The Mexican Spitfires were an Australian indie rock–indie pop band formed in 1986. The original lineup consisted of Price Conlan on drums, Stephen McCowage on lead guitar, Tim O'Reilly on bass and vocals, Michael Quinlan on rhythm guitar and vocals. O'Reilly, Quinlan and McCowage had all played in a psychedelic 1960s-styled indie pop band, Prince Vlad & the Gargoyle Impalers. They recorded two extended plays, Lupe Velez (1988) and Elephant (1990); however, they had disbanded late in 1989. History The Mexican Spitfires were an inner-city suburban band which developed a collection of songs about Sydney. They dealt with aspects of local daily life,: "Ivy Street" about a dilapidated street familiar to Sydney University students who walk to or from Redfern Station; "Sydney Town" on the moral tightrope found between the city and Kings Cross down Park Street; "Town Hall Steps" about a meeting out front of Sydney Town Hall; "Until" on spending time in Katoomba in the nearby Blue Mountains; and "Rookwood" talks about Rookwood Cemetery. Similar lyrical territory was farmed by contemporaries, Paul Kelly & the Coloured Girls and John Kennedy's Love Gone Wrong. With three songwriters in O'Reilly, Quinlan and McCowage, the band's set lists contained mostly original material. Harking back to their earlier experiences in Prince Vlad & the Gargoyle Impalers, the band displayed a 1960s pop sensibility with strong harmonies from Quinlan and O'Reilly and also covered tracks by the Beatles' "If I Needed Someone" and the Monkees' "Mary Mary". In July 1986 the Mexican Spitfires played their first gig to an audience at the Lismore Hotel, Sydney. They were signed to Red Eye Records. The group were finalists at a talent quest, Battle of the Bands, run by University of New South Wales in October; alongside Bodycore, Things for the Weekend, Merrie Melodies, and the Jive Turkeys. George Braddock of Tharunka saw their performance in October 1987, he observed "[they] play original songs with a basis on harmony. Like Paul Kelly an acoustic lays the basis for their arrangement with tasteful electric lead following In and out of powerful pop songs. Sounding somewhere between Lloyd Cole and the Smiths, with a hefty dose of Australian pub sounds, they are an interesting and worthwhile Sydney band." The band's debut six-track 12-inch extended play, Lupe Velez, was released in 1988. The EP was produced by Jon Schofield (of the Coloured Girls), engineered by Phil Punch, and featured