Featuring singer-songwriters David Minchin, Charles Touber, Greg Cracknell, and drummer Brent "Beep" Jeffrey, The Innocents—originally called Beathoven—are one of only three Tasmanian bands to ever have Australian chart success (the others being The Kravats and MEO 245).
There was a local equivalent of Beatlemania about The Innocents early years (sometimes referred to as "Tasmania") and ensured that when they took their touring technique of focusing on school dances and lunchtime concerts to Melbourne in 1977, success and press cynicism followed.
Here they recorded their hit single "Sooner or Later" which, after a performance on the TV show Countdown, peaked at number 48 nationally, The Innocents were championed by Kim Fowley, Nick Lowe, Molly Meldrum and Greg Shaw.
2000 saw The Innocents realise their later celebrity in the US – a place in which none of their recordings were released – and an invitation to play The Troubadour and the International Pop Overthrow festival alongside fellow power-pop exponents Doug Fieger of The Knack, Nancy Sinatra, The Rubinoos and The Cowsills.
Inspired by this and an increasing number of international fan letters, they recorded a new album Pop Factory in 2006 and promoted it with a European tour which included gigs at Liverpool's legendary Cavern club, a recording session at Abbey Road Studios, rave reviews for their appearance at the inaugural Hamburg Sound Festival (where they played requests for Cynthia Lennon and Astrid Kirchherr), and dates in Tokyo.