SIXTY YEARS ON, AUSTRALIA’S SURF MUSIC SUPER GROUP IS “STILL MAKING WAVES”.

In 1963 Australia’s radio waves and early black & white television music shows were filled with a new phenomenon – surf music with its thundering drums and screeching guitars. A vital, energetic sound that totally captured our beach-loving nation.

At the forefront, leading the pack of local and international surf bands, was The Atlantics. Four fresh-faced teenagers from Maroubra with their smash hit instrumental Bombora.

Written by guitarist Jim Skiathitis and drummer Peter Hood, Bombora surfed its way to number one in Australia and made chart impact around the world including the US.

Interestingly, Bombora was also the first song written by and recorded by an Australian band that hit number one on the Australian charts.

On Australia Day this year, sixty years on, The Atlantics will release their latest album of newly written songs aptly named “Still Making Waves”.

Six decades on, this band has a significant story to tell – a story that would seem worthy of ARIA Hall Of Fame recognition.

However, Jim dismisses that politely. “Yes, we might have been close a few years back and it would have been nice. But that’s not the reason we have played all these years. We played because we loved it. Then and now. It all started with Peter, Bosco, Theo and Eddie forming the early band while still at school. I was a schoolmate and was recruited sometime later after Eddie left the band. It was fun. We had the songs and the sound of the time. We were writing, recording, touring relentlessly. And in particular, Peter and I just had this spontaneous way of creating songs together. Naturally over time we changed. Like all bands. But the door was always open and in 1999, Martin joined. In some ways, at the time, he was more Atlantics than we were. He brought a new energy and a new era for us.”

From the mid-1990s to 2013, The Atlantics toured Australia with The Beach Boys and Chris Isaack, joined Kylie Minogue and other Australian music icons in the closing ceremony of the Sydney Olympics, featured in the national tours of “Long Way To The Top”, kicked off the television documentary and CD “Delightful Rain: a celebration of Australian surf music”, showcased their string of hits in the DVD “The Atlantics Live At Freshwater” and toured Italy, Finland and Greece.

They also released a number of new CDs including Flight of the Surf Guitar, Next Generation, Point Zero The Best Of and Collectibles.

Sadly in 2021, after a long-term debilitating disease, drummer Peter Hood passed away.

“Obviously it was a very sad time for all of us” says Jim. “I was feeling very down about Peter. I also have arthritis in my hands and fingers. But one day I said to myself What are you doing, you bloody idiot? So, I picked myself up and started writing some new songs. I rang Martin who was very keen.  He also had a few songs.  Then Bosco re-joined the band and that was three quarters of The Atlantics, so we wrote and produced this album as a sort of tribute to Peter. ‘Still Making Waves’ is the end result. A 16-track album featuring Jim, Martin, Bosco and Mental As Anything drummer Jacob Cook. As the title implies, the band has not moved far from its heartland.

Fittingly, the last track “Stranger on Mykonos” features Peter Hood on drums. It was recorded in 2013 at the very last session ever recorded with the band.  ‘Still Making Waves’ will be released on Australia Day 2023 - sixty years on from that very first wave.
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Surfing The Wedge
Boss Strait
Kirra Sunset
Fireball Express
Guitar Concerto In C Major
Aegean Blue
Yada Yada
Kings Can Dream
Surfin Sunrise
Lake Placid Blue
Down to The Sea
Strolling Down The Boulevarde
Girl On A Dolphin
Kaleponi Roll
Sandgate Road
Stranger On Mykonos