John Murphy (musician)
Encyclopedia
John Murphy sometimes credited as "Jonh Murphy", is an Australian drummer, percussionist and multi-instrumental session musician
who has played in numerous Australian and British post-punk
, ambient
and industrial music
groups. John is the son of an illustrious Australian jazz drummer Russ Murphy who played for many years with the Graeme Bell
All Stars, stalwarts of the early Australian music scene.
, Australia, where he played in the school orchestra
as well as Scottish
pipe bands. John was affectionately known by his school friends as "Peach" .
punk band in which he performed as "John Smith from the Suburbs". From the late 1970s until the mid 1980s he collaborated with vocalist Ollie Olsen
in the post-punk bands Whirlywirld
, Hugo Klang, Orchestra of Skin and Bone
, NO
, and Max Q.
He formed, joined, or collaborated with, the following acts: The Associates, Dumb And The Ugly
, Sooterkin Flesh, The Slub, SPK
, Lustmord
, Our Father Of Serpents, Stress
, Jaundiced Eye, The Wreckery, Whitehouse
, Death In June
, Der Blutharsch
, Sword Volcano Complex, Browning Mummery
, Current 93
, Blood Axis
, Kraang, Sleeping Pictures, Scorpion Wind, Naevus
and NON
, in addition to playing on sessions for Nico
, The The
, Gene Loves Jezebel
and Shriekback
.
Today he records solo under the name Shining Vril, as part of industrial electronic trio Knifeladder, and as a member of folk-noise group Foresta Di Ferro with Marco Deplano and Ostara
's Richard Leviathan. He splits his time between living in Australia
and the UK.
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
who has played in numerous Australian and British post-punk
Post-punk
Post-punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...
, ambient
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 industrial music
Industrial music
Industrial music is a style of experimental music that draws on transgressive and provocative themes. The term was coined in the mid-1970s with the founding of Industrial Records by the band Throbbing Gristle, and the creation of the slogan "industrial music for industrial people". In general, the...
groups. John is the son of an illustrious Australian jazz drummer Russ Murphy who played for many years with the Graeme Bell
Graeme Bell
Graeme Emerson Bell AO MBE is an Australian Dixieland and classical jazz pianist, composer and band leader...
All Stars, stalwarts of the early Australian music scene.
Early life
He was educated at Scotch College, MelbourneScotch College, Melbourne
Scotch College, Melbourne is an independent, Presbyterian, day and boarding school for boys, located in Hawthorn, an inner-eastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....
, Australia, where he played in the school orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
as well as Scottish
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
pipe bands. John was affectionately known by his school friends as "Peach" .
Career
Murphy's first major band was NEWS the seminal MelbourneMelbourne
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...
punk band in which he performed as "John Smith from the Suburbs". From the late 1970s until the mid 1980s he collaborated with vocalist Ollie Olsen
Ollie Olsen
Ollie Olsen 1958, Melbourne, Australia) is an Australian composer, synthesist and sound designer who has been producing and performing rock, electronic and experimental music for the past thirty years...
in the post-punk bands Whirlywirld
Whirlywirld
Whirlywirld was an Australian post punk band led by Ollie Olsen in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and the first of his musical collaborations with drummer John Murphy...
, Hugo Klang, Orchestra of Skin and Bone
Orchestra of Skin and Bone
Orchestra of Skin and Bone were an Australian post-punk band who were active during the 1980s. The band consisted principally of vocalist Ollie Olsen, Marie Hoy and percussionist John Murphy. They released a self-titled mini-LP in 1986, and numerous cassettes on underground noise labels...
, NO
No (band)
No were an Australian band, active during the late 1980s. They blended electronic music with nihilistic punk rock, in a similar fashion to New York's Suicide. The band included Ollie Olsen, Marie Hoy, Michael Sheridan, and others...
, and Max Q.
He formed, joined, or collaborated with, the following acts: The Associates, Dumb And The Ugly
Dumb And The Ugly
Dumb And The Ugly were an Australian band operating in the late 1980s and early 1990s. They consisted of Michael Sheridan , John Murphy , and David Brown ....
