Harlequin League | |
|---|---|
 Harlequin League playing the Amplifier Bar in Perth in July 2009 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Perth, Western Australia, Australia |
| Genres | Rock/Indie Rock |
| Years active | 2007–present |
| Labels | Good Cop Bad Cop |
| Members | Dan Gavin James Rogers Ben Pooley Chris James |
| Past members | Miles Lisman Sebastian Astone |
| Website | MySpace website |
Harlequin League is a Perth-based rock band [1] formed in 2007.
Harlequin League was the winner of the 2007 The Next Big Thing competition [2] (previously won by John Butler and Snowman). [3] [4]
Harlequin League first came together in March 2007 and in its first twelve months it performed at the Perth leg of the 2008 Big Day Out, [5] embarked on a handful of East Coast tours and supported The Freestylers (UK), The Whip (UK), The Cops, Regurgitator, Expatriate, The Panda Band, Dardanelles, The Paper Scissors, Bluejuice and The Checks. In November 2007 it released its debut single, "Hole in the Heart". [6]
The band was nominated for two WAMi awards in 2008, [7] winning in the category of 'Favourite Newcomer'. [8] Its song "Bones" was a Triple J's Ausmusic Month featured track. [9] The band has also performed on Triple J’s ‘Live At The Wireless’ with Birds of Tokyo and Abbe May.
In August 2008 the band released its debut EP, We Used To Be Gods, Now We're So Plain, [10] which was produced by Melbourne producer Woody Annison (Children Collide, Red Riders, Rocket Science, Dardanelles). Since its release the band has toured the eastern states of Australia, supporting End of Fashion [11] and Grafton Primary. The first track lifted from the EP, "Again and Again", received airplay on national youth broadcaster Triple J. [12]
Harlequin League was also nominated for the 2008 Unearthed J Award in November, 2008 [13] and in January 2009 it performed at Southbound. [14]
The band released its second EP, I Don't Do Friends, on 28 March 2009. [15]
Harlequin League [16] released a one-off single: "Won't Change The World", which was added to the band's MySpace page in early September 2009. After the tour in support of the "Won't Change The World", Drummer Miles Lisman left the band and was replaced in November 2009 by Chris James (Streetlight). [16] Harlequin League, throughout the writing period for the debut album, participated in the One Movement for Music festival in October 2009, played the SummerSounds Festival with End of Fashion in January 2010 and the Groovin' The Moo Festival in Bunbury alongside Vampire Weekend, Silverchair and Spoon.
Harlequin League completed its debut album with Perth producer Andy Lawson (End of Fashion, Eskimo Joe). The first single from the debut album, "Charlatan", was released at Amplifier Bar in July 2010 and was recorded at Blackbird Studio's by Andy Lawson, mixed in the U.K by mix engineer Adrian Bushby (Muse, Foo Fighters, The Kooks, My Bloody Valentine) and mastered by Leon Zervis at 301 Studios Sydney (previously of Sterling Sound) and gained airplay on Triple J. Harlequin League's self-titled debut album was released in October 2011.
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Harlequin League |
|
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| We Used to Be Gods, Now We're So Plain |
|
| I Don't Do Friends |
|
The J Awards are an annual series of Australian music awards that were established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio station Triple J. They commenced in 2005.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| J Awards of 2008 [18] | themselves | Unearthed Artist of the Year | Nominated |
The West Australian Music Industry Awards (WAMIs) are annual awards presented to the local contemporary music industry, put on annually by the Western Australian Music Industry Association Inc (WAM). [19] The winners of the 2008 WAMi's were: [20]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result (wins only) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Harlequin League | Favourite Newcomer | Won |
Little Birdy were an Australian alternative rock band formed in Perth, Western Australia, in 2002 by singer and guitarist Katy Steele, drummer Matt Chequer, guitarist and keyboardist Simon Leach, and bass guitarist Scott O'Donoghue. They gained public attention when their single "Relapse" gained popularity on alternative radio stations such as Triple J, leading them to be signed by the record label Eleven: A Music Company. They released three studio albums, two EPs, and ten singles.
