Fun Things (Bands from Brisbane, Australia)

The Fun Things originally formed as a high school band in Brisbane called the Aliens in 1978, with Brad Shepherd on guitar and vocals, bassist John Hartley, and Murray Shepherd on drums. For a brief period after the Aliens, the Shepherd brothers, along with guitarist Graeme Beavis and Mark Lock, played as the Phantom Agents. In 1979, Hartley returned and with the Shepherds and Beavis became the Fun Things. Live covers included bands such as Radio Birdman, The Stooges, The Monkees, and Blue Oyster Cult, among others.

In 1980, the band went into the studio to record four tracks for what would be their one and only release: "Savage", "Lipstick", "(I Ain't Got) Time Enough for Love", and "When the Birdmen Fly". Only 500 copies were pressed of the self-titled vinyl EP, issued in May 1980. When the EP was released, Beavis had already left the group, and the remaining three continued as the Aliens again for a short time until Brad Shepherd left for England in the summer of 1980.

And so the Fun Things became more famous for who they produced, although the rerelease of their EP (which these two tracks are taken from) has also created a lot of interest.

Brad Shepherd would go on most famously to help form eighties aussie legends the The Hoodoo Gurus as well as The Monarchs and The Persian Rugs and he has played in a number of other bands.

There is a nice excerpt of an interview with Brad Shepherd talking about his early days and influences at Break My Face and Brad talking about the Gurus, the Monarchs and the Persian Rugs at the I-94 Bar.


Fun Things - Savage

Fun Things - When The Birdmen Fly