The Falling Joys

Falling Joys
Falling Joys, L to R: Stuart G. Robertson, Suzie Higgie, Pat Hayes, National Museum of Australia, February 2011
Background information
Origin	Canberra, Australia Capital Territory, Australia
Genres	Indie guitar pop alternative rock indie pop
Years active	1985 (1985)–1995 (1995), 2011, 2016, 2017–Now
Labels	Volition Volition/Sony
Associated acts	Get Set Go The Clouds Stella One Eleven Splinter
Members	Suzie Higgie Stuart G. Robertson Pat Hayes Pete Velzen
Past members	Suzie Higgie Anthony Merrilees Robin Miles Stuart G. Robertson Andrew McFarlane Ken Doll Craig Adam Pat Hayes Pete Velzen Jason Morrisby

Falling Joys are an Australian alternative rock band formed in Canberra in 1985. The original line-up included Suzie Higgie on lead vocals and guitar and Stuart G. Robertson on bass guitar. By the end of 1988 Higgie and Robertson, now on guitar, were joined by Pat Hayes on bass guitar and vocals, and Pete Velzen on drums. They have released three albums, Wish List (1 November 1990), Psychohum (8 May 1992) and Aerial (6 August 1993). Both the latter two albums reached the ARIA Albums Chart Top 50. They disbanded in 1995 but reunited in 2011 and, again, in July 2016.

Falling Joys were one of Australia's most promising acts in the late 1980s and early 1990s, along with other up-and-comers like Ratcat, Clouds, Tall Tales and True and The Hummingbirds. The indie guitar pop group were formed in Canberra in 1985 by Suzie Higgie on lead vocals and guitar (ex-Get Set Go); Anthony Merrilees on drums; Robin Miles on keyboards and vocals; and Stuart G. Robertson on bass guitar and vocals. They played in the Canberra area and in Sydney and were soon joined by Andrew McFarlane on saxophone.

McFarlane, Merrilees and Miles, all left the band in late 1985: Higgie and Robertson were joined by Ken Doll on drums. In April 1986 the trio played their last Canberra gig, before relocating to Sydney; they co-headlined with fellow Canberra-formed band, the Plunderers, which had moved to Melbourne. With Craig Adam on keyboards Falling Joys recorded a single, "Burnt So Low", in August. It was issued in January of the following year and the band signed with Volition Records.

By the end of 1988 Higgie and Robertson, now on guitar and vocals, had recruited Pat Hayes on bass guitar and vocals (fellow Canberrans, the Hayes' brothers included Bernie Hayes of Club Hoy and Anthony Hayes aka Stevie Plunder of the Plunderers) and Peter Velzen on drums (aka Pete Pillage, ex-the Plunderers). Robertson worked in videotape operations and Higgie as a vision mixer. The Falling Joys were part of the Duckberg group, a set of independent bands publishing their own record label, and recorded their first few singles under this label. Secret Seven was another of the bands publishing under this label.