[1] In 1978 David Tolley, Brown's teacher, formed False Start with the aid of funding from the Music Board of the Australia Council.
[2] From 1978 to 1983, Brown also played guitar and percussion in Signals, with David Wadelton, Chris Knowles, and Philip Thomson.
Signals performed at the Clifton Hill Community Music Centre and La Mama Theatre, as well as art exhibitions (such as the Biennale of Sydney) and galleries.
In 1983, Brown played bass guitar with Jamie Fielding and Philip Thomson as Skeleton.
In 1992, he formed Bucketrider, a jazz / heavy metal group, with Sean Baxter, Tim O'Dwyer, Adam Simmons, and James Wilkinson.