Not Drowning, Waving were a musical group formed in Melbourne, Australia in 1983 by David Bridie

David Bridie

David Bridie is a musician from Melbourne, Australia. Bridie first rose to prominence as a member of Not Drowning, Waving, which he started in the early 1980s with guitarist John Phillips. They released four albums on Australian independent labels to some level of critical acclaim and very limited...

 and John Phillips. Their music combined elements of rock

Rock and roll

Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...

, ambient music

Ambient music

Ambient music is a musical genre that focuses largely on the timbral characteristics of sounds, often organized or performed to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual" or "unobtrusive" quality.- History :...

 and world music

World music

World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...

; their lyrics dealt with characteristically Australian topics: word-pictures of landscapes and people, the seasons, and some political issues – such as Indonesia

Indonesia

Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...

's invasion of East Timor

East Timor

The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor , is a state in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor...

. The group released nine albums and soundtracks until disbanding in 1994, they briefly reformed in 2001, 2003 and 2005–2006. From 2005 to 2007, they issued two compilation albums and a live album. Not Drowning, Waving won the 'Best Independent Release' at the ARIA Music Awards of 1992

ARIA Music Awards of 1992

The Sixth Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards was held on 6 March 1992 at the World Congress Centre in Melbourne. Hosts were international guest, Julian Lennon and local Richard Wilkins, they were assisted by presenters, Spinal Tap, Rod Stewart and Mick Jones to distribute 24...

 for Proof, their soundtrack for the 1991 film of the same name

Proof (1991 film)

Proof is a 1991 Australian film by Jocelyn Moorhouse starring Hugo Weaving, Geneviève Picot and Russell Crowe. It was chosen as "Best Film" at the 1991 Australian Film Institute Awards, along with 5 other awards, including Moorhouse for "Best Director", Weaving for "Best Leading Actor", and Crowe...

. In 1991, Bridie and fellow members of Not Drowning, Waving, formed a side-project, My Friend The Chocolate Cake

My Friend The Chocolate Cake

My Friend The Chocolate Cake is an Australian musical group based in Melbourne. They have recorded seven albums since being founded in 1989 by David Bridie and Helen Mountfort, members of Not Drowning, Waving...

 to play more acoustic

Acoustic music

Acoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means...

-based material.

History

Not Drowning, Waving were a musical group formed in Melbourne, Australia in 1983 – though they first performed as a group in 1984 – by David Bridie

David Bridie

David Bridie is a musician from Melbourne, Australia. Bridie first rose to prominence as a member of Not Drowning, Waving, which he started in the early 1980s with guitarist John Phillips. They released four albums on Australian independent labels to some level of critical acclaim and very limited...

 and John Phillips. Bridie and Phillips are trained in classical music and met when Bridie, on keyboards, was composing a track, "Moving Around" and asked Phillips to provide guitar. Their name is derived from Stevie Smith

Stevie Smith

Florence Margaret Smith, known as Stevie Smith was an English poet and novelist.-Life:Stevie Smith, born Florence Margaret Smith in Kingston upon Hull, was the second daughter of Ethel and Charles Smith. Contemporary Women Poets...

's poem Not Waving but Drowning

Not Waving but Drowning

"Not Waving but Drowning" is a poem by British poet Stevie Smith published in 1957 as part of a collection of the same title. The work, the most famous of Smith's poems, describes a man whose distressed thrashing in the sea causes onlookers to believe that he is waving to them...

. Rowan McKinnon soon joined on bass guitar and they recorded "Moving Around" with a drum machine. Other atmospheric instrumentals were recorded at the LaTrobe University's music department's studio. "Moving Around" was released as their debut single in April 1984 on the Rampant Records label.

While recording tracks for the debut album, Another Pond, Bridie and Phillips joined McKinnon (also on guitar) in the ambient pop band, Easter, with Russel Bradley on drums and percussion, and Tim Cole on vocals. Cole became sound engineer and recording producer for Not Drowning, Waving and Bradley and McKinnon soon joined that group too. Another Pond was issued in January 1985. Easter expanded with the addition of James Southall on congas and Greg Simmons on guitar and released a single, "Cheesecloth" in August. In September, Not Drowning, Waving issued a dance single, "Mr Pooh, (Do Be a Don't Be)".

