Nick Allbrook | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Nicholas Allbrook |
Born | Subiaco, Western Australia, Australia | 23 November 1987
Origin | Fremantle, Western Australia, Australia |
Genres | Psychedelic rock, psychedelic pop, neo-psychedelia, glam rock, funk, alternative rock |
Occupation(s) | Musician, singer, songwriter |
Instrument(s) | guitar, bass guitar, vocals, keyboards, synthesizers, piano, flute, drums |
Years active | 2006–present |
Labels | Modular Recordings |
Member of | Pond |
Formerly of | Tame Impala (touring member) |
Nicholas Allbrook (born 23 November 1987) is an Australian psychedelic rock musician, singer, and songwriter. He is best known as the frontman of Pond, and a member of musical duo Allbrook/Avery. He was a touring member of Tame Impala before leaving the group in 2013. [1]
Born in Perth, Western Australia, Allbrook grew up in Fremantle for the first 4 years of his life. He then moved with his parents to Derby, a town in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, where he lived until the age of 12. [2] After spending eight years moving around the Kimberley, Allbrook moved back to Perth where he spent the majority of his teenage life. Whilst living in Derby he attended Derby District High School. [2] Allbrook also attended Christ Church Grammar School in Perth, graduating in 2004.
Allbrook has a brother and sister, both "quite a bit older." [2]
During the main part his life in high school, music never came up as an interest for Allbrook. He was focused on skateboarding from year 8 to year 11, then became invested in soccer. Towards the end of year 12 he made friends with another student and started listening to music. At about the same time, his parents bought him a guitar, and he began to attend lessons with a local Perth teacher, though he has stated that he was "awful" at the time. [2]
Whilst beginning to play in a school band with his friends, Allbrook was interested in and listened to a lot of The Who and Led Zeppelin. It was around this time that he started to write his own songs, but he did not begin to record his own music until a couple of years later when he had a tape recorder.
In 2007 he bought a flute off eBay, and figured out how to play using the internet. [2]
In 2005 Allbrook's first serious band, Electric Blue Acid Dogs, formed out of his and his friends' interest in alternative music. To begin, the lineup was Allbrook, and his two friends Steve and Nathan. They performed blues covers and recorded songs on tape recorders. [2] Later, the band were forced to change their name to Mink Mussel Creek enter in band competitions due to the drug reference ("Acid"). At the same time, they recruited Sam Devenport to be their drummer. [2]
It was through one of these competitions in 2007 that Allbrook first met Kevin Parker, when Mink Mussel Creek battled the Dee Dee Dums (which would later become the basis of Tame Impala). Parker drummed for the band whilst they waited for Devenport to arrive, and the band decided that Parker should permanently become the drummer, allowing Devenport to pursue his acting career. [2]
From 2007, Mink Mussel Creek, which finally settled as Nick Allbrook on vocals, Shiny Joe Ryan on guitar, Steve Summerlin on bass, Richard Ingham on synths and Kevin Parker on drums, slowly began gaining popularity in the Perth music scene. [3]
In 2008, after receiving an AUS$10,000 government grant, Mink Mussel Creek recorded its first album. However, due to circumstances out of the band's control, primarily concerning a problematic producer and dysfunctional recording process, the album was never released. [3] The album was eventually leaked on the internet under the title Kingdom Tapes, [4] and the band members went their separate ways with other musical projects.
2011 saw Mink Mussel Creek reform and re-record their much awaited album, Mink Mussel Manticore. The album was recorded live at local Fremantle venue, the Norfolk Basement, and released on USB wristband. As of 2014, the album has also been reissued online and on vinyl. [3] [5]
After supporting Parker as a live member of Tame Impala for five years (2008–2013), Allbrook departed the group to "screw his head back on" and focus on his other projects. [6] [7] His place as bassist was replaced by long time friend and fellow musician Cam Avery.
In 2008 Nick Allbrook, Jay Watson and Shiny Joe Ryan had the idea of an "ego-free project where they were able to get anyone they wanted to play whatever they wanted." [8] That project was to be known as Pond. To date, Pond have released nine studio albums: Psychedelic Mango (2009), Corridors of Blissterday (2009), Frond (2010), Beard, Wives, Denim (2012), Hobo Rocket (2013), Man It Feels Like Space Again (2015), The Weather (2017), Tasmania (2019), 9 (2021), and Stung! (2024).