Jebediah are an Australian alternative rock band formed in 1994 in Perth, Western Australia. They were formed by Chris Daymond on lead guitar, Kevin Mitchell on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, and Vanessa Thornton on bass guitar. They were joined a year later by Kevin's older brother, Brett Mitchell, on drums. After winning the National Campus Band Competition, the group were brought to national attention when their 1996 single "Jerks of Attention" received heavy airplay on Australian alternative radio station Triple J – which was followed by their breakthrough debut album, Slightly Odway.
Gyroscope are an Australian rock band from Perth, which formed in 1997 as Gyroscope Sunday. The members are Daniel Sanders as lead vocalist and on guitar, Zoran Trivic on guitar and backing vocals, Brad Campbell on bass guitar and backing vocals and Rob Nassif on drums. As of 2014 the group has released four studio albums on major labels.
The Sleepy Jackson are an Australian alternative rock band formed in Perth, Western Australia. The band's name was inspired by a former drummer who was narcoleptic. The band revolves around the distinctive vocal style of multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Luke Steele. Stemming from a musical family, Luke's father Rick Steele is a local blues musician, and two of Luke's siblings are also musicians, with brother Jesse a former member of The Sleepy Jackson, and sister Katy, who fronts another Perth rock band, Little Birdy. While a series of acclaimed EPs brought The Sleepy Jackson to a broader musical attention of Australia, it was the release of their 2003 album Lovers and 2006 second album Personality – One Was a Spider, One Was a Bird that directed significant international focus upon the band.
End of Fashion are an Australian pop rock band from Perth, Western Australia. The group gained mainstream attention with its 2005 single, "O Yeah", that was voted into eighth position of the "Hottest 100" poll, compiled by Australian youth radio station, Triple J. The group has released three studio albums. In January 2014, the band took a hiatus before reforming for their first show on 22 September 2018 at the Indian Ocean Hotel in Scarborough.
The Panda Band are an indie pop band originating from Perth, Western Australia. They have a reputation for combining numerous musical genres. They have toured nationally as support acts for bands such as The Sleepy Jackson, Little Birdy, The Grates and Evermore.
Snowman was a band originally from Perth, Western Australia. They formed in 2002, relocated to London in 2008, and disbanded in 2011.
The Silents are a psychedelic rock band from Perth, Western Australia.
Institut Polaire were an indie band originating from Perth, Western Australia.
Red Jezebel is a four-piece indie rock band from Perth, Western Australia.
Schvendes are a band of brothers and sisters from Perth, Western Australia. They write stories about murder, mayhem, love and loss upon a background of gentle Rhodes piano, pounding drums, screaming guitar, soaring cello and vocals, which have been described as both sweet and terrifying. With an emphasis on lyrics depicting small disasters and celebration of everyday existence, their music is a blend of country, dirty blues and rock. Their influences include Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Dirty Three, PJ Harvey, Ennio Morricone, Tom Waits and Nina Simone.
Antistatic was a three-piece hard rock/alternative band formed in late 2003 in Perth, Western Australia.
Rollerskates are a five piece indie pop band from Perth, Western Australia. Their music is a mix of electronic sounds, dance music, hip-hop, rock and funk.
Eleventh He Reaches London were an Australian five-piece post-hardcore band formed in December 1999 in Perth as Our Lasting Loss. They changed their name in late 2002 and released three studio albums, The Good Fight for Harmony, Hollow Be My Name and Bānhūs. They disbanded in 2016.
Birds of Tokyo are an Australian alternative rock band from Perth, Western Australia. Their debut album, Day One, gained them domestic success, reaching number three on the AIR Independent Album charts and spending a total of 36 consecutive weeks in the top ten.
Calerway were a four-piece rock band from Perth, Western Australia.
New Rules for Boats is a five piece band from Perth, Western Australia, formed in early 2004.
The Fergusons were a five piece alternative rock band from Perth, Western Australia.
The Novocaines were a rock band based in Perth, Western Australia Briefly named The Howlin' Novocaines in 2007. They released their first two studio EPs, Ragdoll (2009) and Courtesy Eventually (2010), which were played by Australian radio station Triple J. They released their debut LP, Idle Time, in 2011.
The Brow is a band from Fremantle, Western Australia. The recently reshaped band has transformed over the last two years in anticipation of new releases. Current members are Nicholas Owen (NDORSE), Ben Fear, Karri Harper Meredith, Josh Ellis, Sam Timmerman, Josh Terlick, and Talia Hart.
review by Christian Wilkinson
| Authority control: Artists |
|---|