Bridie and Phillips now concentrated on Not Drowning, Waving's second album, The Little Desert with Bradley, Cole, McKinnon and Southall (also on percussion) joined by Amanda Brotchie on vocals, Tanya Plack on flute and Phillip Wale on cello. The album appeared in January 1986. Bridie and Phillips also worked on the soundtrack for Canoe Man, a documentary about canoe makers from Manus Island

Manus Island

Manus Island is part of Manus Province in northern Papua New Guinea and is the largest island of the Admiralty Islands. It is the fifth largest island in Papua New Guinea with an area of 2,100 km², measuring around 100 km × 30 km. According to the 2000 census, Manus Island had a...

 in Papua New Guinea. Their work resulted in a six-track extended play (EP), The Sing Sing, which was released in June. Other members of Not Drowning, Waving have included Penny Hewson and Andrew Carswell.

In June 1987, the band issued their third album, Cold and the Crackle which was followed in December with an EP, I Did, recorded with Robby Douglas Turner on vocals. By 1989, Not Drowning, Waving left Rampant Records and signed with Mighty Boy to issue their fourth album, Claim in May. The album was voted 'Best Australian Album' on the Australian Rolling Stone

Rolling Stone Australia

Rolling Stone Australia is an Australian-based magazine devoted to music, politics, and popular culture that is published monthly, it is the Australian edition of the United States' Rolling Stone. Rolling Stone was initially released in Melbourne in May 1970 as a supplement in Revolution, an...

Critics Poll in 1989. Later that year, the group visited Papua New Guinea playing several concerts and meeting George Telek

George Telek

George Mamua Telek, commonly known simply as Telek is a singer from Papua New Guinea.Born in 1959 in Raluana, East New Britain Province, Telek is one of the few Papua New Guinean singers to gain international fame. Telek sang with various bands in Papua New Guinea early in his career - most notably...

 (Moab Stringband, Painim Wok) with whom they later recorded two tracks for their next album, Tabaran (March 1991). Tabaran was credited to Not Drowning, Waving and the Musicians of Rabaul, Papua New Guinea Featuring Telek. The album was nominated for 'Best Indigenous Release' at the ARIA Music Awards of 1992

ARIA Music Awards of 1992

The Sixth Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards was held on 6 March 1992 at the World Congress Centre in Melbourne. Hosts were international guest, Julian Lennon and local Richard Wilkins, they were assisted by presenters, Spinal Tap, Rod Stewart and Mick Jones to distribute 24...

.

Meanwhile, Helen Mountfort had joined on cello in 1990, and the group covered The Reels

The Reels

The Reels is an Australian rock/indie pop group which formed in Dubbo, New South Wales in 1976 and initially disbanded in 1991, they eventually reformed in 2007. Their 1981 song, "Quasimodo's Dream", was voted one of the Top 10 Australian songs of all time by a 100-member panel from Australasian...

 track "Kitchen Man" for a various artists' album, Used and Recovered By (1990). In 1991, Bradley, Bridie and Mountfort formed a side project, My Friend The Chocolate Cake

My Friend The Chocolate Cake

My Friend The Chocolate Cake is an Australian musical group based in Melbourne. They have recorded seven albums since being founded in 1989 by David Bridie and Helen Mountfort, members of Not Drowning, Waving...

, as an acoustic music group after Bridie took a holiday in New Zealand and wrote a collection of songs that did not fit into the Not Drowning, Waving style.

Not Drowning, Waving recorded the soundtrack for 1991 film Proof

Proof (1991 film)

Proof is a 1991 Australian film by Jocelyn Moorhouse starring Hugo Weaving, Geneviève Picot and Russell Crowe. It was chosen as "Best Film" at the 1991 Australian Film Institute Awards, along with 5 other awards, including Moorhouse for "Best Director", Weaving for "Best Leading Actor", and Crowe...

which was issued in April 1992. It won the 'Best Independent Release' and was nominated for 'Best Original Soundtrack / Cast / Show Album' at the ARIA Music Awards of 1992. They also worked on the soundtrack for Richard Lowenstein

Richard Lowenstein

Richard Lowenstein is an Australian film director. He has written, produced and directed the feature films He Died With A Felafel In His Hand, Dogs In Space, Say a Little Prayer, Strikebound and Ghost Story, as well as numerous ground-breaking and award-winning music videos for bands such as INXS...

