Michael Weiley, the founding guitarist of Sydney rockers v. Spy v. Spy has passed away, the band has announced.
Having first met as school-age musicians back in the late ’70s, the original lineup of v. Spy v. Spy initially consisted of bassist and vocalist Craig Bloxom, drummer Cliff Grigg, and Mike Weiley on lead guitar. By the start of the ’80s, the young rockers had begun playing live as Spy vs Spy, and in 1982, had recorded their first single, ‘Do What You Say’.
Taking their name from the ‘Spy vs. Spy’ comic strip from Mad Magazine, the band soon changed their name slightly to avoid legal action, and went on to become one of the most exciting and influential groups on the Sydney rock scene throughout the ’80s.
While their recording output waned in the ’90s, the band sporadically disbanded, but kept on performing live with differing lineups, occasionally releasing music, and even managing to gain a voracious following in South America as well.
Sadly, the remaining members of the band have now announced that founding guitarist Michael Weiley has passed away.
As Noise11 reports, the sister of Michel Weiley took to Facebook on Friday to announce the news, before the official v. Spy v. Spy account followed suit on Saturday.
“Bidding a final farewell to my gorgeous ‘big brother’ Michael, the gentlest soul I ever knew,” wrote Georgia Marnham. “May we treasure his memory and fabulous music forever. I’ll miss him always, and am so thankful for having him in my life.”
“We can confirm that Michael Weiley has passed away,” the v. Spy v. Spy Facebook page revealed. “It is indeed a sad day for Australian Music.”
While the cause of Michael Weiley’s passing has not been made public, our thoughts are with his family, friends, and bandmates during this difficult time.
Check out v. Spy v. Spy’s ‘Clarity Of Mind’:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtQ9gETkF4g
