Tribute to Bernie Lynch of The Eurogliders (RIP)

Bernie Lynch of Perth-born band The Eurogliders passed away last Thursday at the age of 72 after having undergone treatment for throat cancer since 2024.

Fellow bandmates, members of the music industry and fans have been writing tributes throughout the week for a man who helped create great pop songs, predominantly in the 1980s.

Lynch formed Eurogliders in 1980, recruiting frontwoman Grace Knight, who had recently moved to Perth from the UK.

“I don’t know how many shows Eurogliders have done over the years, it must be thousands,” wrote Knight in a Facebook post, “and for every single one of them, I’ve had Bernie there, standing beside me.”

Knight was actually married to Lynch in the 1980s, and though the pair and the band had broken up by the end of that decade, they remained great friends.

The Eurogliders reformed again in the 2010s and have stayed together since, releasing two more albums — their last being 2021’s The Blue Kiss Project.

Cream presents its top 5 Eurogliders songs, below.

RIP Bernie!

Antonino Tati

Absolutely

A gorgeous track where soft synths blend well with bird sounds and soon enough you’re absolutely sure this is one of the standout Australian synth tracks of a decade filled with electronic music. A great title track from a great same-named album.

The City of Soul

As timely a song now as it was when released in 1985, The City of Soul was inspired by the violent 1985 Move bombing incident in Philadelphia. Written by Bernie Lynch, the song addresses the tragic police stand-off that killed eleven people, including children, and burned down over 60 houses.

Heaven (Must Be There)

Possibly The Eurogliders’ most popular hit single, this ethereal pop favourite peaked at #2 on the Australian charts and #6 in New Zealand. It also reached #21 on the US Billboard Mainstream Rock chart, and #47 in Canada. 

Shine

A song that deservedly highlights Grace Knight’s lovely vocals as it does the power of minimalist synth, this is a nice meditative number that you wouldn’t mind hearing while camping under the stars, sandwiched perhaps somewhere between Icehouse’s Great Southern Land, and The Church’s Under The Milky Way.

Can’t Wait To See You

Possibly Cream magazine’s all-time Eurogliders’ fave, Can’t Wait To See You would be playing on our cassette players and radios ‘day after day … time and again’ in 1985 when it was first released. Still today it sounds fabulous on the office turntable.