Mondo Rock (AU)

About

Mondo Rock spent the early 1980s as one of Australia's most relentlessly gigging rock acts, building a following through constant touring before the hits started stacking up. Formed in Melbourne in 1976 by Ross Wilson after the breakup of Daddy Cool, the band really hit its stride when guitarist Eric McCusker joined in 1980. McCusker took on much of the songwriting, which helped unlock a run of charting singles including "State of the Heart" and the provocative "Come Said the Boy", a song about losing one's virginity that got banned by several radio stations including Sydney's Catholic Church affiliated 2SM, yet still peaked at number two nationally in 1984. Their second album Chemistry is the one that defined them, a slick pop rock record that reached number three on the Australian charts. The third album Nuovo Mondo even had a song on it, "A Touch of Paradise", that John Farnham later turned into a top 30 hit. The band broke up in 1991 but have been playing together on a fairly regular basis since 2014, with a national tour in 2019 keeping them very much active.