Andrew Duffield

Andrew Peter Duffield,[1] studied electronic music with Felix Werder, classical music composer and critic, in Melbourne.[2] In June 1978 Duffield played synthesiser for The Boys Next Door's debut album, Door, Door (1979).[2][3] In August 1978 Duffield on electronics, was a founding member of Whirlywirld with John Murphy on drums and electronics (ex-News); Ian "Ollie" Olsen on lead vocals, electronics, and saxophone (The Reals, The Young Charlatans); Dean Richards on guitar; and Simon Smith on electronics.[4] This line-up issued a three-track self-titled extended play in April the following year. However, in January, Duffield had been replaced in Whirlywirld by Philip Jackson.[4]

Early in 1979 Duffield joined Bohdan and The Instigators alongside Bohdan X (aka Bohdan Kubiakowski) on lead vocals and guitar; together with ex-The Chosen Few bandmates: Iain Weaver on lead vocals; Bruce Friday on lead guitar; Cal McAlpine on drums; and Ian Cunningham on bass guitar.[5][6] Also that year Duffield scored music and provided arrangements for Film Work, a movie which compiled excerpts from four documentaries originally made by Waterside Workers Federation Film Unit between 1953 and 1958; and interviews with its members.[7] By August Duffield had joined Models and Bohdan and The Instigators soon disbanded.[5][6][8]

Models had formed in 1978, by the time Duffield joined on keyboards, the other members were Mark Ferrie on bass guitar; Janis Friedenfelds (aka Johnny Crash) on drums and percussion; and Sean Kelly on lead vocals and lead guitar.[6][8] In October 1979 Models first release was a give-away, shared single, "Early Morning Brain (It's Not Quite the Same as Sobriety)" backed with The Boys Next Door's "Scatterbrain".[8] In July 1980 Models line-up of Duffield with Crash, Ferrie, and Kelly, supported a gig by Ramones in Canberra.[9]

Besides keyboards, including EMS Synthi AKS, Duffield also provided songwriting for six tracks on Models' debut album, Alphabravocharliedeltaechofoxtrotgolf (November 1980).[1][8][10] The Canberra Times' Jonathan Green praised Duffields' "swelling, ricocheting keyboards".[2] The group's second album, Local and/or General, appeared in October 1981 with Duffield co-writing five tracks.[1][8][10] In May the following year Duffield quit Models but by December he had rejoined.[10][11] During his absence from the group he scored the soundtrack for the 1982 Ian Pringle feature film, The Plains of Heaven (aka Panic Station).[12] He appeared on Models' next album, The Pleasure of Your Company (October 1983), co-writing all ten tracks.[1][8][10]

By late 1984, Models relocated to Sydney. They performed at a 1985 New Year's Day early morning gig with a line-up of Duffield, Kelly, James Freud (ex-Teenage Radio Stars, James Freud & Berlin) on bass guitar and vocals; Barton Price (ex-Crocodiles, Sardine v) on drums; and James Valentine on saxophone.[6][10][13] Rachael Warren of The Canberra Times caught the show and felt "[a]nother interesting song of the night was Andrew Duffield's 'Beyond Rap'. He said how unhappy he is, that happiness is a bore, and you can forget all the 'Real Lifes' and 'Pseudo Echos'".[13]

However, despite Duffield's crucial influence on the band's sound, he was forced out of Models by their recently appointed manager, Chris Murphy (INXS), under acrimonious circumstances: Murphy wanted the group to have a more commercial pop sound but Duffield felt this would be a "sell-out".[8][10] He was replaced by Roger Mason (ex-James Freud & Berlin) on keyboards.[6][8][10] Duffield had already co-written "Barbados" with Freud,[14] which was issued in March 1985 as Models' second single from their next album, Out of Mind, Out of Sight, which appeared in August.[6][8][10]

During 1985 Duffield and Phil Kenihan produced a three-track extended play, Over the Ropes – A Tribute to Jack Little by The Forearm Jolt, which used a compilation of commentaries by GTV 9 presenters, Jack Little and Paul Jennings, from their program, World Championship Wrestling.[15][16] Little's catchphrases included "Wham! Bam! Thank you Mam!", "All I can say is – Wow!", "Be There!" and "That's all there is, there isn't any more!"[15][17]

The EP was released as a tribute to the ailing Little, who died in early January the following year.[15][17] The Forearm Jolt were a studio ensemble with Duffield on keyboards; Ferrie on bass guitar; Valentine on saxophone; twins sisters Sherine and Zan Abeyratne on vocals; Rozzi Bazzani on vocals; John Fielding on trumpet; Noel Crombie on thumps and bumps; and Andrew Pendlebury on lead guitar.[16] Lyrics were co-written by Duffield, Kenihan and James Cockington.[16]

In 1988 Duffield released his debut solo album, Ten Happy Fingers on his own Retrograde Records label.[10] It was produced by Duffield and Kenihan, all nine tracks were written by Duffield.[1] In the studio Duffield used a variety of musicians including Ferrie on gated bass guitar; Pendlebury on guitar and loops; Maurice Frawley on guitar; Gordon Pitts on Fairlight brass sound; Ron Strykert on guitar; and Wilbur Wilde on saxophone. Duffield wrote the theme song for TV series, Round the Twist.[18] Lead vocals for "Round the Twist" were sung by Tamsin West, who portrayed lead character, Linda Twist, in series 1 (1989). He also composed the music for series 1 and 2 (1992).[19]

In May 1989 Duffield, on keyboards, joined Absent Friends,[20] with former Models bandmates: Kelly on vocals and guitar; and Valentine on saxophone; they were joined by Wendy Matthews on lead vocals (latter day member of Models and Kelly's then-domestic partner);[21] Nicole Ainslie on keyboards and backing vocals; Garry Gary Beers on bass guitar (on loan from INXS);[22] Michael King (ex-Jimmy Barnes Band) on guitar; and John MacKay (Machinations) on drums.[20][23]

By mid-December Absent Friends issued their debut single, "Hallelujah", which Canberra Times' Penelope Layland dismissed as "could quite easily have remained a figment of someone's imagination. It sounds as though they all had fun making it, but that's about it. The flip is a different mix of the same song".[24] Absent Friends' debut album, Here's Looking Up Your Address, followed in April the next year and peaked at No. 7 on the ARIA Albums Chart.[25] By late 1990 the group toured Europe supporting INXS but Duffield had been replaced by Geoffrey Stapleton (GANGgajang on hiatus) on keyboards.[20][23]

Duffield and Kenihan continued their work as a production duo and expanded into TV advertising. Duffield participated in subsequent reformations of Models including in August 2010 for two concerts in Sydney and Melbourne.[26] On 27 October that year, Models were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame by Matthews.[27] The line-up of Duffield, Ferrie, Kelly, Mason, Price and Valentine performed "I Hear Motion" and "Evolution".[28][29]

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