's 1993 film Say a Little Prayer

Say a Little Prayer (film)

Say a Little Prayer is a children's film by Richard Lowenstein. It stars Sudi de Winter, Fiona Ruttelle, Rebecca Smart, Lynne Murphy and Jill Forster. The film was written by Richard Lowenstein, based on Robin Klein's novel, Came Back to Show You I Could Fly...

. By October 1992, Cole had left and the sixth studio album Circus was recorded at the Rockfield Studios

Rockfield Studios

Rockfield Studios, near Monmouth in Wales and just outside the village of Rockfield, Monmouthshire are where many of British rock music’s most successful recordings have been made.-History:...

 in Wales. It was produced by Hugh Jones (Simple Minds

Simple Minds

Simple Minds are a Scottish rock band who achieved worldwide popularity from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s. The band produced a handful of critically acclaimed albums in the early 1980s and best known for their #1 US, Canada and Netherlands hit single "Don't You ", from the soundtrack of the...

, Echo & the Bunnymen

Echo & the Bunnymen

Echo & the Bunnymen are an English post-punk band, formed in Liverpool in 1978. The original line-up consisted of vocalist Ian McCulloch, guitarist Will Sergeant and bass player Les Pattinson, supplemented by a drum machine. By 1980, Pete de Freitas had joined as the band's drummer, and their debut...

) for the White Label Records imprint on Mushroom Records

Mushroom Records

Mushroom Records is an Australian recoJrd company formed by Michael Gudinski and Ray Evans in Melbourne in 1972. After its sale in 1998, it merged into Festival Mushroom Records. From 2005 to 2009, it is one of the record labels operated by Warner Bros...

.

They were the support act for Peter Gabriel

Peter Gabriel

Peter Brian Gabriel is an English singer, musician, and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock group Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career...

 on his first tour of Australia in 1994. Early in the year, Bridie and Phillips compiled a selection of their soundtrack work as Projects 1983–93 which was issued in April. Late in the year, Bridie and Montfort recorded the soundtrack for the film Hammers Over the Anvil

Hammers Over the Anvil

Hammers Over the Anvil is a 1991 Australian drama film starring Russell Crowe and Charlotte Rampling, directed by Ann Turner. The screenplay by Peter Hepworth and Ann Turner is based on the novel by Alan Marshall...

, they used Jen Anderson on violin (ex-The Black Sorrows

The Black Sorrows

The Black Sorrows are an Australian band founded by Joe Camilleri, the group's only constant member. Founded in 1983, The Black Sorrows are still active today, and are best remembered for their top 40 Australian hits of the late 1980s and early 1990s, including "Hold On To Me", "Chained To The...

) and the horn section from Hunters & Collectors

Hunters & Collectors

Hunters & Collectors were an Australian rock music band formed in Melbourne in 1981, fronted by singer-songwriter and guitarist Mark Seymour, they developed a blend of pub rock and art-funk...

. It was issued as Hammers under the name Not Drowning, Waving. The group disbanded in 1994, while Bridie and Mountfort continued with their offshoot venture, My Friend The Chocolate Cake.

In November 2001, a short reunion of Not Drowning, Waving – consisting of Bradley, Bridie, Mountfort, Phillips and Southall in the line-up – occurred at the Corner Hotel in Richmond

Richmond, Victoria

Richmond is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Yarra...

 for the book launch of Blunt: A Biased History of Australian Rock. In February 2003, they reunited again for The Morning Star Concert for West Papua at the Melbourne Concert Hall. Another reunion, for several months, started in March 2005 when the band, together with Telek, performed twice at the 2005 WOMADelaide

WOMADelaide

WOMADelaide is an annual world music and dance festival, which was first held in 1992 in Botanic Park, Adelaide, South Australia as part of the WOMAD series of music festivals. WOMAD events are a showcase of different sorts of music, arts and dance. They encourage people to experience the music of...

 festival. Several other performances followed – at the 10th Fest'Napuan in Port Vila, Vanuatu

Port Vila

Port Vila is the capital and largest city of Vanuatu. Situated on the south coast of the island of Efate, in Shefa Province, the city population at last was 29,356, an increase of 55% on the previous census result . This suggests a 2007 population of about 40,000 or around 65% of the province's...

