Effective period / Period of releases: 1987 - 2020

Members: Mary Wyer, Julian Knowles, Rob Irwin, Paul Clarke (2), Matthew Love, Anita Rayner, Scott Leishman, Neil Johnson (5), Bjarn, Paul Field (3)

Even As We Speak is an indie band from Sydney, Australia. Formed in the mid 1980s, the band’s music resists neat labels and is a quirky hybrid of accessible pop, ironic interjections, and experimental moments.

After a series of vinyl releases on Australian independent labels, including Phantom Records (3), and success on the Australian indie scene, they came to the attention of BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel, who started playing the band’s Phantom Records release Goes So Slow on his show. This brought them to the attention of UK audiences and began a relationship with UK label Sarah Records.

Their releases for Sarah in the early 90s shot them to prominence in the UK Independent music scene, achieving multiple top 10 positions in the NME and Melody Maker charts. Between 1992 and 1993, the group recorded three sessions for John Peel and one session for Mark Goodier at BBC Radio 1. They were among the few Australian bands to record Peel Sessions – others were The Birthday Party, The Triffids, The Go-Betweens, and Laughing Clowns. The complete BBC sessions were released in 2014 as Yellow Food (The Peel Sessions).

Following the demise of the Sarah Records, the label achieved cult status and in 2015 was named number 2 in NME’s 20 Greatest Indie Labels of All Time. A documentary My Secret World: The Story of Sarah Records appeared in 2013, followed by the 2015 book PopKiss: The Life and Afterlife of Sarah Records on Bloomsbury. This flurry of interest in the Sarah Records discography generated renewed interest in the band, with requests flowing in to reform to play festival shows and offers of new recording opportunities. The band subsequently played NYC Popfest in 2016, appearing alongside the Chills and The Railway Children. The band reformed and returned to the studio to record a new 5 song EP The Black Forest for Emotional Response (2) – out on 10” Vinyl, CD, and Digital. This is the band’s first release of new material since 1993.