Allbrook/Avery is a musical project between Nicholas Allbrook and Cam Avery, formed in 2011. It began when Allbrook, homeless at the time, moved into the back room of Avery's house. They discovered a mutual love of lo-fi music and began writing together. [9] He has stated that, "Allbrook/Avery’s just a lot more of a relaxed… gradual process of me and Cam writing songs and sharing them with each other and recording them with whatever people we see fit." [2]
To date, the duo has released one album released, Big 'Art (2011). Another album, recorded with four members of The Horrors in one week in 2013, has been "filed away" with "no release date as of yet". [10] Allbrook has said that he "doesn't know where it is", while Avery has said that it is in "post-production". [11] A third album has also been mentioned. [7]
In 2014, Allbrook released his first solo album with Spinning Top Records titled Ganough, Wallis & Fatuna. In 2016, Allbrook released a second solo album titled Pure Gardiya. In 2019, he released his third solo album titled Wabi Sabi Bruto Bruta.
In February 2023, Allbrook announced the forthcoming release of his fourth studio album, Manganese, released June 2023. [12] In an album review, Alex Gallagher from NME said "While Nicholas Allbrook can seem larger than life when fronting kaleidoscopic psych-pop band Pond, his fourth album trades aplomb for honesty. Slow burners like closer 'The Night Before You Flew' are starkly intimate, beautiful while feeling like they may break at any moment." [13]
Title | Details |
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Ganough, Wallis And Fatuna. |
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Pure Gardiya |
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Wabi Sabi Bruto Bruta |
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Manganese |
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Title | Details |
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surf ii |
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"Let It Happen" is a song by Tame Impala, the project of Australian rock artist Kevin Parker. It was released as the lead single from his third studio album under the moniker, Currents (2015), on 10 March 2015. The song centers on accepting personal transition, and was worked on in various locations around the world. The song runs at nearly eight minutes long, and its second half contains a section of the song repeating akin to a scratched Compact Disc, and stripped-down lyrics consisting of gibberish. It also has vocoded-like vocals in the second half, which were actually manipulated with a keyboard sampler. Like with the rest of Currents, Parker was the song's sole writer and producer.
Tame Impala is the psychedelic music project of Australian singer and multi-instrumentalist Kevin Parker. In the recording studio, Parker writes, records, performs, and produces all of the project's music. As a touring act, Tame Impala consists of Parker, Dominic Simper, Jay Watson, Cam Avery, and Julien Barbagallo. The group has a close affiliation with fellow Australian psychedelic rock band Pond, sharing members and collaborators, including Nick Allbrook, formerly a live member of Tame Impala. Originally signed to Modular Recordings, Tame Impala is now signed to Interscope Records in the United States and Fiction Records in the United Kingdom.
Innerspeaker is the debut studio album by Australian musical project Tame Impala, released on 21 May 2010 by Modular Recordings. The album was recorded and produced by musician Kevin Parker at a remote beach shack in Western Australia during the summer of 2009, who also wrote every track on it except for the interlude after "The Bold Arrow of Time".
Pond is an Australian psychedelic rock band from Perth, Western Australia, formed in 2008. Initially featuring a revolving line-up, since 2016 the band has consisted of Nick Allbrook, Jay Watson, Shiny Joe Ryan, Jamie Terry, and James Ireland.
Lonerism is the second studio album by Australian musical project Tame Impala, released on 5 October 2012 by Modular Recordings. Like the band's debut studio album, Innerspeaker (2010), Lonerism was written, recorded, performed, and produced by Kevin Parker, with live member Jay Watson contributing on two tracks. Recorded mostly in Perth, Australia, and Paris, France, Lonerism builds on the psychedelic sound of its predecessor and features fewer guitars and more synthesisers and samples. Parker attempted to incorporate his love for pop music into his songwriting for the record through catchier melodies. Many tracks feature ambient sounds recorded by Parker with a dictaphone. The album's theme of isolation is reflected in the album cover, featuring an image of a fenced-off Jardin du Luxembourg in Paris.
Kevin Richard Parker is an Australian singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, and DJ, best known for his musical project Tame Impala, for which he writes, performs, records, and produces the music. Parker has released four Tame Impala albums: Innerspeaker (2010), Lonerism (2012), Currents (2015), and The Slow Rush (2020). He has won 13 ARIA Music Awards, two APRA Awards, and a Brit Award, and has received four Grammy Award nominations.
