s debut album, The Psychedelic Furs, was released in 1980. The album’s lead single, “Love My Way”, became a top ten hit in the UK.

Formed in 1977

The Psychedelic Furs are an English rock band formed in London in February 1977. The initial lineup included Richard Butler (vocals), Tim Butler (bass), Duncan Kilburn (saxophone), Paul Winchester (keyboards) and Roger Morris (guitar). By 1979, this lineup had expanded to include Warren Dawkins on drums and Vince Ely replaced Kilburn on saxophone.

The band was one of the most successful of the early post-punk era and released several hit singles, including “Love My Way”, “Heaven”, “The Ghost in You”, and “Fairly Empty Park”. The Psychedelic Furs toured extensively throughout the 1980s and were active until 1991, when they went on hiatus. In 2001, the band reformed and have been touring ever since.

Best known for their song “Love My Way”

The Psychedelic Furs are an English rock band that was founded in 1977. The band’s music consists of a mix of new wave, punk rock, and post-punk. They are best known for their song “Love My Way”, which was a top 10 hit in the UK and Australia in 1982.

The band’s original lineup consisted of brothers Richard Butler (lead vocals) and Tim Butler (bass guitar), Duncan Kilburn (saxophone), Roger Morris (guitar) and Vince Ely (drums). The Psychedelic Furs’ first album, The Psychedelic Furs, was released in March 1980. It was followed by Talk Talk Talk in April 1981. Both albums were produced by Steve Lillywhite.

The band’s third album, Forever Now, was released in October 1982. It reached #2 on the UK charts and featured the hit single “Love My Way”. The album was produced by Todd Rundgren.

ThePsychedelic Furs’ fourth album, Mirror Moves, was released in 1984. It reached #1 on the US Billboard 200 chart and #5 on the UK charts. The album included the singles “Heaven” and “The Ghost in You”.

After a hiatus of several years, the Psychedelic Furs re-formed in 2000 and have released three more studio albums: Beautiful Chaos: Greatest Hits Live (2001), Should God Forget: A Retrospective (2002) and Given to the Wild (2012).

The Church

Formed in 1980

The Church is an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1980. Originally affiliated with the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, the church’s musical style evolved into a more atmospheric, psychedelic direction on later albums. They have released twenty-six studio albums, three live albums and eleven compilation albums. The band’s de facto leader since its formation has been guitarist, vocalist and primary songwriter Steve Kilbey; other long-serving members include bass guitarist Peter Koppes (1980–present) and drummer Richard Ploog (1985–present).

The Church’s debut album Of Skins and Heart (1981) was produced by the band without assistance from any external financial backers or record label support. It was released on the small Sydney independent record label Alberts, which was co-owned by fellow Australian musicians Jake Berg and Martin Fabinyi. The album received positive reviews in Australia but failed to enter the national top 50 chart. The band toured Australia to support it throughout 1981 but tensions were already beginning to form between Kilbey and Koppes, who disagreed on almost everything musically. These disagreements would continue throughout the life of the band.

Best known for their song “Under the Milky Way”

The Church are an Australian psychedelic rock band formed in Sydney in 1980. They are best known for their hit single “Under the Milky Way”, which peaked at No. 24 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1988, and No. 4 on the UK Singles Chart in 1989.

The band’s music style has been compared to that of The Doors, Pink Floyd and The Velvet Underground. They have released 25 studio albums, three live albums, and numerous compilation and video albums. The Church’s origins can be traced to Sydney Bible college dropouts Steve Kilbey (bass guitar, lead vocals) and Peter Koppes (lead guitar).

The Go-Betweens

The Go-Betweens were an Australian rock band formed in Brisbane in 1977 by singer-songwriters and guitarists Robert Forster and Grant McLennan. The band was influenced by new wave and punk rock, and their sound was characterised by Forster’s and McLennan’s jangly guitar melodies and intelligent, literate lyrics. They achieved critical acclaim and commercial success in Australia and the United Kingdom, but were largely ignored by the American music press.

