The Fergusons
Encyclopedia
The Fergusons were a five piece alternative rock
band from Perth
, Western Australia
.
The band's first gig was at the Grosvenor Hotel as part of the '20 Minutes of Fame' band competition in March 2000. As a result of their performance the band scored their first 'real' gig - supporting Turnstyle, Red Jezebel
, Cartman
and Fourth Floor Collapse
at the Grosvenor Hotel's 113th Birthday celebrations in May 2000.
In June 2001 the Fergusons released their debut EP, Hurting the Washing Machine. The EP topped the local charts and received airplay on community radio nationwide. The song "Waste of Time" was added to moderate rotation on Triple J
. The band were interviewed by Richard Kingsmill
on the Oz Music Show, and they later recorded a four track live set for the program.
The band were winners in the category of 'Best Emerging Act' for Western Australia at the Australian Live Music Awards.
In September 2001 the Fergusons won three WAMI awards
, including most popular CD launch. The band then headed back to the studio, recording their second EP, Never Too Young To Hitchhike which was released in May 2002. The song "Everything's Gone Bad' received very heavy rotation on Triple J
, and went on reach #88 on Triple J's Hottest 100
. The band's live following in Perth continued to expand, culminating in a performance at the ABC Studios in Perth for Triple J's Live at the Wireless
in September 2002.
Following The Fergusons performance at Perth's Rock-It
Festival in October 2002, they headed to the east coast for the first time, playing a couple of shows with UK band Seafood
. Their live shows impressed representatives of the label Dew Process
eventually resulting in the band signing a deal with Dew Process, and the label re-releasing Never Too Young To Hitchhike in digipack format in early 2003.
In February 2003 the band played at the Perth Big Day Out
, touring the eastern states again in April, with You Am I
and Palladium
. Whilst in Melbourne they recorded the "Sinner is Red" single and was produced by Melbourne based Lindsay Gravina (Magic Dirt
, Eskimo Joe
, Jebediah
, The Living End
, Jet
), Spiderbait
). "Sinner Is Red" was released on 14 July, as the first single from The Fergusons' forthcoming album.
With major supports, such as The Breeders
, J Mascis, The Salteens
, and The Violent Femmes, high rotation on national and local radio stations across the country, several WAMI Awards
and a live performance at Splendour in the Grass
in 2003, the band had come a long way from their Perth garage.
At the end of 2003 Mike Bruce decided to leave the band and played his last show with the Fergusons at Curtin University in February 2004. The band continued as a four-piece, and in March and April the Fergusons toured with the Hoodoo Gurus
on the Western Australian leg of their national tour.
Jonathan Burnside (Eskimo Joe
, The Sleepy Jackson
) was recruited as producer for the Fergusons' debut album and he came to Perth in July 2004 to do a week of pre-production on the album. Along the way he added horns, strings and other instrumentation which saw the album's budget skyrocket. Universal Records refused to fund the album, meaning Dew Process were unable to continue recordings. In September 2004 the band and the label severed ties. In November 2004 Matt Wheeler decided to move to Melbourne, resulting in the remaining members of the band decided to call it a day.
The Fergusons played a farewell gig early in 2005 to a packed Amplifier Bar with support from a host of Western Australia's favourite indie bands. Though their debut album was in the pipeline for a couple of years, the long-player was never completed.
Since the band's split, Nistelberger, Joyce and Beadon have been working on a new project, the Bipolar Bears, which also features Little Birdy
drummer Matt Chequer.
In 2007 three of the band members, Nistelberger, Joyce and Beadon re-formed for a one off acoustic performance in Fremantle, Western Australia
where they were joined on stage by members of Little Birdy
, Eskimo Joe
and The Avenues.
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 from 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....
, Western Australia
Western Australia
Western 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...
.
History
The Fergusons formed around late 1999/early 2000, comprising Al Nistelburger (vocals, guitar), Mike Bruce (vocals, guitar), Wayne Beadon (guitar), Grant Joyce (bass) and Matt Wheeler (drums). Beadon and Joyce met when forming the band Hornbaker and Nistelburger and Bruce met forming Tarmac. Both bands met on the Perth music scene both being booking for a number of gigs.The band's first gig was at the Grosvenor Hotel as part of the '20 Minutes of Fame' band competition in March 2000. As a result of their performance the band scored their first 'real' gig - supporting Turnstyle, Red Jezebel
Red Jezebel
Red Jezebel is a four piece indie rock band from Perth, Western Australia.-Early years:The band competed in the WA final of the Australian National Campus Band Competition at North Perth's Planet Nightclub in 1997...
