The Cockroaches are an Australian pub rock group active throughout the 1980s. The band was founded in 1979 by the Field brothers−Paul (lead vocals), John (rhythm guitar, vocals), and Tony Field (lead guitar, vocals)−and Tony Henry on drums and Joseph Hallion on saxophone. They were joined in 1981 by Jeff Fatt on keyboards. In 1986 they signed with an independent label, Regular Records, which issued their first three albums, including The Cockroaches (March 1987), which peaked at No. 9 on the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart; it sold 70,000 copies and was certified platinum by their label. The album spawned the single "She's the One", which became the band's biggest hit when it peaked at No. 9 on the Kent Music Report Singles Chart in April 1987. In 1988, The Daily Telegraph declared The Cockroaches, who played over 300 gigs a year, the "Hardest Working Rock'n'Roll Band" in the country.

The Cockroaches released their third album, Positive, in June 1991 and left their label by the end of that year. In March 1994 they issued their fourth album, St. Patrick's Day 10am, on their own Roach Records. Australian musicologist Glenn A. Baker described their sound as "rangy, loose-limbed, good-natured, energetic, self-effacing, intuitive, harmonic, melodic, enduring, soused and fiercely frantic".