Big Weekend Tour

Remember the big weekend? Days spent at the beach before heading out to a live venue? Sweating it out on the dancefloor to the liveliest and most danceable electro-funk combo of the 1980s? Machinations are back with their steamy, rhythmic gigs – big music, big beats, big weekend.

It all started in the summer of 1979 when guitarist Tim Doyle and keyboardist Tony Starr started writing songs with a drum machine. They were Joined by vocalist Fred Loneragan fresh home from 12 months in London. The band played their first show at the infamous ‘Garibaldis’ in East Sydney in March 1980, with a sound combining post-punk, modern funk and moody jazz fused with a relentless rhythmic itch. The band soon added bass player Nero Swan and before long were recording in 2JJ’s 221 Studio, and then with Lobby Loyde in Trafalgar Studios.

The result of this collaboration was the seminal first single Average Inadequacy and the Machinations of Dance EP, both released on Phantom Records in the summer of 1981. With the support of 2JJJ both releases received wide airplay and increased the bands following. Machinations quickly built a national reputation and were signed to Mushroom Records’ White Label.

In 1983 the film clip for the single Jumping the Gap came second to Michael Jackson’s Thriller at the prestigious US Industrial Film Festival.

Their first Album Esteem was recorded and produced with Lobby Loyde in the summer of 1983, with a late addition of Pressure Sway recorded at Alberts Studios, produced by Dunlop & Brown. Pressure Sway blazed a trail nationally and had chart success across the US West Coast on the A&M label, reaching #1 in the US Billboard Dance Charts.

The band added drummer Warren McLean and Naomi Star on backing vocals. In 1985 they joined with producer Julian Mendelsohn (Kate Bush, Frankie goes to Hollywood, Art of Noise) to record their second album Big Music at EMI and Rhinoceros Studios.

‘Big’ became the buzz word and the album spawned four BIG singles: No Say In It, My Hearts on Fire, You Got Me Going Again and Execution of Love Big Music was released in the US on CBS Empire Records and No Say In It appeared on the soundtrack to the Bette Midler/Danny Devito movie Ruthless People which also featured Mick Jagger, Bruce Springsteen, Lionel Richie and Darryl Hall.

The band toured extensively through ’84 and ’85 after which Naomi moved to the US to marry Frank Zappa’s drummer and Warren left to join Aussie Rock icons Divinyls. Machinations added new members John Mackay (drums) Jenny Andrews (backing vocals) and a brass section led by Ralph Franke (sax).

Machinations recorded their third album Uptown in New York with US producer Andy Wallace (Jeff Buckley, Run DMC, Beastie Boys, The Cult and Prince). The album features singles: Do To You, Intimacy, Do It To Me and Cars and Planes.

After returning from the US and a short Australian tour, singer Fred Loneragan suffered a broken neck in a hit and run accident whilst riding his bicycle. The long hiatus as Fred recovered led to the band members moving on to other things and whilst they never formally broke up, they didn’t play a gig together for about another ten years.

In the early 2000s Machinations began playing sporadically around the country – their infectious beat and haunting melodies completing a picture that has always, and is still, at the forefront of contemporary Australian music.

Over the last several years Machinations have had more lineup changes. John Mackay retired to be replaced by the indomitable Adrian Cannon (Kevin Borich, Rupert B Funkified Filth). The band lost Tony Starr to Motor Neurone Disease, and Tim’s son Larry has taken over playing keys. More recently Nero Swan has also retired. Now Machinations are delighted to welcome Craig Hooper from The Reels to their ranks on bass guitar. 

Machinations hit the road with another hot summer east coast tour in Feb 2025. Join them for the Big Weekend tour and Dance the Machinations!