Empire of the Sun are the Australian success story of the year. Released in October 2008 their debut album has spawned the hit singles Walking On A Dream,We Are The People and Standing on The Shore, and has eclipsed platinum sales status in Australia and still rising. But that’s not where the story ends. The band has been equally well-received all over the world. AT the beginning of the year Empire of the Sun gained mainstream media attention for gaining fourth position on the BBC’s annual Sound if Music poll 2009. Since then, their album has gone on to pass gold status in UK where their recent single We Are The People was A-listed on Radio1, Radio 2, 6 Music, XFM and many other stations. Europe is not far behind and the US has recently come on board thanks in part to the band recently being featured in everyone’s favourite TV series Entourage.
Empire of the Sun have been invited to perform many festivals worldwide but to date the plan has been to keep it local. Empire of the Sun will be one of the main-stage headline acts at Australia’s Parklife Festival, touring between September 26 and October 5, 2009. These dates will mark the first ever live performance.
“The show is going to be epic, full of colours, dinosaur-teeth chomping at the valleys of future. It will be more outrageous than the scents of imagination and will take the audience on a journey to another world”, said front-man and vocalist Steel.
Please press play to hear the track - Walking on a Dream
Rodney Smith was born and grew up in Stockwell, South London. His
grandfather had come over from Jamacia in the fifties. As he puts it,
his family "were here to make it big time." They worked hard, went to
church, tried to live life the right way. His father was a lay preacher
and tailor, a combination which goes some way to explaining the son's
preoccupation with the soul and the suit. As Rodney sees it now, "my
family are such good, decent people. I'm the runt of pack." The runt
found music.
An avid but secret collector of the soundsystem tapes which were easy to
find in Brixton at the time, Smith studied deejays like Eek-A-Mouse and
Asher Senator, nodding to the rhythms, stretching his mouth around their
words. But it was perhaps only when he heard hip hop and, in particular,
the incomparable Rakim, that he realised that his voice could be used
for more than toasting, that it was an expressive tool limited only by
his imagination. But opportunities for Black British musicians in the
nineties were few and far between. Hard work ? his own kind of hard work
? was the only way forward.
Please press play to hear the track - Let the Spirit
For The Grates’ debut album Gravity Won’t Get You High (2006), their signature animal was the giraffe. It was a fitting match: that year, the album towered over all other beasts, made mammoth strides, and won the affection of the people, both here and abroad. Two years later, The Grates present second album, Teeth Lost, Hearts Won: an entirely different animal altogether.
“If Teeth Lost, Hearts Won was a beast, I imagine it’d be like something from Where the Wild Things Are,” Patience says. “They’re big and scary. But they’ve also got this sensitivity, and pick up the little kid and protect him.” Alana thinks. “Or maybe the griffin in Alice in Wonderland,” she says. “He’s like a lion and eagle together, but a really gentle creature.”
Please press play to hear the track - Carve Your Name
Andy, Dizzy and Young Einstein deliver another musically different, totally independent, 12 plus track, boundary pushing record. This time the trio got a bit more personal but UD wouldn’t be themselves if they didn't inject the listener with some humor as well. The samples used on this record are just amazing...
Young Einstein was a music lover from an early age. He began experimenting with his mom's turntables as a boy-genius before moving to his first set of Technics. The legend of his beat digging abilities can be traced back to a time when his massive LP collection was just taking shape. As his spinning prowess grew Einstein came to accept his calling as the backbone of a classic hip-hop trio. Soon after, he would also embrace his role as owner and keeper of the group's un-official mascot, the dookie gold rope, value as yet undetermined.
Dizzy's MC career stretches back about as far as the eye can see. Having been fully immersed in hip hop culture from a young age, rhyming has always been second nature for Diz. Growing up on the north side of Long Beach gave him the chance to sharpen and hone his unique flow into a style that would stand the test of time. From the days of chillin on the couch in the back house to touring around the globe, Dizzy has turned a lifelong passion into his profession. As he once put it, "me without a mic is 23 without the Nikes."
There was nothing more affecting than music in the life of young Andy Cooper, with the possible exception of sports. Hours spent on the black top would offer exposure to rap music in it's infancy and lead to a near-compulsive devotion. Ed, Dre, and Fab 5 Freddy became familiar faces as Andy amassed a vault of cassettes and music videos that covered all areas of the developing new genre. He began experimenting with productions of his own and when he met Dizzy and Einstein the stage was set for the 3 piece Voltron-like concoction to form.
