Waiting for bands to release a new album can take its toll on a music fan, but that wait gets even longer when the band breaks up, goes on hiatus, or just takes some time off.
With a hankering for some of our favourite local bands to return with some new music for us, we’ve picked out 10 Aussie bands who we’d love to see back in the studio cooking up a new record for us.
Killing Heidi
Back in the late ‘90s and early ’00s, Killing Heidi were everywhere. After being Unearthed by triple j in 1996 with the track ‘Kettle’ when frontwoman Ella Hooper was only 13, the band quickly saw a meteoric rice to fame.
In early 2000, they released the ARIA award-winning Reflector, which contained huge tracks like ‘Weir’, ‘Mascara’, and ‘Live Without It’, propelling the band into further superstardom. Two more releases followed over the next four years, but the band eventually decided to called it quits in 2006.
Now with the band back together, they’re older, wiser, and have a vast range of experiences to draw from when it comes to making a new record.
While Ella Hooper said in 2013 that she doesn’t think she could “sing such youthful, and youth based songs convincingly any more,” she’s been proving herself wrong at the band’s reunion gigs, and we’d love to see another chapter in the history of a brilliant Aussie band.
George
Coming out of Brisbane in the late ’90s, George was led by Katie and Tyrone Noonon. A classically-trained singer, Katie Noonan brought a level of vocal theatrics and skill that was rarely seen in the Aussie pop rock scene at the time.
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Releasing two studio albums in the early ’00s, George quickly became triple j darlings, with their tunes frequently finding themselves at the higher end of the Hottest 100 countdowns.
Following a breakup in 2005, George’s members went their seperate ways to pursue solo projects. After eleven years apart, the group announced in 2016 they were reforming for the Queenscliff Music Festival in Victoria.
Cog
When your father was one of the most underrated musicians of the ’70s and ’80s, you might be seen as having some rather big shoes to fill.
That was how Lucius Borich probably felt when he formed Cog in 1998, but thankfully a series of well-received EPs and albums proved that Cog were never bound to be a footnote in the Aussie music scene. After asserting themselves as one of Australia’s most beloved progressive-rock bands and live acts, Cog decided to call it a day in 2010.
Getting back together in 2016, the group have reissued their old EPs and have performed some pretty huge live shows. Plenty of fans are holding out hope that this reunion may lead to the recording of some new material, and frankly, so are we.
Big Heavy Stuff
So far, we’ve discussed plenty of bands that have recently reformed, but let’s take a different approach and talk about a band whose current status is up for debate.
Big Heavy Stuff were one of the biggest names in Sydney’s indie-rock scene in the ’90s. Fronted by Greg Atkinson, the group released a huge number of singles, but received minimal mainstream attention. Upon the release of their third record, Size Of The Ocean, tracks like ‘Hibernate’ saw the group finally see some of the success they deserved.
Since 2006, Big Heavy Stuff have been on a hiatus of sorts, occasionally reforming for gigs, but choosing to lay low for the majority of the time. While various members now play music in a range of different bands, we’re hoping that they might decide to join the long list of reunions that have been happening lately and decide to resurface so they may give us a follow-up to 2004’s Dear Friends And Enemies.
Jet
Jet are a band that need no introduction, having helped popularise the Aussie garage-rock movement at the start of the ’00s. With their debut record Get Born going on to sell over three million copies, they truly became Aussie rock royalty with a level of swagger that made it look almost effortless. Following two more records, Jet called it a day in 2012.
However, after a few years away, the Melbourne boys decided it was high time to get the band back together, serving as the support for Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band’s Aussie tour in 2017.
Midnight Oil
When we heard that Midnight Oil were reuniting for their first Aussie tour in 15 years, we were amongst the shocked fans of Australian rock that thought this would never happen. With huge demand for every show on the tour, it’s clear to see that music fans still love Midnight Oil, and for good reason.
That tour also marked 15 years since the group released their last record, Capricornia.
Smudge
Smudge’s Tom Morgan deserves to be recognised as one of the finest lyricists that this country has ever produced, and it’s quite a shame that Smudge fans haven’t had any new music to listen to since 1999. Following a three year hiatus from 1999 to 2002, fans were a little unsure of the band’s current status.
Sporadically active since then, the band still surface to play the occasional live show.
Clouds
When Sydney’s Clouds formed in 1989, they were revolutionary. Performing brilliantly crafted indie-rock, the group were quickly welcomed into the Aussie music scene.
Making a name for themselves over the next few years with countless singles and EPs, as well as releasing the brilliant debut record Penny Century, the girls were beloved along indie circles. Following the release of their fourth album, Futura, in 1996, the group broke up a year later.
Having reformed in 2011, they’ve toured sporadically, most recently touring with Blondie and Cyndi Lauper for A Day On The Green. In February of 2017, Clouds decided to release the Zaffre EP, their first dose of new music in 20 years.
While we were absolutely stoked to get this slice of new Clouds, at three songs, it’s not quite the album we’re waiting for. Could we maybe persuade Jodi Phillis and co. to maybe get to work on a long-awaited full-length release?
Jebediah
Bursting onto the Aussie music scene in the mid ‘90s, Western Australia’s Jebediah were quick to rise to the top, thanks to their quirky tunes, energetic live shows, and Kevin Mitchell’s endearing vocal style. Between 1997 and 2004, the group released four albums worth of hits before taking a five year hiatus between 2005 and 2010.
After releasing their fifth record, Kosciuszko, the group toured extensively. Now playing shows all the time, including some performances at A Day On The Green, we reckon it’s been enough time between records, and time for the Aussie rock legends to get together and record album number six.
Grinspoon
Grinspoon occupy a special place in Aussie music’s alternative bands, holding the distinction of being the very first band Unearthed by triple j all the way back in 1995. With countless hit singles (and almost as many entries in the annual Hottest 100), the group were unstoppable forces in the Aussie music scene. Sadly, following their 2012 release, Black Rabbits, the band decided to go on hiatus.
Now, with the band back together, and having completed a 20th anniversary tour for their classic Guide To Better Living debut, there’s nothing stopping Phil Jamieson and co. from jumping back into the recording studio and laying down some of those trademark riffs for a brand new record.