; the Corner Hotel; and the Northcote Social Club, Northcote

Northcote, Victoria

Northcote is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 7 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Darebin...

. The band's final show with the full lineup took place at Festival Melbourne2006 in the Alexandra Gardens, a free concert for Melbourne's Commonwealth Games

Commonwealth Games

The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years....

 celebrations on 25 March 2006. During this time they issued two compilation albums, Through the One Last Door – Best Of (2005) and Maps for Sonic Adventures (2006). A live album of performances from 1986 to 2005 was released as Live (At the Butchers' Picnic) in 2007.

Members

Band members have included:

• Russel Bradley – drums, percussion (1987–1993, 1996)
• David Bridie
  David Bridie
  David Bridie is a musician from Melbourne, Australia. Bridie first rose to prominence as a member of Not Drowning, Waving, which he started in the early 1980s with guitarist John Phillips. They released four albums on Australian independent labels to some level of critical acclaim and very limited...
  
   – piano, keyboards, vocals (1983–1993, 1996, 2001, 2003, 2005–2006)
• Amanda Brotchie – vocals (1985–1986)
• Andrew Carswell – mandolin
• Tim Cole – vocals (1984–1992, 1996)
• Phillip Flinker – (1984–1987)
• Darren Geraghty – (1984–1987)
• Penny Hewson – acoustic guitar
• Rowan McKinnon – bass guitar, guitar (1984–1993, 1996)
• Helen Mountfort – cello, vocals (1989–1993, 1996)
• John Phillips – guitar, samples, sounds (1983–1993, 1996, 2001, 2003, 2005–2006)
• Tanya Plack – flute (1985–1986)
• Jaqui Rutten – vocals (1984–1987)
• Tanya Smith – keyboards (1984–1987)
• James Southall – percussion (1987–1993, 1996)
• Phillip Wale – cello (1985–1986)

Albums

• Another Pond (1984; re-released in 1986, 1991 and 2007)
• The Little Desert (1985; re-released in 1991 and 2007)
• Cold and the Crackle (1987; re-released in 1991 and 2006)
• Claim (1989)
• Tabaran (1990; re-released in 2005)
• Proof (1991 soundtrack to Proof
  Proof (1991 film)
  Proof is a 1991 Australian film by Jocelyn Moorhouse starring Hugo Weaving, Geneviève Picot and Russell Crowe. It was chosen as "Best Film" at the 1991 Australian Film Institute Awards, along with 5 other awards, including Moorhouse for "Best Director", Weaving for "Best Leading Actor", and Crowe...
  
  )
• Follow the Geography (1993 compilation; though both with the same name, the tracks on the US release differ from those on the Australian release)
• Circus (1993)
• Hammers (1994 soundtrack to Hammers Over The Anvil
  Hammers Over the Anvil
  Hammers Over the Anvil is a 1991 Australian drama film starring Russell Crowe and Charlotte Rampling, directed by Ann Turner. The screenplay by Peter Hepworth and Ann Turner is based on the novel by Alan Marshall...
  
  )
• Through the One Last Door (2005 reunion/compilation album)
• Maps For Sonic Adventurers (2006 remix/compilation album)
• Live (At the Butchers' Picnic) (2007 30-track compilation of previously unreleased live recordings 1986–2005 — limited to 50 copies)

Extended plays

• Moving Around (1984)
• Hunting for Nuggets (1984)
• Mr. Pooh (Do Be a Don't Be) (1985)
• The Sing Sing (1986)
• I Did (1987 with Robby Douglas Turner)
• Spark (1993)
• Penmon (1993)

Singles

• "Willow Tree" (1990)
• "Fishing Trawler" (1990)
• "Kiap Song" (1991)
• "Pila Pila" (promo) (1991)