The Clique - Of Stray Aliens

The Clique - of Stray Aliens single has an Independent Review.

Please click on the following link: 

 http://www.mp3.com/artist/the-clique2/summary/

Before ACDC, there was a band from Perth that was dedicated to "High Energy" Rock'nRoll - "The Clique":

Originally formed at Trinity College, Perth ,(unofficially),in November 1965 as "The Galaxies" with Joe Orifici (vocals), Pat Boyle (lead guitar), Don Nicoski (rhythm guitar), Ferdie Ferrante (drums), and myself, John Tucak ("Hofner" bass).

 By March 1966, the lineup had changed with Lenny Hayworth ( "Gretsch" lead guitar), Mike Carr ("Rickenbacker" rhythm guitar), and the name was changed to "The Clique".

Within 6 weeks, we were onstage at the "Capitol Theatre", in Perth competing against 32 other local bands in the first of an annual National series competition called "The Hoadley's Battle of the Bands", organized by Hoadley's Confectionery Company and locally, the 6PR Radio Network.

So, with six weeks of intense rehearsal, we won the competition on the day by impressing the judges, and the audience of around 5,000 with our covers of "Paint It Black" (only just released, at that time), and "House of the Rising Sun". When the photograph of the encore was taken, we were playing a cover of "The Shape Of Things To Come", a "Yardbirds" song with lyrics that still remain curious.....

The photo on the lower right  first appeared in 'The Weekend News' magazine in Perth, Western Australia on 18th March 1967.                           This article was the first local newspaper promotion for the single which was released in February 1967. It reads as follows:

                                                                                                                      "FIVE  OF  A  KIND": 

Recognise this swinging quintet? The five, who call themselves The Clique, are the latest shot in Perth's battle to prove that not all the talent in this country is found on the east coast. A few short months after they joined forces they won the State Final of an Australia-wide talent quest. Since then they have been seen on several national teenage TV shows including Go! and Kommotion.   On a recent Eastern States tour, The Clique also played before 400 prisoners at Melbourne's Pentridge Gaol.(A Charity Show.)

 Their first release,  Stop Look and Listen / Love Me Girl,  is selling well throughout Australia.

In Tom Dann's photograph (from left): Len Hayworth (27), born in London.  Lead guitarist and vocalist Len played with various groups in Perth for about six years including The Strangers, Johnny Young's old group. A salesman, he wrote Love Me Girl.  John Tucak - founder of the group - age 16, height 6ft, bass guitarist. John is studying for his Leaving at Leederville Technical School. Ferdie Ferrante (20), born Pescara, Italy. Studied music while playing the piano accordian. Began playing the drums two years ago. A keen judo exponent, Ferdie is studying pharmacy.  Mike Carr (20), rhythm guitar and vocalist. He has played guitar for six years. A fire protection engineer, he wrote Stop Look and Listen.  Joe Orifici (16), organist and lead vocalist. He has studied music theory and played the piano for ten years, and is a Leaving student at Kent St. High School. 

In 1966/67, only three professional recording studios existed in Australia - one in Sydney, one in Melbourne, and "Clarion" - a new one in Perth. We were assigned to the Bill Armstrong Studios in Melbourne where Peter Robinson, bassplayer of Melbourne's "Strangers", produced and engineered the single.

He suggested a better lead break for "Stop, Look & Listen", so we had Peter Robinson doing the lead break! We were booked to appear on the nationally-televised weekly music show, hosted by Johnny Young from Perth, that same afternoon. We had to rush over to the TV Studios, with tapes in hand for a mimed performance on the GO!! Show, where, "in my considered opinion", we should have been promoted as the "hot, young band" from Perth, only to be "upstaged" by the compere being "so knocked out" by the band that he had to be removed on a stretcher - on national television!

 We were told that he had suffered a fainting fit due to exhaustion, after a tour of  Victorian country towns -  while only consuming chocolate confectionery.....We had won a competition sponsored by a chocolate confectionery company! 

The national music magazines focused their stories on this emergency that evolved on national television.

So after travelling 2,000 miles by train, each way, to record on the GO!! label, we were awarded the princely sum of $5.00 each by the receiver!