Toys Went Berserk
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Toys Went Berserk was a Sydney post-punk band that formed in the late 1980s. The band consisted of talented members who had previously been in various indie bands such as Box Of Fish, Lavender Disaster, Happy Hate Me Nots, and Dusk Furrow. Toys Went Berserk was noted for their live performances. Their musical influences ranged from gothic-tinged music to pop and punk, comparable to Skeletal Family and Siouxsie and the Banshees. The end product was quite distinctive in the Sydney scene of the time.
They released numerous records, including 7-inches, LPs and one CD, and did tours of the United States as well as doing the obligatory interstate road trips across Australia. You can also hear their gothy version of "Stairway to Heaven" (ABC TV's "Money or the Gun" show), on the album of the same name. The band recorded their last album "Sensory" in the States, with Pixies producer Gary Smith at the helm, returning the following year to tour. The band split sometime in the late 1990s. Singer Coo and guitarist Andy Burnaway moved to England for a while and started a new band called 'Feast'. In late 2003 they returned to Perth, Western Australia.
In 2003 they returned to Perth, Western Australia, starting their own "Trickster music" label. Toys Went Berserk have regrouped twice, for reunion shows; the first was in 1997 and the second in 2005, to promote the release of a new double "best of" CD. Entitled "The Bitter & the Sweet - best and rarest" it includes most of their studio releases, plus selected demos and live recordings. Coo and Andy released an album as Houdini Twins in 2006 ("In the Blink of an Eye") and are currently gigging with their new band "Rocket to Memphis".
[edit] Discography
- Toys Went Berserk: The Bitter & The Sweet
A 42 track, double CD compile of this mid 80's - early 90's Sydney pop foursome. Features a 16 page booklet with liners, photos and artwork.