Please press play to hear the track - I Won't Let It Die (from their brand new album 'Audacity' out now through Hydrofunk Records/MGM)
Although the 5-piece, were born and raised in Perth, Western Australia, musically their sound is intrinsically rooted to the northwest of England. They were first spotted and signed by Happy Mondays’ drummer Gaz Whelan, who took them over to Manchester to write, record and perform at Tony Wilson’s ‘In the City’ (The Factory Records founder was a big fan of the band)and support his band The Mondays. Rifle through their music collection and you’ll find albums by, The Las, Echo and The Bunnymen, Stone Roses and The Smiths.
The band’s current album ‘Cruel Guards’ has recently been released in the UK to rave reviews and gaining strong UK radio support. They have also sold out a stream of UK shows through word of mouth alone, including sell out shows in London, Manchester and Glasgow. At the end of their set in Manchester the audience chanted and refused to move for over five minutes until the band came back for more.
Please press play to hear the track - Don't Fight It
It is too simplistic to describe Ash Grunwald as just a blues musician.
While it’s true that his music is steeped in the Delta blues tradition of the legendary acoustic musicians who proliferated in pre-World War 11 America’s deep South and the giants of electric blues who shaped rock and roll, it’s the young Victorian’s willingness to combine these influences with grooves and sounds common in contemporary music that sets him apart.
A soulful singer and guitar player, Ash immediately drew attention with the release of 2002’s ‘Introducing … Ash Grunwald’ a collection of originals and blues standards that included ‘Smokestack Lightnin’ (Howlin’ Wolf) ‘The Sky Is Crying’ (Elmore James) and ‘Rolling And Tumbling’ (Robert Johnson) recorded live with only acoustic guitar and foot percussion consisting of a stomp box and tambourine.
The album’s most revealing track is ‘Dolphin Song’, a true story of dolphins saving a surfer (Ash) from a shark attack. The tale is exciting, humorous and real and in the context of a blues based album, liberating.
Please press play to hear the track - The Devil Called Me A Liar
Children Collide provided one of the biggest delights of the day – the local neo-grunge lads tearing the local stage apart on their way to slapping a surprised audience upside the head with a slab of incredible. Guitars went everywhere, hair flailed about and it was the most intense performance of the day – Beat Magazine (Big Day Out, Melbourne Jan 08)
Next are Children Collide and to gush some more, local music doesn’t come much better. Washed in a haze of blue, vocalist/guitarist Johnny Mackay is reminiscent of Kurt Cobain – sandy blonde hair covering his face, looking dishevelled in a sweatshirt while swinging his guitar carelessly around his neck. Though the music Children Collide create has been compared to Nirvana’s grunge rock, trying to allocate a genre to this band is impossible. Heath Crawley on bass is all in black, looking every part the rock star while dancing in his corner of the stage. With Ryan on drums the band captivate the audience going from guitar thrashing rock frenzies that threaten to send Mackay hurtling off stage, to ethereal magical riffs that Robert Smith could have penned… highly entertaining, talented musicians playing quality music.
Please press play to hear the track - Chozen Armies
As you all know the band 28 Days, of 28 Days PTY. LTD. (World famous for their Rip it Up , Sucker, and What's the Deal line of energy bars, that were banned from shelves in Mexico after they were found to contain asbestos) were wrongfully accused of massive tax evasion late in 2007. As a result assets were frozen, merchandise seized, and the highly profitable sweatshops that produced all sorts of 28 Days memorabilia, and converted back into broadband technical support call centres (Simon Hepburn - "...it really hurt us. those kids were like our own children......some of them actually were" - Wall St. Journal 2007). 28 Days were forced to shut down all operations and lay low 'til the whole thing blows over'.
The band waited patiently off the coast of Dubai, being very careful to remain at all times in international waters to avoid arrest. They enjoyed sipping cold beer on "Yacht's the Deal?" their 40 ft luxury vessel, waiting for their good names to be cleared. But modern pirates, dressing nothing like they do in the movies and preferring machine guns to parrots, are quite hard to detect and can be easily mistaken for other party dudes, or freestyle motoX pro's. 28 Days soon found themselves yachtless and drifting in 15ft tinny drinking seawater. Things looked grim indeed (although some good sized flathead 3-4 lb were landed on strips of sunburned skin and squidgy soft plastics in the 100mm bloodworm wriggler).
