Australian Crawl

Named after a swimming style and forever tied to the beach in their wider iconography, Australian Crawl emerged from Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula in 1978, bringing a quirky slant to pub rock. Case in point: Their early hit “The Boys Light Up” revels in a bluesy lurch that almost tips over into reggae while frontman James Reyne chews the scenery with his singing, culminating in some glam-worthy peacocking. That song might have remained their defining moment if not for “Reckless (Don’t Be So…)”, an oft-covered 1983 ballad that name-drops familiar Aussie landmarks and deepens its eerie synth simmer until it resembles a blissful spell in a sensory-deprivation tank. Australian Crawl dissolved a few years later, but Reyne has maintained a fruitful solo career and scored a few memorable acting turns since then.