"Why Won't You Make Up Your Mind?" is a song by the Australian band Tame Impala, released as a single in 2011. It was recorded during the sessions for the Innerspeaker album in 2009, and released as the fourth single from that album. The single features artwork from Australian artist Leif Podhajsky, who also created the artwork for Innerspeaker and the follow-up Lonerism.
Beard, Wives, Denim is the fourth studio album by Australian psychedelic rock band Pond, released in Australia on 2 March 2012, through Modular Recordings. Most of the album was recorded over two weeks at Zampatti Farm in Eagle Bay, Western Australia in April 2010, which is pictured on the album cover. The album was preceded by three singles: "Fantastic Explosion of Time", "Moth Wings", and "Mystery".
"Elephant" is a song by Australian musical project Tame Impala, released on 26 July 2012 as the lead single from their second album Lonerism (2012). The single features artwork from Australian artist Leif Podhajsky, who also created the artwork for Innerspeaker and the follow-up Lonerism.
Hobo Rocket is the fifth studio album by Australian psychedelic rock band Pond, released in Australia on 2 August 2013, through Modular Recordings.
Jay Wesley Watson is an Australian multi-instrumentalist, producer, singer and songwriter. He is best known as a touring member of the psychedelic rock band Tame Impala and as a co-founder of the psychedelic rock/pop band Pond, with whom he's recorded ten albums. Watson also records solo material under the name GUM and, as of 2023, has released six studio albums under this name. In addition, he sometimes collaborates with fellow Pond member James Ireland as the duo GUM & Ginoli, remixing songs originally recorded by a variety of different artists, and occasionally contributes production and mixing to the solo projects of fellow Pond members as well as other local Perth musicians.
Cameron Avery is an Australian multi-instrumentalist, musician, singer and songwriter. He is best known as a member of the bands Pond and Tame Impala, and as the frontman for The Growl.
The discography of Tame Impala, a psychedelic rock project by the Australian musician Kevin Parker, consists of four studio albums, two live albums, four extended plays, twenty two singles and several collaborations and compilation appearances.
Currents is the third studio album by Australian musical project Tame Impala, released on 17 July 2015 by Modular Recordings. It was released by Interscope Records in the United States and by Fiction Records in the United Kingdom, while Caroline International released it in other regions. Like the project's previous two albums, Currents was written, recorded, performed, and produced by Kevin Parker. For the first time, Parker mixed the music and recorded all instruments by himself; the album featured no other collaborators.
Joseph Michael "Shiny Joe" Ryan is an Irish-Australian psychedelic rock musician, singer and songwriter. He is the founding mainstay multi-instrumentalist and guitarist of Pond, which have released nine albums. Ryan has issued two solo albums, The Cosmic Microwave Background and Shiny's Democracy. He also does the visuals for fellow Australian band Tame Impala.
The Weather is the seventh studio album by Australian psychedelic rock band Pond. It was released on 5 May 2017 by Marathon Artists. As with previous Pond albums, it is also co-produced by former member and Tame Impala frontman Kevin Parker. It features 10 tracks, led by its first single "Sweep Me Off My Feet".
Camp Doogs is a camping and music festival held in Western Australia's South West region. The festival has featured a number of Australian and international acts. It is held yearly in the Shire of Harvey but in previous years was held in the Shire of Nannup.
Tasmania is the eighth studio album by Australian psychedelic rock band Pond. It was released on 1 March 2019 by Spinning Top Records via Caroline Australia. As with previous Pond albums, it is also produced by former member and Tame Impala frontman Kevin Parker. It features 10 tracks, led by third single "Daisy".
"Patience" is a song by Australian psychedelic music project Tame Impala. It was released as a single on 22 March 2019 through Modular Recordings. It was written and produced by Kevin Parker, and was his first single since "The Less I Know the Better" in 2015.
9 is the ninth studio album by Australian psychedelic rock band Pond. It was released on 1 October 2021 by Spinning Top Records. The album was produced by the band themselves, the first since 2012's Beard, Wives, Denim to not be co-produced by former member Kevin Parker, with bandmates Jay Watson and James Ireland on mixing duties.