Gli Stems sono considerati una band seminale del rock degli anni Ottanta e la migliore emersa dall’Australia in quel periodo. Si sono formati a Perth nel 1983 con uno stile musicale inizialmente influenzato dal sixties garage punk, dal R’n’B e dal pop, che si é evoluto poi abbracciando un più evoluto power pop. Dom Mariani e Richard Lane dimostarono da subito la loro abilità nello scrivere grandi canzoni, cosa che insieme ai loro elettrizzanti show dal vivo li fece emergere nel panorama musicale di quegli anni. Il loro album di debutto, At First Sight Violets Are Blue, é uscito nel 1987. Quando fu al culmine della fama e del successo e in procinto di partire per un tour europeo di sei settimane, la band si sciolse misteriosamente. Si riformò poi nel 2003

Legendary Australian Garage/ Power Pop rockers The Stems Announce European Tour following successful Australian tour and the reissue of their classic debut album At First Sight Violets are Blue.

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the release of their classic debut album At First Sight Violets are Blue, one of Australia’s most popular and iconic 80s Garage Rock bands, The Stems, have recently returned to the live scene, having completed a successful all Australian capital cities tour in November.

The band is now set to embark on a three week European tour over April and May next year. Original members Dom Mariani, Julian Matthews and Dave Shaw will be joined by Davey Lane, guitarist in You Am I, one of Australia’s most successful rock bands of the last two decades.

Making their debut in March 1984 playing alongside The Triffids and The Saints, The Stems released a series of independent records on Sydney’s Citadel Records in the mid 80’s. Each of these reached #1 on the Australian alternative charts. The band epitomized 80’s Australian indie rock, becoming one of only a handful of bands to crack the local mainstream charts with a string of classic garage rock singles. In doing so they influenced a host of new local bands who would go on to emulate their brand of garage rock and roll.

But it was their debut album First Sight Violets Are Blue released in 1987 by Mushroom Records that received national and international acclaim, becoming one of the best-selling Australian albums of that year despite an almost total lack of commercial airplay in those corporate FM dominated times.

Rolling Stone named At First Sight one of the top 100 Australian releases of all time. It went Gold and still continues to sell strongly today, with a 30th anniversary limited edition digipak being recently released. A vinyl reissue will be released to coincide with their European tour.