Craig 'Blox' Bloxom Bass Guitarist And Lead Vocalist of the Band was born in Los Angeles in 1959 (His Dad Served in the United States Navy as a Torpedomans Mate on board the USS Proteus during 1944-45 in the Pacific, amongst its Crew at this time were Future Actors Tony Curtis And Larry Storch). His Family Emigrated to Australia in 1965 and in 1976, He met Guitarist And Vocalist Michael 'Mike' Weiley for the first time while attending the Nelson Bay High School in NSW Australia. This was to be the start of a lifelong Friendship between both Him and their Families. Mike Weiley had Himself only just recently arrived in this area of the NSW Central Coast after He and His Family Emigrated from the UK (Wales) to Australia. They were initially paired up at school by the High School's Principal based on their desire to be Musicians and a shared musical interest of a similar kind. After completing high school, Bloxom and Weiley moved to Cammeray in Sydney's north shore, playing in various Sydney bands. Looking for a drummer, one of Bloxom's ex-bandmates introduced them to Cliff 'Griggsy' Grigg, who happened to live in a squat in the inner Sydney suburb of Glebe. Cliff came from Country NSW and grew up near Armidale, where His joint passions were Painting Landscapes and Playing The Drums. He moved to Sydney after finishing High School In 1979 And was accepted and graduated with a Diploma in Fine Art from the Alexander Mackie College Of Advanced Education, Paddington Sydney. Among His Artistic Tutors were noted Artists like Alun Leach Jones (1937-2017) and Graham Kuo (1948 -). They named their band after the Popular USA comic "Spy vs. Spy" which was in 'Mad' magazine, a fixture in Most High School Reading Rooms at this time in Australia. As a rent saving device Bloxom and Weiley also moved into Grigg's squat which He already shared with some other 'Homeless' Young People, which initially had no roof - it also became their main rehearsal site. Spy vs Spy had their first performance at Sydney's Sussex Hotel, filling in for 'The Fast Cars', whose singer had unexpectedly been taken ill. From there the band developed an enthusiastic pub following for their distinctive brand of ska-flavoured indie rock. Dirty Pool management picked them up and they performed at many Sydney venues, particularly at the Sydney Trade Union Club, often supporting no less a band then INXS. They also supported The Clash at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney and U2 at the Sydney Entertainment Centre during each of their Australian Tours. In February 1982 the band recorded "Do What You Say" at T.R.M. in Surry Hills, releasing it as their first single in April 1982 on Roger Greirson's independent Green label. This was followed by their first EP, Four Fresh Lemons, in August 1982, the 1,000 pressings selling out in just five days. The New Zealand release of Six Fresh Lemons, combined Four Fresh Lemons with the A & B sides of their first single. These recordings were released under the name Spy vs Spy, but the band was forced to change its name to v. Spy v. Spy to avoid legal action from the publishers of Mad magazine, which included the comic strip "Spy vs. Spy" and objected to its use legally in the Australian Courts. Their music became more straight forward hard rock for their pub audiences at around this time as they started to slowly find their feet. The band became prominent on the Sydney pub rock scene, performing politically charged songs dealing with issues such as racism, drugs and a subject very close to their heart, the homeless situation in Australia. Shortly after the release of their debut EP in early 1983, the band broke up. Craig Bloxom briefly joined The Numbers in March 1983, but then re-formed v. Spy v. Spy in July 1983 with Marcus Phelan (ex-The Numbers) joining as a second guitarist. Mike Weiley became sick with hepatitis due mainly to the conditions that they were living in, He was confined to a hospital bed for several months and in His later years suffered from the effects of this illness right upto His untimley Death. Mike's life was never easy; but He never Complained even Once. To add to Blox's growing list of Problems, Marcus Phelan decided to leave, and in the same period of time all of the the band's equipment was stolen from inside the Squat while attending a 'Goverment Mandated Job Interview'. On top this He spent a brief period of time in Prison at Silverwater Gaol in Sydney after being arrested by NSW Police and detained at Glebe Police