Richard Lane, a founding member of influential Perth power pop outfit The Stems has passed away, his former bandmates have revealed via social media.
Taking to Facebook early this morning, the official page for The Stems shared the tragic news to its followers.
“With great sadness we have learned that Richard Lane, a foundation member of The Stems, has passed away,” the post reads. “Dom, Jules, Dave and John would like to express their condolences to both Richard’s family and his legion of friends. We know he will be sorely missed by all who knew him.”
Co-founding The Stems with Dom Mariani in 1983, The Stems quickly became a staple of the Western Australian live scene, performing a unique brand of garage rock influenced by ’60s-era acts.
Releasing their first single in 1985, and their Love Will Grow – Rosebud Volume 1 in 1986, The Stems’ debut album, At First Sight, Violets Are Blue, was released in 1987, and contained their most famous track, “At First Sight”.
Unfortunately, the group’s debut album preceded their untimely breakup by only a few months, with The Stems officially announcing their split in November of that year.
They would reform for a six-year stint in 2003, before releasing their final album, Heads Up, in 2007. In 2013, the group reformed once again, though Lane did not take part, with guitarist Ash Naylor taking over his role, and leaving Mariani as the only remaining member as part of the group.
Following The Stems’ initial breakup, Lane would serve as a member of Perth outfit The Chevelles, as well as The Rosebuds, while in recent years, he could be seen performing as a member of groups such as The Painkillers and The On And Ons.
Currently, no details regarding his passing have been released, though our thoughts go out to his family, friends, and musical colleagues.
