Serious Young Insects had formed in 1980 with Peter Farnan on vocals and guitar, Michael Vallance on vocals and bass guitar and Mark White on vocals and drums. Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, described Serious Young Insects as a "quirky, three-piece Melbourne new wave band". They issued an album, "Housebreaking" (May 1982), and three singles. Lisa Perry of "The Canberra Times" praised the album "several times I had to check the cover to see if there were not also some session musos or others contributing to the sounds I was hearing. For a three-piece combo, these lads sure make a good sound". Pleasance, a classically trained guitarist, was a fan and briefly joined the group before it broke up in the following year.