Formed in 1978

The Go-Betweens were an Australian rock band formed in Brisbane, Queensland in 1978 by Robert Forster and Grant McLennan. The band was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2005. The original members were joined by drummer Lindy Morrison in 1980, and multi-instrumentalist Amanda Brown from 1987 onwards.

The group’s final studio album, Oceans Apart, was recorded in England with producer Steven Street and released in 2005. The Go-Betweens conducted a farewell tour in 2006.

Forster and McLennan both died within months of each other in 2006; Morrison died in 2019.

Best known for their song “Streets of Your Town”

The Go-Betweens were an Australian rock band formed in Brisbane in 1978. The band was composed of singer-songwriters and guitarists Forster and Lindgren. They were one of the most influential bands of their era. Their best known song, “Streets of Your Town”, was a top 10 hit in Australia and the UK. The band was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2017.

The band’s first album, Send Me a Lullaby, was released in 1981 on the independent record label Ajax Records. It was co-produced by John Punter, who later produced Nick Cave’s The Birthday Party. The album was well received by critics, but did not sell many copies.

The band’s second album, Before Hollywood, was released in 1982. The album’s first single, “Oh Caroline”, was co-written by Forster and Lindgren and became a minor Australian radio hit. The album was nominated for an ARIA Award for Best Adult Contemporary Album.

The band’s third album, 16 Lovers Lane, was released in 1988 and became their most successful album commercially and critically. It peaked at number two on the ARIA Albums Chart and received five ARIA Award nominations, winning Best Adult Contemporary Album. The lead single, “Was There Anything I Could Do?”, peaked at number ten on the ARIA Singles Chart and won the ARIA Award for Best Video.

The Go-Betweens disbanded in 1989 due to creative differences between Forster and Lindgren. They reunited briefly in 2000 for a new album and tour before Lindgren died of cancer later that year. Forster continued to perform as a solo artist and record new albums under the Go-Betweens name until his death from cancer in 2006.

The Triffids

The Triffids were an Australian rock band formed in Perth in 1978. The band’s members were David McComb (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Rob Snarski (vocals, guitar), Graham Lee (guitar, pedal steel guitar), Alsy MacDonald (drums, percussion), and Martyn Casey (bass guitar). The Triffids were known for their distinctive brand of guitar-driven roots rock and their poetic lyrics. They released eight studio albums, four live albums, and seventeen singles. The band split up in 1989, but reformed in 2006.

Formed in 1978

The Triffids were an Australian alternative rock and indie pop band, formed in 1978 in Perth. They were fronted by singer-songwriter David McComb, with guitarist-singer Alsy Macpherson (left 1978), bassist Andrew McGowan, drummer Robert “Paddy” goninon and keyboardist Jill Birt.

The Triffids released seven studio albums before McComb’s death in 1999, after which the band disbanded. The group reformed briefly in 2006 and again from 2009 to 2011. The Triffids were highly praised for their songwriting,Especially for McComb’s lyrics which often dealt with Australia and its culture, as well as love, loss and other subjects. They also gained a reputation internationally for their 1981 album Treeless Plain.

Best known for their song “Wide Open Road”

The Triffids were an Australian rock band formed in Perth in 1978. They were led by singer-songwriter David McComb, and are best known for their song “Wide Open Road”, which was voted by APRA AMCOS as the greatest Australian song of all time in 2001.

The band released eight studio albums before McComb’s death in 1999. They achieved national recognition with the release of their fourth album, Born Sandy Devotional (1986), which was voted album of the year by The Age and nominated for a Grammy Award. It was followed by The Black Swan (1989), which reached number one on the ARIA Albums Chart and won four ARIA Music Awards.

The Triffids disbanded in 1989 but reformed in 2006 with two of the original members, Gary Moorcroft and Alsy MacDonald. They toured Australia and Europe before MacDonald’s death in 2010. The band again disbanded, but reformed in 2014 with new members Jude Moule (vocals, guitar), Robert McComb Jr (guitar) and Jill Birt (keyboards).