, Cartman
Cartman (band)
Cartman was a four piece indie rock band from Perth, Western Australia.-Early years:The band was formed in 1997 in what began as a desperate attempt to enter a songwriting competition by Joe Hawkins....
and Fourth Floor Collapse
Fourth Floor Collapse
-History:Fourth Floor Collapse originated in the northern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia, playing their first show at the Rosemount Hotel in 1998. They became the most awarded unsigned band in Australia, taking out the Next Big Thing Competition in 1999 and winning ten Western Australian Music...
at the Grosvenor Hotel's 113th Birthday celebrations in May 2000.
In June 2001 the Fergusons released their debut EP, Hurting the Washing Machine. The EP topped the local charts and received airplay on community radio nationwide. The song "Waste of Time" was added to moderate rotation on 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...
. The band were interviewed by Richard Kingsmill
Richard Kingsmill
Richard "The King" Kingsmill is an Australian radio announcer and music journalist.He is best known for his work at national youth broadcaster triple j. His career at the station started in 1988 as a producer for station presenters George Wayne, Tracee Hutchison and Tim Ritchie...
on the Oz Music Show, and they later recorded a four track live set for the program.
The band were winners in the category of 'Best Emerging Act' for Western Australia at the Australian Live Music Awards.
In September 2001 the Fergusons won three WAMI awards
West Australian Music Industry Awards
The Western Australian Music Industry Awards are annual awards presented to the local contemporary music industry, put on by the Western Australian Music Industry Association Inc...
, including most popular CD launch. The band then headed back to the studio, recording their second EP, Never Too Young To Hitchhike which was released in May 2002. The song "Everything's Gone Bad' received very heavy rotation on 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...
, and went on reach #88 on Triple J's Hottest 100
Triple J Hottest 100, 2002
The 2002 Triple J Hottest 100, announced on 26 January 2003, was the tenth 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 39 songs was released. For the first time, a DVD, containing film...
. The band's live following in Perth continued to expand, culminating in a performance at the ABC Studios in Perth for Triple J's Live at the Wireless
Live at the Wireless
Live at the Wireless is a radio show, and now a long standing tradition, of Triple J, an Australian radio station. Live music is one of the central philosophies of the station....
in September 2002.
Following The Fergusons performance at Perth's Rock-It
Rock-It
Rock-It is an Australian music festival held at the Arena Joondalup in the northern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia. The festival was first held in 1999, and mainly features modern rock music...
Festival in October 2002, they headed to the east coast for the first time, playing a couple of shows with UK band Seafood
Seafood (band)
Seafood were a UK band formed in London around 1996.The line-up included chief songwriter David Line , Caroline Banks and Kevin Penney who joined the band following the departure of founder-member Charles MacLeod...
. Their live shows impressed representatives of the label Dew Process
Dew Process
Dew Process is an Australian independent record label based in Brisbane, Queensland founded by Paul Piticco. The label essentially develops talent from Australia as well as provide promotional, marketing and distribution services for foreign artists looking for a home for their music in Australia...
eventually resulting in the band signing a deal with Dew Process, and the label re-releasing Never Too Young To Hitchhike in digipack format in early 2003.
In February 2003 the band played at the Perth 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...
, touring the eastern states again in April, with You Am I
You Am I
You Am I are an Australian alternative rock band, fronted by vocalist/guitarist and main songwriter Tim Rogers. They were the first Australian band to have three albums successively debut at #1 on the ARIA Charts, and are renowned for their live performances.-History:Tim Rogers formed the first...
and Palladium
Palladium
Palladium is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Pd and an atomic number of 46. It is a rare and lustrous silvery-white metal discovered in 1803 by William Hyde Wollaston. He named it after the asteroid Pallas, which was itself named after the epithet of the Greek goddess Athena, acquired...
. Whilst in Melbourne they recorded the "Sinner is Red" single and was produced by Melbourne based Lindsay Gravina (Magic Dirt
Magic Dirt
Magic Dirt are an Australian rock band, which formed in 1991 in Geelong, Victoria, with Daniel Herring on guitar, Adam Robertson on drums, Adalita Srsen on vocals and guitar, and Dean Turner on bass guitar. Initially known as Deer Bubbles and then The Jim Jims, they were renamed as Magic Dirt in...
, Eskimo Joe
Eskimo Joe
Eskimo 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....
, Jebediah
Jebediah
Jebediah 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...
, The Living End
The Living End
The Living End are an Australian rock band from Melbourne, Victoria, formed in 1994. The current lineup consists of Chris Cheney , Scott Owen and Andy Strachan...
, Jet
Jet (band)
Jet are an Australian rock band formed in 2001 while attending St Bede's College Mentone in Melbourne, . The band consists of lead guitarist Cameron Muncey, bassist Mark Wilson, and brothers Nic and Chris Cester on vocals/rhythm guitar and drums respectively...
