Toby Richardson Bio
The spark that started Toby Richardson’s musical journey came from the inexorable flame of the Perth rock scene. Seeing bands like The Stems, The Marigolds, Chad’s Tree, The Healers and touring acts such as Ed Kuepper and The Yard Goes On Forever in the late ’80s captured his imagination. This was a revelation of the immediate power and excitement that live rock ‘n’ roll can create – and what a great setting it provides for drinking beer.With his brother Mark playing in bands Chant and Be Happy and Grin, Toby decided to give it a crack himself. Due to the informal nature of the rock industry back then, it was almost like he’d only just busted out a few chords before he and his cronies hit the stage. Running on borrowed equipment and Austudy cheques, his first band Pool Flotation Device played three gigs, got a decent review and broke up.
Toby then joined already established band Mustang! Other band members were Chris Gorman on drums, John Henderson (later Mike Staude) on lead guitar, Chris Gorman on drums and Hamish Fitzsimmons on bass. At that time Toby and his band mates were influenced by artists such as Teenage Fanclub, Pere Ubu, Urge Overkill, Television, Big Star, Captain Beefheart and Dinosaur Jr. Mustang! soon got a decent following through art school crowds and a bit of harmless hype in local rock press. They also had some catchy tunes and plenty of volume - Toby now suffers from tinnitus as a result. Some of the venues they played were The Shenton Park, The Old Melbourne, The Grosvenor, The Firm and The Loft. Their Rock cohorts were bands such as Baked, O!, Wormfarm, Bluetile Lounge, Wooden Fische and Benji.
Of this group of bands a collective known as Jacuzzi International was formed. This was basically a good excuse to party, and an easy way to organise gigs. The name was simply derived from the enjoyable practice JI members had of sharing a jacuzzi with friends at JI parties.
