National Campus Band Competition
Encyclopedia
The National Campus Band Competition is an annual Australia
n national band competition produced by the Australian Association of Campus Activities. To enter the competition, one band member must be enrolled at a participating university. In 2006, the overall winner of the competition received $8,000 worth of equipment, 3 days studio time and 3,000 mastered and duplicated CD’s.
The first Adelaide Student Band Competition was held in 1983 and the Victorian Student Band Competition was held in 1986, after an observation by Activities Officers on campus, that there were hundreds of student bands with nowhere to play, and needed an extra incentive to have a go. The brain-child of a bunch of Campus Activities Officers was enacted by posters on campus, and the response was staggering. The competition was such a success that by 1990 it went national.
Campus Activities in every state ran competitions on a local level, with the finalists playing it off at the University of NSW
. The first national winner was Helvelln, who later signed to Mushroom Records
. A crowd 2,000 attended the night backed by sponsorship from the National Aids Education Campaign Unit and National Youth Radio Station Triple J
.
Since then, the National final has travelled around the country (Sydney, Melbourne, Perth
, Lismore
, Adelaide and Wollongong
) and the competition has attracted more and more bands, as well as receiving great kudos from the music industry.
As Michael Gudinski of Mushroom Records once said,
Other notable bands which have competed in the National Campus Band Competition but didn't win the final for their respective year but have gone on to achieve national recording success include Frenzal Rhomb
, george
, Spiderbait
, The Mavis's
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 national band competition produced by the Australian Association of Campus Activities. To enter the competition, one band member must be enrolled at a participating university. In 2006, the overall winner of the competition received $8,000 worth of equipment, 3 days studio time and 3,000 mastered and duplicated CD’s.
The first Adelaide Student Band Competition was held in 1983 and the Victorian Student Band Competition was held in 1986, after an observation by Activities Officers on campus, that there were hundreds of student bands with nowhere to play, and needed an extra incentive to have a go. The brain-child of a bunch of Campus Activities Officers was enacted by posters on campus, and the response was staggering. The competition was such a success that by 1990 it went national.
Campus Activities in every state ran competitions on a local level, with the finalists playing it off at the University of NSW
University of New South Wales
The University of New South Wales , is a research-focused university based in Kensington, a suburb in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
. The first national winner was Helvelln, who later signed to 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...
. A crowd 2,000 attended the night backed by sponsorship from the National Aids Education Campaign Unit and National Youth Radio Station 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...
.
Since then, the National final has travelled around the country (Sydney, Melbourne, Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, Lismore
Lismore, New South Wales
Lismore is a subtropical town in northeastern New South Wales, Australia. Lismore is the main population centre in the City of Lismore local government area. Lismore is a regional centre in the Northern Rivers region of the State.-History:...
, Adelaide and Wollongong
Wollongong, New South Wales
Wollongong is a seaside city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. It lies on the narrow coastal strip between the Illawarra Escarpment and the Pacific Ocean, 82 kilometres south of Sydney...
) and the competition has attracted more and more bands, as well as receiving great kudos from the music industry.
As Michael Gudinski of Mushroom Records once said,
"The National Campus Band Competition is a great initiative. It gives new talent a chance for exposure. It is also a tremendous support to the Australian Music Industry."
The winners
- 1990: Hellveln (VICVictoria (Australia)Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
) - 1991: Storytime (WAWestern AustraliaWestern Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
) - 1992: Raisin Toast (SASouth AustraliaSouth Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
) - 1993: The Simpletons (NSWNew South WalesNew South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
) - 1994: Hardware (NSWNew South WalesNew South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
) - 1995: JebediahJebediahJebediah is an Australian alternative rock band formed in 1994 in Perth, Western Australia. The group consists of vocalist and guitarist Kevin Mitchell, guitarist Chris Daymond, bassist Vanessa Thornton, and Kevin's brother Brett Mitchell on drums...