Station over an unpaid parking fine of 60$A. Being officially Homeless, he was deemed a 'fight risk' and sent to a maximum security prison until the fine was paid (with Interest!!). During this time he picked up a life long love of Cooking, and Survived a 'very scary time' by working mainly in the kitchen and 'keeping my nose out of things that happened around me'. Any wonder why future songs dealt with Police Corruption!! Incidentley this type of treatment of fare defaulters in NSW only halted after someone was almost beaten to death in Silverwater was found to be being held over a 40$ parking fine. Fortunes improved when Gary Morris, manager for Midnight Oil, also became their manager. Around this time they also picked up replacements for the Stolen equipment via Midnight Oil's Band Members, Blox purchasing a Replacement Bass Guitar from one of the Oil's which has been with Him ever since. Midnight Oil's label, Powderworks, released the band's second EP, Meet Us Inside in October 1984; which was followed by the single "One of a Kind" in November 1984. The band's first full-length album, Harry's Reasons, was released in March 1986 on the Powderworks label and was produced by Leszek 'Les' Karski or as Blox called Him with genuine affection 'The Mad Bloody Pole'. Blox and the Band worked with Les again because of the respect they held Him in on more then one occasion due to the strength of the Friendship that developed in this time. The Singles released from off of this Album included 'Injustice', 'Give Us Something' and the Title Track 'Harry's Reasons'. Injustice was a very Pointed and Direct ('We Tug at the leash You hold Onto') comment about the plight of Australia's Aboriginal Communities at a Time when this was most definitely not considered Acceptable both Politically or Publicly. The Song itself was dedicated on the Album and also on the Single to the Australian Aboriginal Arts Council, and it was released in August 1985. 'Give Us Something' was aimed squarely at the Australian Media, and Tabloid Journalism in Particular and was released in February 1986. The Albums Title Track was last and it was released in May 1986, and it was called 'Harry's Reasons'. This song was, and to this day is considered by the band both their most Personal Song and their most heartfelt one. Harry is an Australian 'Street' term for 'H' or the drug of Addiction Heroin. It was based on their feelings of utter helplessness and Rage, as they watched a friend from theIr squat slowly implode in front of them after becoming an addict. The anger in Blox's voice when He all but yells 'Why don't You Change' leaves you in no doubt as to how he feels watching the inevitable destruction of their friends life. Due in the main to 'both poor marketing and a chronic lack of Airplay' Neither album nor singles had any major chart success - despite this their Fan base continued to grow due largely to their 'Live' performances more then their Studio work. For Example in 1986 the band Performed over 300 Concerts, mainly in Pubs and Clubs all across the Country. All the Artwork ranging from Album and Single Covers through to the Lyric Sheets and Concert Posters were created by their Talented Drummer and Future Profesional Artist, Cliff Grigg. After the Failure of the Album They elected to start shopping around for a new label and ultimatley switched over to WEA, who after completing the deal, then almost at once started to work on what would become the Album 'A.O. Mod. TV. Vers.' in November 1986. The Album's name is an Australian TV Ratings Term in use at that time, and it stood for "Adults Only - Modified Television Version", the Abbreviated form more often then not appearing along the bottom of Australian television screens after 9 PM at Night. It was once again Produced by their good friend Les Karski. The Album provided three singles, all of which had their own story to tell. "Don't Tear It Down" was once again directly inspired by their time in the Squat, and dealt with the growing Awareness of Homelessness in Australia, and the almost criminal attitude in the state Government in their Home State of NSW to destroy or 'tear down' squats or HeritageType Houses to turn them into Car Parks or as in their own case Freeways. The NSW DMR or Department of Main Roads were the main targets of their Anger, due in no small measure to the fact that they were themselves fighting to save their 'Home' which they had been squating in for over 10 years. They lost the fight, and the song was created in a hugely stressful time for them all. The next song dealt with the brutal Gangland Murder of Sallie-Anne Huckstepp (1954-1986) who herself a former Prostitute and Drug User, was executed after She 'blew the whistle' by going public about Police Corruption and naming several serving NSW Senior Police Members as being both corrupt and Responsible for the earlier murder of Her Boyfriend by a Group of Corrupt NSW Police Officers of the Detective's Branch inside the Armed Robbery Division. Shortly after giving yet another Interview, this time on TV, she was found in a Park the Victim of a 'Contract Killing' ('meeting in the Park was a silly thing to do'). 