The Hummingbirds
Encyclopedia
The Hummingbirds were an indie pop
or jangle pop
band from Sydney
, Australia formed in 1986 from Bug Eyed Monsters. They were one of the most highly touted outfits to emerge from Sydney's inner-city scene during the late 1980s and were an early signing to the rooArt
label. The Hummingbirds' single "Blush" peaked at #19 on the ARIA singles charts
in 1989. They left rooArt in 1992 and disbanded in 1993.
ist Simon Holmes
, bassist
John Boyce and drummer
Mark Temple, after a few months of initial rehearsals as a three-piece, vocalist/guitarist Alannah Russack signed on. In early 1987, Boyce departed and was replaced by singer/bassist Robyn St. Clare. They were one of Australia's most promising acts in the late 1980s and early 1990s along with other up-and-comers like Ratcat
, Tall Tales and True
and The Falling Joys.
They debuted in July 1987 with the single "Alimony", it was followed by three more singles, "Everything You Said" in January 1988, "Swim to Shore" in July and "Hindsight" in November. All four singles were released on the independent label called Phantom Records
. All four singles were also re-issued by Phantom Records as a pack called 'Quatro', limited to 500 packs on coloured vinyl.
The Hummingbirds signed to rooART
in early 1989 and released their single "Blush" in August, it peaked at #1 on the Alternative music chart, and #19 on the ARIA singles charts
. Their first album, loveBUZZ
produced by Mitch Easter
, was released in May 1990. and peaked at #31 on the ARIA album charts
. It earned an American release, though sales were slow despite excellent reviews. In 1990, Nic Dalton
(The Plunderers) filled in on bass guitar - St. Clare, the regular bassist, took leave due to illness. Dalton returned to The Plunderers and was later a member of US alternative rock
band The Lemonheads
, The Hummingbirds had played support to The Lemonheads 1990 tour of Australia.
The Hummingbirds continued recording, releasing another album produced by Easter, April 1991's Va Va Voom, which peaked at #44 on the ARIA album charts. However, its release was delayed due to problems with RooArt. They were freed from their contract after the May 1992 EP You Just Gotta Know My Mind (title track is a Donovan
cover) with Dalton again deputising for St. Clare - who was pregnant with her and Holmes' son Milo. The Hummingbirds made two EPs on the small independent label IV Recordings, Gone in February 1993 and Tail in July. The band found it hard to justify their move from a major label like RooArt to the smaller IV Recordings and broke up after the release of Tail. They played their final show on 11 December 1993 at the Central Club Hotel in (Richmond) Melbourne, featuring Holmes, Russack, St. Clare and Melder.
Simon Holmes went on to record other albums with a new band, Fragile. Allanah Russack played in Sydney as a solo artist. Robyn St. Clare, whose composition "Into Your Arms
" was a hit for popular 1990s act The Lemonheads (with Dalton on bass guitar), has recorded with Ratcat and Sneeze
.
The band reformed for a reunion, after 17 years, on 27 January 2011 for the Big Day Out festival in Sydney.
Indie pop
Indie pop is a genre of alternative rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid 1980s, with its roots in the Scottish post-punk bands on the Postcard Records label in the early '80s, such as Orange Juice, Josef K and Aztec Camera, and the dominant UK independent band of the mid...
or jangle pop
Jangle pop
Jangle pop is a genre of alternative rock from the mid-1980s that "marked a return to the chiming or jangly guitars and pop melodies of the '60s" bands such as The Byrds, with their electric twelve-string guitars and power pop song structures. Mid-1980s jangle pop was a non-mainstream "pop-based...
band from 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...
, Australia formed in 1986 from Bug Eyed Monsters. They were one of the most highly touted outfits to emerge from Sydney's inner-city scene during the late 1980s and were an early signing to the rooArt
RooArt
rooArt was an Australian independent record label, founded in 1988 by INXS's then-manager, Chris Murphy. The label's roster included several well-known Australian bands and artists such as Crow, Ratcat, Screaming Jets, You Am I, Wendy Matthews, The Hummingbirds, The Trilobites and Amanda Brown...
label. The Hummingbirds' single "Blush" peaked at #19 on the ARIA singles charts
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
in 1989. They left rooArt in 1992 and disbanded in 1993.
