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The Sunnyboys.
For a while there, The Sunnyboys were one of the biggest bands in the country. Thanks to legendarily energetic live shows and hits like Happy Man, The Seeker and the bona-fide classic Alone With You they were massively popular (especially in the eastern states) and set for great things internationally, before splitting in 1984 under the pressure of the increasingly erratic behaviour of frontman/songwriter/guitarist Jeremy Oxley, who was finally diagnosed as suffering from schizophrenia. Tim Pittman, the tour promoter and music fan who gave us the excellent 'Tales From The Australian Underground' compilation last year, felt that their legacy had not been properly acknowledged and now, two decades after the band split, we have 'This Is Real,' a double disc compilation that rounds up the bands hard-to-get singles and b-sides plus some choice unreleased tracks, and live tracks recorded over the 1981-82 period, complemented by comprehensive sleevenotes and never-published photographs.
Drummer Bil Bilson is on the phone from his northern NSW home and sounds a little bemused to be doing interviews again. "It's good though. The album's a bit of a revisit for me - obviously I had all the old records, stored away in a cupboard, but it's a bit of a trip down memory lane."
He sounds happy with the resulting CD and compliments Pittman's work. "Basically he has always been a bit of a fan and always liked the b-sides of the singles and felt that since CDs came along they'd been a bit forgotten. So he wanted to put them out, and once he started looking around he found there was a bit of material around that hadn't seen the light of day, so then decided it would make a good double."
Though I'm loathe to break the friendly spirit of our chat, it's impossible to discuss the Sunnyboys in any depth without discussing Jeremy Oxley's illness. It's not the easiest thing for the band to talk about (in fact, my initial interview was to be with bassist Peter Oxley, Jeremy's brother, who had found the interviews too emotionally fraught and had subsequently sworn off doing any more) and Bilson speaks very carefully about his former bandmate.
"There was obviously a lot of stuff happening in his life during the time that we were together," he begins, slowly, "which all contributed to him having, um, problems, but one area of that was being able to write hit songs, basically. I think he felt pressured to keep coming up with the goods, and with the stress of constant touring and working until we were all burnt out, that put a lot of pressure on him, and that certainly contributed to his breakdown."
It's no surprise they were exhausted - the band existed for less than five years, yet released three albums, plus a slew of EPs and singles. "And just before we split a live album came out too, although obviously we didn't have to worry about recording or what have you," Bilson adds. "The life of the band was pretty short, really, but we managed to fit a lot into that time. The gap between the first and second records was not long enough [they started recording the second album three months after the release of their debut] - we were pushed by management and the record company to get something else out, and I think everyone would agree that we should have been given a bit more space and time. It was still exciting because we still drew large audiences: we never waned in that, so even though the tours were long and gruelling it was always enjoyable to turn up and play to full houses."
There are rumours of a reformation tour in the wake of the CD, but Bilson explains that he doesn't keep in close contact with his former bandmates. "I speak to Peter several times a year and probably see him once a year. With all the CD stuff happening I've been in touch with Richard [Burgman, guitarist], but usually we only communicate every couple of years via Christmas cards, because he lives in Canada."
And Jeremy?
"I haven't actually seen him since that Mushroom concert [the label's 25th Anniversary show, where the band played a two-song set] in '98," Bilson sighs. "Basically, from what I understand, he's like anyone who suffers from... that illness. He's fortunate in that he doesn't suffer so bad that he can't look after himself, and he seems happy and content. He likes his space. "
Andrew P Street
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'This Is Real' is out now through Feel/FMR.
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