 They were soon joined by Michael Armiger (Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls, The Go-Betweens) on bass guitar; Michael King (Absent Friends) on guitar and backing vocals; and John Mackay (Absent Friends) on drums and percussion.The band were originally called Sean Kelly and The Iron Dukes, but were renamed shortly after to The Dukes.The band was formed by Sean Kelly (Models) and Geoffrey Stapleton (GANGgajang) following their return to Sydney in 1991 after the completion of a European tour, supporting INXS, with their previous band Absent Friends.