As they drifted aimlessly more tragedy hit. Lifetime friend, pet house-cat, and recently appointed sole-director and owner of 28 Days PTY. LTD., 'Mister Fluffington', died in a freak moped explosion in Amsterdam's red light district. Dutch police reports state alcohol, traces of cocaine and ecstasy were found in the failed, business tycoon's bloodstream at time of death; although the body, the moped, and the briefcase containing important documents were never recovered. The Australian government demanded to see the body of Mr Fluffington but Dutch authorities were evasive and were accused of hindering investigators. The A.T.O investigation was doomed to fail. Mr Fluffington, common cat, and one-time talentless hip hop mogul - aka Fluff Daddy , aka Sean 'Fluffy' Coombs , and most recently, P. Kitty, was at the time of the accident supposedly on his way to the Australian Tax Office in Canberra. As per the order on the A.T.O. subpoena, the next day, he was to deliver the 28 Days Company's financial records, from before the time he took legal responsibility of all debts. Every cloud has a silver lining though. Although Fluffy will be sorely missed, last Tuesday the Tax office was forced to drop its case against the boys due to all evidence being destroyed in the embers of Fluffy's charred vespa, leaving the band free to return to Australia. Upon receiving the good news from their lawyers 28 Days convinced some fisherman to tow the tinny back to dry land where villagers helped them fashion a sail from palm leaves and hemp in return for one day, coming back to play a show for them. But stipulated that the band 'just play their old stuff' or not to bother. Stocked with fresh beer and limes to stave off scurvy, the band set sail and look forward to one day returning.
If 28 Days have the wind and weather on their side they are expecting to sail into Hobart on January 9th for the Soundscape Festival and welcome home party.
It will be business as usual with some new music written during their much anticipated and hyped 'drinking saltwater' phase. The boys found dehydration very conducive to the creative flow. Song's like ' I could murder a stubby right now' and 'that does it. I'm gonna drink my own piss!' Show a softer side to the band where as the song 'water' is simply a microphone in a glass of salt water. It's two seconds of feedback then the mic shorts out. After that it's six minutes of buzzing. Not their best song but very mature and arty. The critics are raving 'They are an AWESOME new band' - Rolling Stone- 1999
All jokes aside
28 Days will be playing the Soundscape Festival on Jan 9th although we will most likely fly in on a plane with the other bands as Bass Strait can be quite dangerous in a 15ft tinny. We are keen as mustard to show some of the more boring shoe gazing bands of recent times how we think it should be done....passionately - and to drink piss and laugh our fuckin asses off.
See you there true believers.
With sound histories in the musical realm, brothers Joshua (voice) and Benjamin (synths/keytar) manifest digital and analogue ideas; one part divine inspiration, one part machine translation. Together they create grand poetic electronica, with its own future echo. On stage drummer Robbie makes his own waves, and the trio is complete.
Grafton Primary began live performances in April of 2006 in Sydney. In 2007 things got more serious with national tours that covered venues both large and small. 2008 was a bigger year with more shows coast to coast, and appearances at Field Day, Big Day Out, Good Vibrations, Playground Weekender, Essential Festival and the Parklife national tour, all of which were welcomed with excitement by huge crowds. Grafton Primary saw out ’08 with another tour of Australia with festival spots at Homebake, Summerbreak and both Falls events. 2009 was welcomed in a capacity big top at Southbound followed by Playground Weekender in February.
In addition to the touring, Grafton Primary found time for studio work with remixes for Faker, Via Tanya and Dukes Of Windsor. The remix of Faker’s "This Heart Attack" received extensive radio and club play and led to an invitation to tour nationally with the band. More recently, Grafton Primary have remixed tracks for Jackson Jackson and Japanese electronica act Boom Boom Satellites.
Grafton Primary’s debut album ‘Eon’ received critical acclaim and support from radio, press and DJs around Australia and consolidated their growing legion of dedicated fans. Now, ‘Eon’ is reaching out to the World.
With numerous national tours under their belts including the recent “All Stars Tour” selling out wherever it stopped, Grafton Primary have just returned from a UK trip where they played a show at Cargo, London to launch the release of ‘Eon’ through Republic of Music. The band also traveled to Germany for a show in Frankfurt. Later this year a tour of Europe is planned followed by US West Coast dates and a festival in Mexico City.
It began with a transglobal ocean journey from South Africa all the way to New Zealand nearly 20 years ago. In search of a better life, Glenn Mossop's parents bundled themselves and their two sons into a small home made yacht and sailed the world's oceans. For two years they travelled, eventually deciding on the New Zealand town of Tauranga as home. It was there Glenn met locals Regan Lethbridge and David Morgan and BONJAH was born.
For the next 10 years the trio refined their chops at the Mossop household and beautiful Lemon Tree Bay, before making the move to Melbourne. But not before they recruited Dan Chisholm, a rookie corporate lawyer staring down the barrel of a life-long commitment to limited liability and hostile take-overs.