'Credit Cards' was about the increasing levels of Debt to Banks and Credit Card Companies in Australia, as well as the proposed Plan (later abandoned after the Australian Public's Response became too Negative for the Australian Government to continue) for the 'Australia Card'; A Government Idea to bring in a National Identification Card throughout the 1980's and 1990s before being finally abandoned for good. The Album also Contained Tracks like 'Mission Man', which was written about yet another Homeless Friend; the song being itself dedicated to the seemingly indestructible woman Merle Hurcomb who ran the 'Sydney City Mission', the place where many people went to for food and support while Homeless, and were always treated with both respect and kindness no matter who they were. This being particularly important in this time in Australia when the LGBTIQ Community as a whole were often treated with indifference at best and outright hostility, in particular if the person concerned was Transgender, in some Services. While Merle is now no longer the Director of the Mission, She still works there and also in the School (Fort Street High School Sydney) that She helped create for Children from Disadvantaged Backgrounds - to ensure Homeless kids still get educated and not be allowed to fall through the cracks. Don't Tear It Down was the band's most successful single, peaking at No. 31 on the Kent Music Report of the Australian singles charts in February 1987, and it stayed in the charts for 20 weeks and went platinum. After having toured the A.O. Mod. TV. Vers. album quite Heavily, WEA demanded that another album be produced with little to no rest or break in between. The third album, Xenophobia (Why??!!), was written and recorded in just six weeks with Les Karski once again present, and its title and much of the Album itself was inspired by the growing racial issues surfacing once again in Australia during the lead-up to the Celebrations marking the Year of the Bicentennial. The album was released in March 1988 to very Positive Reviews and ultimately peaked in the Australian Charts at No. 15. As well as Les Karski it was Produced by Guy Gray and ultimately released by WEA in 14 Countries throughout the World. The album provided three singles, "Forget about the Working Week", "Clarity of Mind" and "Waiting". During this time of growth and while still Performing to Sold Out Larger Venues, they also (deliberately snubbing their Record Company WEA) continued to perform at smaller and more intimate Pub Venues, determined to never forget or 'abandon' their Fan Base from these locations. To get around issues that WEA had with such a move they elected to perform not as V Spy V Spy but instead called themselves 'The Drug Grannies'. At around this time while on Holiday in Europe the highly respected Australian Artist Brett Whiteley (1939-1992) had met up with Cliff by 'pure chance' while He was Visiting some of the Local Art Galleries, And in Conversation had said to Cliff That He often painted listening to the Spies Music. He went onto explain that their music was Very Important to Him as a Painter as it often Inspired Him to conceive and create new Pieces of Art, and had done so on many diffrent occasions. Brett also said that the Music they performed was a source of Great Energy to Him personally. For Cliff as both an Artist and a Musician this was the Ultimate Compliment. This brief but crucial discussion ultimately inspire Cliff to return to Painting once more. In 1989 the band travelled to the United Kingdom to record their next album 'Trash the Planet' at the Personal Invitation of Richard Branson and Recorded inside His 'Manor House studios' with new producer, Craig Leon. To say it was not an enjoyable experience would be the most polite way to put it. By this Point Tensions had been Growing in the band, leading