Biography
The Hummingbirds formed in 1986 from the remnants of the short lived band Bug Eyed Monsters. Band members originally comprised singer/guitarGuitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
ist Simon Holmes
Simon Holmes (guitarist)
Simon Holmes was the singer and lead guitarist for the Australian 1980s band The Hummingbirds.-Biography:Simon spent part of his childhood in Canberra, attending the AME School, an alternative education institution that ran from 1972 - the 1990s, and Hawker College...
, bassist
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
John Boyce and drummer
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Mark Temple, after a few months of initial rehearsals as a three-piece, vocalist/guitarist Alannah Russack signed on. In early 1987, Boyce departed and was replaced by singer/bassist Robyn St. Clare. They were one of Australia's most promising acts in the late 1980s and early 1990s along with other up-and-comers like Ratcat
Ratcat
Ratcat were an Australian indie rock band of the late 1980s and early 1990s fronted by vocalist Simon Day. Their combination of indie pop songwriting and energetic punk-style guitar won them fans from both the indie and skate-punk communities.-Waterfront:...
, Tall Tales and True
Tall Tales and True
Tall Tales and True were a three piece band from Sydney formed in the early 1980s by Perth born musician, Matthew de la Hunty.-Biography:Matthew de la Hunty travelled to Sydney in 1983 and formed a group with Paul Miskin and Willie Mc Cracken . This unnamed outfit played only one gig at French's...
and The Falling Joys.
They debuted in July 1987 with the single "Alimony", it was followed by three more singles, "Everything You Said" in January 1988, "Swim to Shore" in July and "Hindsight" in November. All four singles were released on the independent label called Phantom Records
Phantom Records
Phantom Records was an Australian independent record label established by Dare Jennings Phantom Records was an Australian independent record label established by Dare Jennings Phantom Records was an Australian independent record label established by Dare Jennings (founder of Mambo (Clothing) and...
. All four singles were also re-issued by Phantom Records as a pack called 'Quatro', limited to 500 packs on coloured vinyl.
The Hummingbirds signed to rooART
RooArt
rooArt was an Australian independent record label, founded in 1988 by INXS's then-manager, Chris Murphy. The label's roster included several well-known Australian bands and artists such as Crow, Ratcat, Screaming Jets, You Am I, Wendy Matthews, The Hummingbirds, The Trilobites and Amanda Brown...
in early 1989 and released their single "Blush" in August, it peaked at #1 on the Alternative music chart, and #19 on the ARIA singles charts
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
. Their first album, loveBUZZ
LoveBUZZ
loveBUZZ is the debut album released by Australian rock band The Hummingbirds.The album was released on the rooART label in March 1990 . It peaked at #31 on the national album charts. The album eventually reached sales of approximately 40,000 copies...
produced by Mitch Easter
Mitch Easter
Mitch Easter is a songwriter, musician, and producer. As a producer, he is probably best known for his work with R.E.M. from 1981 through 1984, though he has also worked with many other acts including The Hang Ups, Pavement, Suzanne Vega, Game Theory, Marshall Crenshaw, Velvet Crush, and...
, was released in May 1990. and peaked at #31 on the ARIA album charts
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
. It earned an American release, though sales were slow despite excellent reviews. In 1990, Nic Dalton
Nic Dalton
Nic Dalton is an Australian musician, best known as the bass guitarist for American band The Lemonheads at the height of their popularity...
(The Plunderers) filled in on bass guitar - St. Clare, the regular bassist, took leave due to illness. Dalton returned to The Plunderers and was later a member of US alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band The Lemonheads
The Lemonheads
The Lemonheads are an American alternative rock band first formed in 1986 by Evan Dando, Ben Deily and Jesse Peretz. Dando has remained the band's only constant member....
, The Hummingbirds had played support to The Lemonheads 1990 tour of Australia.
The Hummingbirds continued recording, releasing another album produced by Easter, April 1991's Va Va Voom, which peaked at #44 on the ARIA album charts. However, its release was delayed due to problems with RooArt. They were freed from their contract after the May 1992 EP You Just Gotta Know My Mind (title track is a Donovan
Donovan
Donovan Donovan Donovan (born Donovan Philips Leitch (born 10 May 1946) is a Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist. Emerging from the British folk scene, he developed an eclectic and distinctive style that blended folk, jazz, pop, psychedelia, and world music...
cover) with Dalton again deputising for St. Clare - who was pregnant with her and Holmes' son Milo. The Hummingbirds made two EPs on the small independent label IV Recordings, Gone in February 1993 and Tail in July. The band found it hard to justify their move from a major label like RooArt to the smaller IV Recordings and broke up after the release of Tail. They played their final show on 11 December 1993 at the Central Club Hotel in (Richmond) Melbourne, featuring Holmes, Russack, St. Clare and Melder.
