Models – one of Australia’s most-loved bands – are going on the road to celebrate the 40th anniversary of their breakthrough hit, ‘I Hear Motion’.
The opening track on the band’s third album, The Pleasure of Your Company, ‘I Hear Motion’ became Models’ first Top 40 hit when it was released in 1983.
It was the beginning of a remarkable ride for the Melbourne band. Soon after, they went on tour with David Bowie. Later, they played for Prince Charles and Princess Diana, hit the US Top 40, were featured in The Andy Warhol Diaries, and inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame.
Models are that rare breed of bands – one that has successfully straddled critical acclaim, cult appeal and commercial success.
“Alongside The Boys Next Door/The Birthday Party, Models were one of the first Melbourne bands to rise out of the ashes of that city’s hothouse punk/new wave explosion of the late 1970s with a clear vision and wider appeal,” says Ian McFarlane, author of The Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop.
A masterpiece of composition, ‘I Hear Motion’ was the start of Models’ extraordinary chart run, which included eight Top 40 hits. The song was later featured in Yahoo Serious’ hit movie Young Einstein and in 2021 its timeless appeal was apparent when it appeared in the ABC TV series The Newsreader. And it is now the opening song in the new documentary Ego: The Michael Gudinski Story.
Four decades after it was released, ‘I Hear Motion’ still thrills, sounding fresh and inventive.
Models never go out of style.