to several 'eruptions' during the 'Trash The Planet' sessions in the UK, Cliff Grigg was Extremely unhappy with the sound of His drum's on Trash The Planet and was to his growing dissatisfaction unable to rectify the issues with the Drum and Percussion Sound. The final straw that broke the camels proverbial back was when one of Richard Branson's Pet Dog's, an Irish Wolfhound, attacked Cliff badly leading to a Hospital Visit and a rather painful shot for tetnus due to the risk of Rabies. Cliff being Cliff, He was all for going back and having some 'serious words' with their host but was talked down by the combined efforts of Craig and Mike. Then next morning still 'annoyed' and very much still in pain from the earlier attack, the same dog had another go at Him while walking outside. The unhappiness He was feeling in general combined into a perfect storm due to all these incidents building up and up until they finally blew and at that point in Cliff's own words 'I had to leave or I would end up killing someone or worst still those bloody dogs' (there were two there). So in simple terms He Decided it just wasn't 'Working any more', and with His Career as an Artist starting to become more Interesting to Him once more, and suffering from a growing feeling of frustration at the Continuing Sound Issues, He made the fully understandable decision that enough was enough. He walked out of the Recording Session and boarded a flight that same day to return to Australia. Cliff decided to now return to His long term Passion and concentrate upon His Artwork solely. Not long after Cliff left, the same dog also attacked Craig and He was seriously Injured and underwent Hospital Treatment as well. Cliff later returned to School and obtained His Second Degree through the Prestigious SACI College Of Art And Design in Florence Italy, graduating with a 'Painting and Renaissance Art History' Diploma. He had returned to the Drums with the Spies just before Mike's Illness was announced Publicly. The album was itself released in November 1989 and peaked at No. 22 on the ARIA Charts, the Album being well ahead of its time dealt mostly with Environmental Themes, including what we now refer to as 'Global Warming'. Four singles were Released: "Hardtimes" and "Clear Skies" in February 1990 followed by "Our House" (Nothing Like Madness's Version nor even Lyrically Similar) in May and finally "Oceania" in October, but none broke into the Top 40 in Australia, once again due primarily to a lack of Airplay. By this point both Craig and Mike were also severely run down and exhausted and Shortly after returning to Sydney in Australia, Mike's Health Issues once again became an 'annoyance', and so acting on both Doctors Advice as much as for their own well-being a joint decision by the pair was made to take some time off. To this day their time in England is still viewed as being both an unhappy time for them personally as much as professionally, and that while happy with the resulting album all agreed it could have been much better then it was. Mike and Craig both left NSW and moved out of the state to go and live in Qld, at first planning on staying for a few weeks to 'recharge their batteries', the planned stay of a few weeks soon became a year. Eventually they started writing again together, and then they started the hunt for a replacement Drummer. Refreshed and Relaxed they returned to Touring in June 1992 along with their new Drummer Mark Cuffe, formerly of The Ludwigs, mainly at the Record Company's insistance, to promote their latest release a greatest hits CD and Video Album 'The Spy File'. Shortly afterwards they parted company with WEA, and signed a new deal with Sony Music in 1993 and in May released their Fifth Studio Album. Once again their friend Les Karski returned as Producer along with Peter Cobbin and the Release was just as varied as ever covering everything from Bulimia through to the Environment and it was called Fossil. The Singles released were: 'Comes A Time' March 1993 and 'One Way Street' in June 1993. Neither album nor singles charted in the Australian Top 40, causing the band to consider yet another split. However, due to the influence primarily of Australian surfers in Brazil, the band had by now built up a considerable Brazilian support base, so they elected to 'tough it out' and stick with touring for several more years, doing so throughout Brazil and South America. Much to their surprise, and due to something they often struggled to get in Australia - Good Radio