The Sports - Don't Throw Stones

The Sports were a popular Australian rock group that performed and recorded between 1976 and 1981.

Based in Melbourne, Victoria, the group released a number of successful singles and albums. Their sound fitted well with both 1970s British pub rock bands (such as Brinsley Schwarz) and British New Wave (such as Elvis Costello). Their best known songs include "Boys (What Did the Detective Say?)", "Don't Throw Stones", "When You Walk in the Room", "How Come", "Who Listens to the Radio?", "Perhaps" and "Strangers on a Train".

The Sports were formed in 1976 by Stephen Cummings who was the singer of Melbourne rockabilly group, The Pelaco Brothers, (which comprised Cummings, Joe Camilleri, Peter Lillie and Johnny Topper). Cummings and ex-The Pelaco Brothers bandmate Ed Bates, with Robert Glover (ex-Myriad) on bass guitar, Jim Niven on piano (ex-The Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band) and Paul Hitchins on drums. Their early sets contained covers of Chuck Berry, Billy Emerson, Don Covay, Company Caine and Graham Parker. Original songs, mostly written by Cummings and Bates, completed their sets. The Sports' debut recording was the EP, Fair Game in early 1977. A friend in London posted the record to the New Musical Express which declared it 'Record Of The Week'. The Sports found themselves right in tune with the very latest music trend dominating London rock. They became part of the promise of a new beginning for song-based rock as an antidote to punk, dubbed New Wave. "We were totally surprised," Cummings says of the NME review.

(extract from Wikipedia 2011)