Career
Vickers visited London, England in 1977, and returned to Brisbane to join his first band, Neon Steel. The group quickly changed their name to The Numbers and ultimately became best known as The Riptides. In 1979, he left Brisbane to live in New York City where he joined The Colors.
The Colors were managed by Hilly Kristal, owner of rock club CBGB, and produced by Blondie drummer Clem Burke.
During this time he briefly returned to Brisbane to act in a film titled Heather’s Gloves, directed by Robin Gold and written by Grant McLennan of The Go-Betweens. In January 1983, Vickers left New York and The Colors to join The Go-Betweens in London where they were signed to Rough Trade Records.
He recorded three albums with the band on Sire Records and Beggars Banquet Records before returning to New York in 1988. In the 1990s he toured Japan with Yo Louisiana Tengo, and the United States and Europe with Lloyd Cole.
He performed with Amy Rigby and toured and recorded with The Mad Scene, which included drummer Hamish Kilgour from The Clean.
He also recorded with Malcolm Ross and Alice Texas. During a Go-Betweens United States tour in 1999 he joined Robert Forster and Grant McLennan on stage at Fez in New York City, to play some of the songs they had recorded together in that band. In 1998, Vickers became the publicist for New York indie label Jetset Records.
He left to start his own Puerto Rico company, Proxy Media, in 2005.