Airplay -, the band had several highly productive Tours of this region and went on to release several dedicated Albums in this market alone and not in Australia. In 1993 the band was featured in two episodes of 'The Big Backyard', a Local weekly radio program dedicated to promoting Australian music, and sponsored in turn by the Australian DFAT (Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade) for broadcast on college radio stations inside the USA and Canada principally. By 1994 v. Spy v. Spy had split up once again with all the members pursuing different projects, this was to be the end of the Original or 'Classic' line up. During 1994 Craig Bloxom and Mark Cuffe reunited to form a new band called 'Shock Poets', while Mike worked on His first Solo Album called 'The Honey Island Project' along with producer Danny Bryan. The decision was made to reform the band in 1996, but due to His ongoing Commitments with Shock Poets Mark Cuffe left once more in 1997, and he was replaced initally by the highly experienced Drummer Paul Wheeler, (ex-Icehouse). Meanwhile Craig Bloxom decided to return to Assist Mike on Stage, and He left Shock Poets to return one last time to The Spies. In November 1999, Festival Records Australia issued a compilation album, called Mugshot: The Best of... which included several classic tracks and five previously unreleased songs, the Australian Release was only a single CD while the Brazilian Release was a Double CD. Touring spasmodically during this period in both Australia and Brazil, Craig Bloxom played his final gig at Sydney NSW in 2003 and Has never Played or Performed publicly Since. Craig left Australia shortly afterwards to live and work in the USA and Mexico, after completing the necessary courses He became a Qualified Chef, and worked on everything from Oil Riggs to Alaskan Hunting and Sking Lodges. He returned to Australia and is now the Head Chef at Newcastle Hospital, He also lives in the same area. He still has the same Base Guitar, from all those years ago, but only plays it rarely around the house and never publicly. Mike Weiley and Mark Cuffe re-formed the Band in August 2006 to tour as a Completely new entity and sound with Mark Cuffe now on lead vocals, Neil Beaver on bass guitar and Mick Laws on drums. This band was known more simply as 'The Spys' to differentiate it from the original v.Spy v.Spy. The band's catalogue was made officially available for download on iTunes and elsewhere in 2016 by Laneway Music, with both FLAC and MP3 types Available. Sadly Michael Weiley died after a devastatingly brief battle with cancer, on 29 September 2018 aged 59. He was Diagnosed in August with the Disease. Both Craig and Cliff are still going strong, Cliff just opened a new Art Display in Newcastle in NSW as the lead Artist. After Mike's Death was made Public Craig Said - "Sad news today that my musical buddy Michael Weiley has died and gone to the big gig in the sky to jam guitar with the other rockers. I want to thank you Michael for the incredible musical journey... along with the songs we wrote with Cliff and the great fun & laughter on the way. You were a wonderful man, smart and insightful, thoughtful and considerate. God speed you on your new journey and keep a seat warm in the bass section so when we meet again we can turn the volume up very, very loud and have a blast. My love to everyone in the Spy encampment and family". I had the pleasure of knowing these 3 excellent People, I shared a squat with them at one point in Sydney. If not for them helping me out with a roof when they did I don't know where I would be now, or if I would even be here. When in Hospital recently Craig Visted me (same place He works at) after recognising my name on the meal roster, He then told Cliff and He came by as well the next day. Both were aware that due to my Family Situation, I would be going through that treatment alone. That was unacceptable to them. They truly are the best of the best. Members of The Spies - Neil Beaver - bass guitar, backing vocals (2006–present) Craig Bloxom - bass guitar, vocals (1980–1983, 1984–2003) Mark Cuffe - drums, guitar, backing vocals (1992–1997, 2006–2008) Cliff Grigg - drums, percussion (1980–1983, 1984–1991) Michael Laws (aka Micky Jaws) - drums (2006–2015) Marcus Phelan - guitar Michael Weiley - lead guitar, vocals (1980–1983, 1984–2003, 2006–2018 - Died 2018 Played to the End). Paul Wheeler - drums (1997–2003) Dave Wilkins - vocals (2009–2011) Paul Greene - vocals, guitar (2011–present)