The Hummingbirds

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The Hummingbirds are an indie pop or jangle pop band from Sydney, Australia, formed in 1986 from members of the band Bug Eyed Monsters. They were one of the first bands signed to the rooArt label, and had a chart hit with Blush.

Band members originally comprised singer/guitarist Simon Holmes, bassist John Boyce and drummer Mark Temple; vocalist/guitarist Alannah Russack signed soon after. The classic Hummingbirds included the departure of Boyce and the addition of singer/bassist Robyn St. Clare.

They were one of Australia's most promising acts in the late 1980s and early 1990s along with other up-and-comers like Ratcat, Tall Tales and True and The Falling Joys.

They debuted in 1987 with the single "Alimony", followed by "Everything You Said", "Swim to Shore" and "Hindsight". The Hummingbirds then signed to rooART and recorded loveBUZZ with Mitch Easter. It was a major hit and earned an American release, though sales were slow despite excellent reviews. They continued recording for Australian audiences, releasing another LP, 1992's Va Va Voom. However, the release of this album was delayed due to problems with RooArt. The Hummingbirds were released from their RooArt contract after the release of the 1992 EP 'You Just Gotta Know My Mind' (a Donovan cover) and they proceeded to release two EPs on the small IV label, Gone and Tail.

The band found it hard to justify their move from a major label like RooArt to the smaller IV records and sadly broke up after the release of Tail. Simon Holmes went on to record other albums with a new band, Fragile, Allanah Russack has been playing around Sydney as a solo artist, and Robyn St. Clare has recorded with RatCat and Sneeze.