The Fauves | Artist
The Fauves are an Australian rock band formed 1988 in Melbourne by Andrew Cox (guitar, vocals), Philip Leonard (guitar, vocals, brass), Andrew 'Jack' Dyer (bass), and Adam Newey (drums). Terry Cleaver took over on bass in 1999. All four members were students at Mt Eliza High School, Mornington Peninsula, in the outer suburbs of Melbourne. The band are known for their witty lyrics, melodic pop-rock and often satirical or evocative exploration of Australian themes. From song titles such as ‘Kickin’ On’, ‘Dragster For Christmas’ and ‘ Tell Someone Who Gives A Fuck’, their lyrics romanticise the fortune of growing up in Australia; it’s pub talk with your mates set to music. Their first gig was on 23 July 1988, at a local football club, with their energetic distillation of garage-punk rock riffs and surreal lyrics. After some promising early singles and EP's, the band landed a slot supporting the Church on a national tour of Australia. The band came to wider attention when they appeared on the bill of the first Big Day Out tour in January 1993. They then signed to Polydor Records and, in October of that year, released their debut long player, Drive Through Charisma, produced by the visual artist Robbie Rowlands. The 1994 computer game Quarantine featured the band's song "The Driver Is You" on its soundtrack, and their second album The Young Need Discipline was released in 1994. In 1995 the band released a non-album single "Everybody's Getting a 3 Piece Together" which was later included on the band's next album as a secret track. The Fauves's most successful album to date Future Spa was released in July 1996. The album yielded considerable radio success with singles "Dogs Are the Best People" and "Self Abuser" coming in at No. 20 and No. 30 respectively in the Triple J Hottest 100, 1996. Between the release of Future Spa and their album Lazy Highways, the band were filmed for Vanessa Stuart's one-hour documentary, The Fauves: 15 Minutes to Rock, which has since aired on SBS and was also screened at the Document Film Festival in October 2004. The band toured heavily throughout the 90s and undertook support slots for overseas touring acts including Morphine, Ween, Weezer, Live, The Grifters and Mr. Bungle. From their catalogue of 13 studio albums, standouts include Future Spa (1996), Lazy Highways (1998), Thousand Yard Stare (2000), and Footage Missing (2002). Also recommended is the compilation set Prefer Others B-Sides 1995-2002. When looking back on their long career Cox later recalled their first gig where "We learnt more about rock 'n' roll in that one night than the entire preceding 20 years. We sucked piss, made eyes at the cheap football tarts and bonded like four buckets of superglue. We also learnt how to compromise, how to sell out, and how to get fucked over. There was no rider, we were underpaid and no one got laid. It was a microcosm of an entire career." The band took their name from the short-lived French art movement, Fauvism, which was characterised by both its intensity and infatuation with colour.
Artist Website: thefauves.com
Featured Albums: The Fauves
Related Artists: Andrew Cox