Simon Holmes went on to record other albums with a new band, Fragile. Allanah Russack played in Sydney as a solo artist. Robyn St. Clare, whose composition "Into Your Arms
Into Your Arms
"Into Your Arms" is a song by alternative rock band The Lemonheads. The song is included on the 1993 album Come on Feel the Lemonheads. It reached number one on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart in November 1993...
" was a hit for popular 1990s act The Lemonheads (with Dalton on bass guitar), has recorded with Ratcat and Sneeze
Sneeze (band)
Sneeze is a music group from Sydney, Australia consisting primarily of Nic Dalton and Tom Morgan from Smudge. They have had many extra band members including drummers Lara Meyerratken, Russell Hopkinson from You Am I, Simon Gibson from Half Miler, Evan Dando from The Lemonheads and Andy Calvert...
.
The band reformed for a reunion, after 17 years, on 27 January 2011 for the Big Day Out festival in Sydney.
Members
- John Boyce — bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
(1986–1987) - Simon HolmesSimon Holmes (guitarist)Simon Holmes was the singer and lead guitarist for the Australian 1980s band The Hummingbirds.-Biography:Simon spent part of his childhood in Canberra, attending the AME School, an alternative education institution that ran from 1972 - the 1990s, and Hawker College...
— vocals, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
(1986–1993) - Mark Temple — drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
(1986–1992) - Alannah Russack — vocals, guitar (1986–1993)
- Robyn St.Clare — bass guitar (1987–1993)
- Shane Melder — drums (1992–1993)
- Nic DaltonNic DaltonNic Dalton is an Australian musician, best known as the bass guitarist for American band The Lemonheads at the height of their popularity...
— bass (1990, 1992)
Albums
- loveBUZZLoveBUZZloveBUZZ is the debut album released by Australian rock band The Hummingbirds.The album was released on the rooART label in March 1990 . It peaked at #31 on the national album charts. The album eventually reached sales of approximately 40,000 copies...
- rooARTRooArtrooArt was an Australian independent record label, founded in 1988 by INXS's then-manager, Chris Murphy. The label's roster included several well-known Australian bands and artists such as Crow, Ratcat, Screaming Jets, You Am I, Wendy Matthews, The Hummingbirds, The Trilobites and Amanda Brown...
(May 1990) AUS #31 - Va Va Voom - rooART (April 1991) AUS #44
- Contradiction: The Best of The Hummingbirds - Camden BMGBMGBertelsmann Music Group, , was a division of Bertelsmann before its completion of sale of the majority of its assets to Japan's Sony Corporation of America on October 1, 2008. It was established in 1987 to combine the music label activities of Bertelsmann...
(2000) - Greatest Hits - BMG (July 2001)
EP's
- Tuesday - rooART (1990)
- (Just Gotta) Know My Mind - rooART (May 1992)
- Gone - IV Recordings (February 1993)
- Tail - IV Recordings (July 1993)
Singles
- "Alimony"/"Three in the Morning" - Phantom (July 1987)
- "Everything You Said"/"Get on Down" - Phantom (January 1998)
- "Swim to Shore"/"Be Careful" - Phantom (July 1988)
- "Hindsight"/"Dragged over the Coals" - Phantom (November 1988)
- "Quatro" pack containing the first 4 singles, limited to 500 packs on coloured vinyl - Phantom
- "Blush"/"Lay Her down Gently" - rooART (August 1989) AUS #19
- "Word Gets Around"/"Today of all Days" - rooART (November 1989) AUS #72
- "Alimony"/"Candle" - RooART (March 1990 re-release) AUS #79
- "If a Vow" - rooART (March 1991) AUS #73
- "2 Weeks with a Good Man in Niagara Falls" - rooART (July 1991) AUS #93
- "You Just Gotta Know My Mind" - rooART (May 1992) AUS #81
External links
- The Hummingbirds @ Australian Rock Database
- The Hummingbirds @ DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...
- The Hummingbirds @ MusicBrainzMusicBrainzMusicBrainz is a project that aims to create an open content music database. Similar to the freedb project, it was founded in response to the restrictions placed on the CDDB...
- "Blush" MP3 download