Happyland
Encyclopedia
Happyland was an Australia
n band, whose music is best described as "pop but a little punky". They were composed of Spiderbait
's bassist/vocalist Janet English and her boyfriend of the time, Quan Yeomans
from Regurgitator
and were originally intended to be named "The Shits", but decided on Happyland.
Their only album, Welcome to Happyland, was released 25 August 1998, on the Polydor Australia
label. They also released the track "Tintarella di Luna" on the Looking for Alibrandi
soundtrack in 2000.
"Don't You Know Who I Am?", the single from Welcome to Happyland, came in at #28 in Triple J
's 1998 Hottest 100
music poll, while "Hello!" also made it in at #71. "Hello!" was originally going to be released on Regurgitator
's album Unit
but apparently did not fit with the rest of the album's content.
Happyland toured Australia as part of the 1999 Big Day Out
music festival, performing at shows on the Gold Coast
, Sydney
, Melbourne
, and Adelaide
http://www.bigdayout.com/history/past_lineups.php#1999. In their live shows, the band members dressed in fluffy animal costumes.
Quan mentioned in a 2001 interview in the Daily Telegraph
that Happyland were working on another release (backed up by a comment made by Quan on Live.com.au). However, they have both since stated that this is unlikely, as they have since split up, but remain good friends; with Janet saying in 2004, "A Happyland comeback? (laughs) Is it was just the one off thing, just a bit of fun when we had time off from our respective bands."
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n band, whose music is best described as "pop but a little punky". They were composed of Spiderbait
Spiderbait
Spiderbait are an Australian alternative rock band formed in Finley in 1989 by bass guitarist Janet English, singer-drummer Mark Maher , and guitarist Damian Whitty. In 2004 the group's cover version of the 1930s Lead Belly song "Black Betty" reached number one on the ARIA Singles Chart...
's bassist/vocalist Janet English and her boyfriend of the time, Quan Yeomans
Quan Yeomans
Quan Yeomans is an Australian musician best known as the frontman of the multi-ARIA Music Award winning band Regurgitator, which formed in Brisbane in December 1993.-Early years:...
from Regurgitator
Regurgitator
Regurgitator are an Australian rock band from Brisbane, currently consisting of Quan Yeomans , Ben Ely and Peter Kostic . The band formed in 1994, its original line-up consisting of Yeomans, Ely and drummer Martin Lee...
and were originally intended to be named "The Shits", but decided on Happyland.
Their only album, Welcome to Happyland, was released 25 August 1998, on the Polydor Australia
Polydor Records
Polydor is a record label owned by Universal Music Group, headquartered in the United Kingdom.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used as an export label in 1924, the British and German branches of the Gramophone...
label. They also released the track "Tintarella di Luna" on the Looking for Alibrandi
Looking for Alibrandi
Looking for Alibrandi is a 1999 Australian film written by Melina Marchetta based on the novel of the same name. The film sets in the 1990s Sydney, New South Wales and starring Australian actors, including Pia Miranda as Josephine Alibrandi, the film's main character, Anthony LaPaglia as her...
soundtrack in 2000.
"Don't You Know Who I Am?", the single from Welcome to Happyland, came in at #28 in Triple J
Triple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
's 1998 Hottest 100
Triple J Hottest 100, 1998
The 1998 Triple J Hottest 100, announced in January, 1999, was the sixth such countdown of the most popular songs of the year, according to listeners of the Australian radio station Triple J. As in previous years, a CD featuring 36 of the songs was released...
music poll, while "Hello!" also made it in at #71. "Hello!" was originally going to be released on Regurgitator
Regurgitator
Regurgitator are an Australian rock band from Brisbane, currently consisting of Quan Yeomans , Ben Ely and Peter Kostic . The band formed in 1994, its original line-up consisting of Yeomans, Ely and drummer Martin Lee...
's album Unit
Unit (album)
This was the second, and last, Regurgitator album to be pressed on vinyl until 2011 when SuperHappyFunTimeFriends was released.- Singles :The singles from this album in Australia are:* "Everyday Formula"* "Black Bugs"* "Polyester Girl"...
but apparently did not fit with the rest of the album's content.
Happyland toured Australia as part of the 1999 Big Day Out
Big Day Out
The Big Day Out is an annual music festival held in several cities in Australia and New Zealand in late January. It started in Sydney in 1992, spread to Adelaide, Melbourne and Perth by 1993, with the Gold Coast and Auckland joining in 1994...
music festival, performing at shows on the Gold Coast
Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
, Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, and Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
http://www.bigdayout.com/history/past_lineups.php#1999. In their live shows, the band members dressed in fluffy animal costumes.
Quan mentioned in a 2001 interview in the Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph (Australia)
The Daily Telegraph is an Australian tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, by Nationwide News, part of News Corporation.The Tele, as it is also known, was founded in 1879. From 1936 to 1972, it was owned by Frank Packer's Australian Consolidated Press. That year it was sold to...
that Happyland were working on another release (backed up by a comment made by Quan on Live.com.au). However, they have both since stated that this is unlikely, as they have since split up, but remain good friends; with Janet saying in 2004, "A Happyland comeback? (laughs) Is it was just the one off thing, just a bit of fun when we had time off from our respective bands."