), 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...
). "Sinner Is Red" was released on 14 July, as the first single from The Fergusons' forthcoming album.
With major supports, such as The Breeders
The Breeders
The Breeders are an American alternative rock band formed in 1988 by Kim Deal of the Pixies and Tanya Donelly of Throwing Muses. The band has experienced a number of line-up changes; the current line-up consists of Kim Deal , her twin sister Kelley Deal , Jose Medeles , Mando Lopez Todd the Fox...
, J Mascis, The Salteens
The Salteens
The Salteens are a Canadian indie pop group formed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in 1997. The band is in rotation on CBC Radio.-History:Their 2000 debut LP Short-Term Memories was released on Endearing Records...
, and The Violent Femmes, high rotation on national and local radio stations across the country, several WAMI Awards
West Australian Music Industry Awards
The Western Australian Music Industry Awards are annual awards presented to the local contemporary music industry, put on by the Western Australian Music Industry Association Inc...
and a live performance at Splendour in the Grass
Splendour in the Grass
Splendour in the Grass is an annual Australian music festival held in July at Woodford, Queensland, and previously held at Belongil Fields, outside Byron Bay...
in 2003, the band had come a long way from their Perth garage.
At the end of 2003 Mike Bruce decided to leave the band and played his last show with the Fergusons at Curtin University in February 2004. The band continued as a four-piece, and in March and April the Fergusons toured with the Hoodoo Gurus
Hoodoo Gurus
Hoodoo Gurus are an Australian rock band, formed in Sydney in 1981, by the mainstay Dave Faulkner and later joined by Richard Grossman , Mark Kingsmill , and Brad Shepherd...
on the Western Australian leg of their national tour.
Jonathan Burnside (Eskimo Joe
Eskimo Joe
Eskimo 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....
, The Sleepy Jackson
The Sleepy Jackson
The Sleepy Jackson are an Australian alternative rock band formed in Perth, Western Australia. The band's name was inspired by a former drummer who was narcoleptic. The band revolves around the distinctive vocal style of multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Luke Steele...
) was recruited as producer for the Fergusons' debut album and he came to Perth in July 2004 to do a week of pre-production on the album. Along the way he added horns, strings and other instrumentation which saw the album's budget skyrocket. Universal Records refused to fund the album, meaning Dew Process were unable to continue recordings. In September 2004 the band and the label severed ties. In November 2004 Matt Wheeler decided to move to Melbourne, resulting in the remaining members of the band decided to call it a day.
The Fergusons played a farewell gig early in 2005 to a packed Amplifier Bar with support from a host of Western Australia's favourite indie bands. Though their debut album was in the pipeline for a couple of years, the long-player was never completed.
Since the band's split, Nistelberger, Joyce and Beadon have been working on a new project, the Bipolar Bears, which also features Little Birdy
Little Birdy
Little Birdy are an Australian indie rock band formed in Perth, Western Australia in 2002 by singer and guitarist Katy Steele, drummer Matt Chequer, guitarist and keyboardist Simon Leach, and bass guitarist Scott O'Donoghue...
drummer Matt Chequer.
In 2007 three of the band members, Nistelberger, Joyce and Beadon re-formed for a one off acoustic performance in Fremantle, Western Australia
Fremantle, Western Australia
Fremantle is a city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle was the first area settled by the Swan River colonists in 1829...
where they were joined on stage by members of Little Birdy
Little Birdy
Little Birdy are an Australian indie rock band formed in Perth, Western Australia in 2002 by singer and guitarist Katy Steele, drummer Matt Chequer, guitarist and keyboardist Simon Leach, and bass guitarist Scott O'Donoghue...
, Eskimo Joe
Eskimo Joe
Eskimo 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....
and The Avenues.
Band members
- Al Nistelberger - guitar, vocals
- Grant Joyce - bass, vocals
- Wayne Beadon - guitar, vocals
- Matt Wheeler - drums, vocals
- Mike Bruce - guitar, vocals
Albums/EPs
- Hurting The Washing Machine - Independent (June 2001)
- Never Too Young To Hitchhike - Independent (May 2002) / Dew ProcessDew ProcessDew Process is an Australian independent record label based in Brisbane, Queensland founded by Paul Piticco. The label essentially develops talent from Australia as well as provide promotional, marketing and distribution services for foreign artists looking for a home for their music in Australia...
(February 2003)
External links
- The Fergusons Fanpage - features a comprehensive bio, rare mp3s and videos
- The Fergusons Myspace - official myspace page
- Australia Music Online - The Fergusons