The DiVinyls
Led by the provocative Chrissie Amphlett, whose songwriting with guitarist Mark McEntee is the basis of the band, the Divinyls have recorded some excellent work. Amphlett's sexy image complemented the mesmerizing urgency of the music, and the band was guaranteed the audience's undivided attention. They formed in Sydney in 1981, and their first mini-LP was written for the 1982 film MONKEY GRIP, and produced the Australian Top 10 single Boys In Town as well as the excellent ballad, Only The Lonely. Signing with the UK label Chrysalis, their first album DESPERATE was a hit in Australia. Several hit singles and extensive touring bridged the gap to WHAT A LIFE (1985), which was greeted enthusiastically; but the sales did not match the reviews. Later material, with the exception of the next single Pleasure And Pain did not compare well with their earliest work. The band now is basically a duo, with musicians added whenever a tour is undertaken. It has undergone a revival with its controversial single I Touch Myself, a deliberately blatant reference to masturbation, released in 1991 and reaching the UK Top 10.