Today marks 25 years to the day since Silverchair released their iconic track ‘Freak’.
Former drummer of the band, Ben Gillies, has reflected on the poignant date on Instagram.
“25 years ago today we released the single Freak,” Gillies wrote alongside a photo of the cover art for the song.
Reflecting on the making of ‘Freak’, he added: “I remember band rehearsal above my parents garage. We called it the loft. Dan turned up with a riff & a rough melody. Then we all started jamming and moulding the song. At the time, it was my favourite drum part that I came up with.
“After some nips & tucks from management and some pre production, it became the track you know today,” he concluded in the caption.
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The Australian band formed in 1992 and consisted of Ben Gillies on drums, Daniel Johns on vocals and guitars, and Chris Joannou on bass guitar.
‘Freak’ was the first single from the band’s second album, Freak Show, and it gained such widespread acclaim that, even decades later, it remains a cornerstone when it comes to Australian alternative rock hits.
The song was released in January 1997, and the accompanying music video was filmed in December of the previous year.
The music video depicts in elderly women having a needle full of sweat injected into her. As the sweat is injected, she instantly appears more useful. Chasing a youthful look, the woman continues to consume sweat until she eventually morphs into an alien mutant. The video received a number of accolades, including ‘International Viewer’s Choice Award for MTV Australia’ at the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards.
The track itself also colossal praise, taking out the top spot on both the Australia ARIA charts and the UK Rock and Metal charts. It reached number 29 on the Billboard US Alternative Airplay charts.
Though Silverchair disbanded in 2011, Johns has been dominating headlines in recent times. This is largely due to his phenomenally successful podcast, ‘Who is Daniel John?’. In October of last year, the podcast over took Joe Rogan and The Inspired Unemployed’ to become Spotify’s most popular podcast in Australia.
More recently, Johns has announced that he will be releasing his first solo album since 2015.
“Thank you for listening to my podcast Who Is Daniel Johns?,” Johns shared via a personal letter to fans. “I didn’t know that I needed that experience but I did. The reception around the world has inspired me and I’m not anxious about what comes next anymore, I’m ready for the FutureNever.
“FutureNever is my new album, it is coming out April 1st 2022 and is available for pre-order now. This time I’m doing things on my own terms, FutureNever will be the first album I release on my own label via a new global deal with my friends at BMG.
“FutureNever is a place where your past, present and future collide – in the FutureNever the quantum of your past experiences become your superpower,” he continues. “The experience of the podcast has helped me make peace with my past and I’m ready to tackle this new world bravely.”
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Watch the music video for ‘Freak’ by Silverchair:
