The Killjoys was a band formed in Melbourne, Australia, in the late 1980s. The core of the band was Anna Burley (vocals) and Craig Pilkington (guitar and vocals). The Killjoys attracted a wide following in the vibrant Melbourne pub scene at the time.
The Killjoys were one of a number of promising Melbourne bands that emerged in the late 1980s and early 1990s that also included, amongst others, Sea Stories, The Fauves, The Hollowmen, The Glory Box, Ripe, Autohaze and Pray TV.
Their music incorporated string sections and vibraphone. They were formed out of the demise of another band, Wild Science. Wild Science essentially split into two different outfits, the Killjoys and Violet Town. Violet Town's members were Wayne (Buz) Hissock on guitar and vocals, Warren Pitts on keyboards and vocals, Peter Van on drums, and Luke Blackburn on bass and vocals.
Violet Town had a very eclectic sound, inspired by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and the Wreckery. Violet Town were featured on compilation albums on Chase Records, Melbourne Stuff and later featured on compilation records by ID Records Australia. The Killjoys up until 2001 were still a performing entity with the two core members Anna Burley and Craig Pilkington.
Luke Blackburn left Violet Town to join Sydney based outfit The Crystal Set with members Russell Kilbey on guitar and vocals, Phil Maher on guitar and vocals, Tim Seckhold on drums, and Luke Blackburn on bass and vocals. The Crystal Set were originally signed to Red Eye Records. Label mates were The Cruel Sea, Steve Kilbey, Baghavad Guitars, Jack Frost and the Clouds. These bands were later transferred to the Polydor label. After the demise of the Crystal Set, Russell Kilbey joined up with David Thrussell of techno outfit Snog and formed an outfit called The Sex Industrie. The Sex Industrie released a techno version of the AC/DC classic "Jailbreak".
The Killjoys' first full-length album, Ruby, won the ARIA Award in 1991 for Best Independent Release. Sun Bright Deep was later nominated for the same award in 1998.
In 2006 the band released the album Stealing Horses, the group's fifth full-length album and first in seven years.
The band released another album entitled Pearl in 2011, five years after their previous release. It is considered somewhat of a sequel to the band's iconic Ruby album, which was remastered and re-released alongside Pearl.