| The Twilights | |
|---|---|
 The Twilights c.1968. Top row: Peter Brideoake, Laurie Pryor. Bottom row: Clem "Paddy" McCartney, John Bywaters, Glenn Shorrock Terry Britten. | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Adelaide, South Australia, Australia |
| Genres | Rock, beat pop |
| Discography | Discography |
| Years active | 1964–1969 |
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The Twilights were an Australian rock band, which formed in Adelaide in 1964 by Peter Brideoake on rhythm guitar, John Bywaters on bass guitar, Clem "Paddy" McCartney and Glenn Shorrock both on lead vocals. They were joined by Terry Britten on lead guitar and Laurie Pryor on drums within a year. Heavily influenced by the British Invasion, they became a significant Australian band during the mid-1960s. They were noted for their musicianship, on-stage humour and adoption of overseas sounds and trends. Their most popular single is a cover version of "Needle in a Haystack" (originally by the Velvelettes), which topped the Go-Set singles chart in 1966. Also in that year, they won the Hoadley's Battle of the Sounds competition and were awarded a trip to London.
The group's attempts to establish themselves in England were unsuccessful. Upon return to Australia they had a No. 3 hit with "What's Wrong with the Way I Live?" (1967), written by the Hollies members. Their other top 5 hits were "Young Girl" and "Cathy Come Home" (both 1967). The Twilights' later sound was influenced by the psychedelic movement. In 1968 they filmed a pilot for a Monkees-style sitcom for Seven Network, however sponsorship was withdrawn and it was not broadcast. Following a decline in their chart success and the departure of long-term manager Gary Spry, the Twilights disbanded early in 1969. Shorrock formed Axiom in 1969 and fronted Little River Band from 1975. Britten became an internationally successful songwriter, working for Cliff Richard and Tina Turner.