The band was formed in 1984 when then
Celibate Rifles bassist James Darroch decided to leave and form his own band. Darroch switched from bass to
guitar and enlisted drummer Geoff Milne and former
Lime Spiders backing vocalist Bill Gibson on bass. After some rehearsals the three became The Eastern Dark, named after a place in
The Phantom comics. The three piece began playing live in May 1984, quickly garnering local support and earning notoriety for their habit of opening each set with a different Ramones cover, working their way chronologically through the Ramones' discography. Their first single, "Julie Is A Junkie/Johnny And Dee Dee," was released on Waterfront Records in July 1985. With
Rob Younger as producer the band recorded the EP
Long Live The New Flesh! in 1986. On 4 March 1986, days after finishing the EP, and en route to a week-long series of shows in Melbourne, the band's van went off the road; Darroch was killed, and Milne and Gibson were hospitalised.
Long Live the New Flesh! was released posthumously later that year, and a collection of live recordings and demos was released as
Girls on the Beach (With Cars) in 1989. A CD collection of the previously released material,
Where Are All the Single Girls? was released on Half A Cow Records in 2000 (and re-released in 2010). ==Members==