Spy vs. Spy (band)  Spy v Spy, also known as v. Spy v. Spy, The Drug Grannies and The Spies, were an Australian ska/pub rock band from Sydney formed in 1981. They became known for tackling political issues through their music, including racism, homelessness and contemporary drug culture. They were named after a comic strip, "Spy vs. Spy" in the US "Mad" magazine. The band's initial line-up was the trio of Craig Bloxom on bass guitar/lead vocals, Cliff Grigg on drums/percussion and Michael Weiley on lead guitar/vocals. Spy vs. Spy's early music was ska-influenced indie rock, exemplified by their debut single "Do What You Say" on the independent Green label in April 1982. They released an EP "Four Fresh Lemons" in August. Their music became more straightforward hard rock for their pub audiences. The band broke up in early 1983 only to reform mid-year, by which time they were using the name v. Spy v. Spy to avoid legal problems with "Mad" magazine. They were eventually signed to Midnight Oil's label Powderworks and managed by Oils manager, Gary Morris. Their first full-length album "Harry's Reasons" was released in March 1986 and produced by Leszek Karski. They switched labels to WEA and had their highest charting success in February 1987 with their single "Don't Tear It Down" on the Australian singles chart and the associated album "A.O. Mod. TV. Vers." peaked at No. 12 on the Australian albums chart. Spy vs. Spy's follow-up album, "Xenophobia (Why?)" was released in March 1988 and peaked at No. 15 in Australia. It was produced by Karski and Guy Gray and released by WEA in 14 countries. Their 1989 album "Trash the Planet" peaked at No. 22 on the ARIA Charts. None of their subsequent releases reached the Australian Top 40. The band split and reformed a number of times but still developed a strong following in Brazil. Craig Bloxom bass guitarist/lead vocalist was born in Los Angeles and moved to Australia in 1965, he met guitarist/vocalist Michael Weiley at Nelson Bay High School in 1976. Weiley, having just moved from England to Australia, was paired with Bloxom by the principal based on their common musical interests. After high school, Bloxom and Weiley moved to Cammeray in Sydney's north shore, playing in various Sydney bands.