Serious Young Insects
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1980 |
| Headquarters | Melbourne , Australia |
| Products | Studio album, singles |
Serious Young Insects was an Australian pop rock group that had a brief existence after forming in 1980. Their discography includes one studio album along with three singles.
History
Established in 1980, Serious Young Insects consisted of Peter Farnan (vocals, guitar), Michael Vallance (vocals, bass guitar), and Mark White (vocals, drums). The Australian music historian Ian McFarlane characterized them as a "distinctive, three-member Melbourne new wave outfit."
Each member contributed to songwriting and took turns on lead vocals. Their debut single, "Trouble Understanding Words," which Farnan wrote and performed as lead vocalist, was released in 1981. Although produced by Peter McIan—who was also working with Men At Work during that period—it failed to enter the charts. In May 1982, they brought out their album Housebreaking, which included two singles: the lead track "Be Patient," written and sung by White, reached number 63 on the Australian charts; the follow-up single "Faraway Places," penned and performed by Vallance, did not chart.
Lisa Perry from The Canberra Times commended the album's sound quality given it was produced by a trio. Before disbanding in 1983, the group briefly added classically trained guitarist Richard Pleasance.
Following the breakup, Pleasance and Farnan went on to form Boom Crash Opera, a band that scored ten top-40 hits in Australia throughout the late 1980s and 1990s. Vallance also had a short stint with Boom Crash Opera between 1991 and 1992.
Albums
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Housebreaking |
|
Singles
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions |
Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | "Trouble Understanding Words" | - | Non-album single |
| 1982 | "Be Patient" | 63 | Housebreaking |
| 1982 | "Faraway Places" | - | Housebreaking |