Pray TV began in 1987 in Melbourne, Australia. They were one of a number of promising Melbourne rock bands that emerged in the late 1980s and early 1990s including The Glory Box, Ripe, Autohaze, The Fauves, The Killjoys, The Hollowmen and Sea Stories.

 

The band had various members over the years, with the only consistent members being Aidan Halloran (vocals) & Martin Kennedy (guitar/bass). Joseph Kennedy, Martin’s brother, was the drummer for most of the band's existence.

 

In 1991 the success of Nirvana’s Nevermind would be the catalyst for  a mad race by major labels seeking to plunder the independent music scene for the next crossover cash cow.  Like many other bands, Pray TV found themselves swept up in the frenzy.

 

“Nirvana exploded and every mainstream label decided they had to find the next Nirvana or something in that vein.  There was a lot of bands suddenly finding themselves on what was once a label they’d never have gone near, and with mixed results.  Not many of them came away unscathed by the experience,” Halloran says.

 

While major labels cast their eye across Pray TV, the band was very much an independent band. 

 

Pray TV disbanded in 1997 with a farewell show at the Public Bar in North Melbourne. 

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Laneway Music is proud to have Pray TV call us home for their catalogue.

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