The Moffs

WHO ARE THEY ANYWAY?

Influenced by bands like Pink Floyd (Piper at the Gates of Dawn in particular), King Crimson, early Yardbirds, the Byrds, the Beatles and various blues & psychedelic bands and artists from the '60's, the Moffs, a Sydney band, were around from 1983 to 1989 and they released a whole lot of vinyl on the Citadel label. Their shows were wonderfully laid back - you could easily sit on the floor with your eyes closed and just groove along to their music, or you could take a whole lot of illicit substances and REALLY get into it. They were surreal, atmospheric and groovy; think of jangly guitars, bass guitar octave runs, Farfisa organs and the occasional bells and chimes.


Hand-coloured Photo of Tom, Nick and Smiley

They played mainly at inner-city Sydney venues like the Trade Union Club, the Strawberry Hills, the Paddington Green, the Hopetoun and the Lansdowne, which were the cornerstone of all good live indie music in Sydney in the 1980's.


Nick wearing his Roger McGuinn glasses, 1983

They also toured other Australian cities like Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane.In Melbourne they played the glorious Montsalvat, usually only reserved for special jazz performances.

The band had several line-up changes, but revolved around the core of singer/guitarist Tom Kazas and bass player David (Smiley) Byrnes. In case you're wondering about the name, yes, Smiley DOES have a huge grin on his face when he plays bass!

Tom in 1983