, Sooterkin Flesh, The Slub, SPK
SPK (band)
SPK, formed in 1978 in Sydney, Australia, was a 1980s and early 1990s industrial music and noise music group. One member, Graeme Revell, would later go on to become a successful Hollywood movie composer.-History:...
, Lustmord
Lustmord
Brian Williams is a British electronic musician often credited for creating the dark ambient genre with albums recorded under the name Lustmord.- History :Williams started recording as Lustmord in 1980 before joining SPK in 1982...
, Our Father Of Serpents, Stress
Stress
- Mechanical :* Stress , the average amount of force exerted per unit area* Compressive stress, the stress applied to materials resulting in their compaction...
, Jaundiced Eye, The Wreckery, Whitehouse
Whitehouse (band)
Whitehouse are a pioneering English power electronics band formed in 1980, largely credited for the founding of the power electronics subgenre.-History and personnel:...
, Death In June
Death in June
Death in June are a neofolk group led by English folk musician Douglas Pearce, better known as Douglas P. The band was originally formed in Britain in 1981 as a trio, but after the other members left in 1984 and 1985 to work on other projects, the group became the work of Douglas P. and various...
, Der Blutharsch
Der Blutharsch
Der Blutharsch is the primary musical project of Austrian musician Albin Julius.-History:...
, Sword Volcano Complex, Browning Mummery
Browning Mummery (Electronic sound works)
The name Browning Mummery was adopted in Sydney in 1983 by Australian electronic musician Andrew Lonsdale , as a vehicle for his contemporary electronic sound works. The name was taken from the label of an old 78 rpm platter without realising the original history of the artist...
, Current 93
Current 93
Current 93 is an eclectic British experimental music group, working since the early 1980s in folk-based musical forms. The band was founded in 1982 by David Tibet .-Background:Tibet has been the only constant in the group, though Steven Stapleton has appeared on...
, Blood Axis
Blood Axis
Blood Axis is an American Neofolk/Post-industrial band consisting of journalist and author Michael Moynihan, music producer Robert Ferbrache and musician and author Annabel Lee.-Early Blood Axis :...
, Kraang, Sleeping Pictures, Scorpion Wind, Naevus
Naevus (band)
Naevus is a British experimental rock group. Formed in London in 1998 by Lloyd James and Joanne Owen , Naevus were often categorised as part of the ‘neo-folk’ genre...
and NON
Non
Non, non or NON can refer to:* French equivalent to English "no"; Italian equivalent to English "not"; Latin equivalent to either "not" or "no"...
, in addition to playing on sessions for Nico
Nico
Nico was a German singer, lyricist, composer, musician, fashion model, and actress, who initially rose to fame as a Warhol Superstar in the 1960s...
, The The
The The
The The are an English musical and multimedia group that have been active in various forms since 1979, with singer/songwriter Matt Johnson being the only constant band member.-Early years :...
, Gene Loves Jezebel
Gene Loves Jezebel
Gene Loves Jezebel are a gothic rock band from the early 1980s, now two separate bands of the same name, founded by identical twin brothers, Michael and Jay Aston .-Early years: 1980-1989:...
and Shriekback
Shriekback
Shriekback are an English rock band, formed in 1981 in Kentish Town by Barry Andrews, formerly of XTC and League of Gentlemen , and Dave Allen, formerly of the Gang of Four , with Carl Marsh, formerly of Out On Blue Six soon added to the line-up. They were joined by Martyn Barker on drums in 1983...
.
Today he records solo under the name Shining Vril, as part of industrial electronic trio Knifeladder, and as a member of folk-noise group Foresta Di Ferro with Marco Deplano and Ostara
Ostara (band)
Ostara is a British folk music music group, "described in the musical press as a neo-folk / pop music hybrid", founded by Richard Leviathan and Timothy Jenn, as a change of name and stylistic direction from their previous band, Strength Through Joy. Jenn left the band in 2001...
's Richard Leviathan. He splits his time between living in Australia
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...
and the UK.