Essendon Airport

Formed in Melbourne, Essendon Airport began as an instrumental electronic music duo in 1978 by Robert Goodge on lead guitar and David Chesworth on Wurlitzer electric piano and a home made drum machine, bought via the Trading Post. Both members lived in or near the suburb of Essendon, and took the name of Essendon Airport which since 1971 was no longer an international terminal (replaced by Melbourne Airport in Tullamarine). 

 

The duo version released a four-track extended play, 'Sonic Investigations (Of the Trivial)', in May 1980 on Innocent Records. The label was co-owned by Chesworth and Philip Brophy (of performance group, → ↑ →). Essendon Airport followed with a single, 'Talking to Cleopatra' (September 1980), with Anne Cessna (a.k.a. Anne Sanger) on lead vocals. 

 

Late in 1980 Essendon Airport became a four-piece, adding Ian Cox on saxophone and Paul Fletcher on drums. They performed around Melbourne's newly emerging post-punk inner-city venues such as The Crystal Ballroom, various galleries such as the George Paton, and the Clifton Hill Community Music Centre (CHCMC), a venue for experimental music, performance and film during this time. They worked closely with → ↑ →.

 

 

Embellished with Fletcher's arrhythmic drumming and Ian Cox' sweet, brittle saxophone, the four-piece provided a range of styles from extreme minimalism to plundering the hidden resonances in the popular song. Examples can be heard on the debut studio album, 'Palimpsest' (Innocent Records), which appeared in May 1982. The group also made recordings for the Fast Forward cassette magazine and a disc give-away for the Art Network magazine. 

 

Adding bass player Barabara Hogarth (from Government Drums with Willy Zygier and Richard Pleasance), the group developed material with a funk feel and performed head-lining shows at the Jump Club, and Crystal Ballroom, and toured to Sydney. No recordings by the quintet were released until 2011, when the 2× CD version of 'Palimpsest' included live and studio tracks, including a live-to-air performances on 3RRR FM from the Crystal Ballroom which was their final performance. The group disbanded in mid-1983.

 

After the dissolution of Essendon Airport, Chesworth continued performing as a soloist and in 1985 formed a new group, Whadya Want?, with Warwick Bone on synthesiser, Phillip Jackson (ex-Whirlywirld, Equal Local) on synthesiser, Bill McDonald on bass guitar and Michael Tinney on lead guitar. Goodge, Cox and Hogarth formed the nucleus of the successful pop-funk band, I'm Talking in late 1983, which included Kate Ceberano as lead vocalist. Chesworth later formed the instrumental group, The David Chesworth Ensemble, for which Goodge has occasionally performed. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]