(WAWestern AustraliaWestern Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
) - 1996: 78 Saab (CanberraCanberraCanberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
) - 1997: Eskimo JoeEskimo JoeEskimo Joe is an Australian alternative rock band formed by Stuart MacLeod on guitars, Joel Quartermain on drums and guitar and Kavyen Temperley on bass guitar and vocals, in East Fremantle, Western Australia in 1997....
(WAWestern AustraliaWestern Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
) - 1998: Big Wally (TasTasmaniaTasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
) - 1999: Chenlab (LismoreLismore, New South WalesLismore is a subtropical town in northeastern New South Wales, Australia. Lismore is the main population centre in the City of Lismore local government area. Lismore is a regional centre in the Northern Rivers region of the State.-History:...
) - 2000: Couchgrinder (VICVictoria (Australia)Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
) - 2001: Ungkas (SASouth AustraliaSouth Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
) - 2002: Proem (LismoreLismore, New South WalesLismore is a subtropical town in northeastern New South Wales, Australia. Lismore is the main population centre in the City of Lismore local government area. Lismore is a regional centre in the Northern Rivers region of the State.-History:...
) - 2003: TransportTransport (band)Transport is a three-piece independent rock band from Brisbane, Queensland, made up of Keir Nuttall , Scott Saunders and Steve Pope .-History:...
(QLDQueenslandQueensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
) - 2004: The Vasco EraThe Vasco EraThe Vasco Era is an Australian three piece rock/blues band based in Melbourne, Australia.-Brief history:Originally from Apollo Bay, but now based in Melbourne, the band's members are brothers Sid and Ted O'Neil and Michael Fitzgerald...
(VICVictoria (Australia)Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
) - 2005: The PreytellsThe PreytellsThe Preytells were a four piece indie rock band from Perth, Western Australia.-Biography:The Preytells rose to prominence as a result of their win at the 2005 Australian National Campus Band Competition....
(WAWestern AustraliaWestern Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
) - 2006: The EmbersThe EmbersThe Embers are an Australian six piece roots-fusion band based in Launceston, Tasmania, Australia. Musically the band draws on several genres including classical, jazz, folk, country and traditional Mexican music...
(TasTasmaniaTasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
) - 2007: Will Stoker and the EmbersWill Stoker and the EmbersWill Stoker and The Embers are a band based in Perth, Western Australia fronted by singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Will Stoker. In 2007 they won the Western Australian final of the National Campus Band Competition and then went to Melbourne to win the national final...
(WAWestern AustraliaWestern Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
) - 2008: RubyconRubycon (band)Rubycon is an Australian indie and alternative rock group formed in 2007.Known by their friends and family as "The Conway Family Band", the early three members: Sam Conway , Max Conway , and Riley Conway gained musical and performing experience by busking acoustically on the streets of Canberra...
(ACTAustralian Capital TerritoryThe Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...
) - 2009: The Downstairs Mix-Up (QLDQueenslandQueensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
) - 2010: Caballeros (WA)
Other notable bands which have competed in the National Campus Band Competition but didn't win the final for their respective year but have gone on to achieve national recording success include Frenzal Rhomb
Frenzal Rhomb
Frenzal Rhomb are an Australian punk rock band which formed in 1992 with mainstay Jason Whalley on lead vocals and rhythm guitar. In 1996, Lindsay McDougall joined the line-up on lead guitar and backing vocals. Two of the group's albums have peaked into the top 20 on the ARIA Albums Chart, A...
, george
George (band)
George are a rock band from Brisbane, Australia. Their first album, Polyserena reached #1 in the Australian Charts on 17 March 2002.-History:...
, 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...
, The Mavis's
The Mavis's
The Mavis's were an Australian pop band from Ballarat, Victoria. The band was composed of Matt Thomas , his sister Becky Thomas , Nick Gill , Andrea Vendy , and Josh Alexander . They are best known for their 1998 synth-driven single "Cry", which appeared on the Triple J Hottest 100 for 1998...