Peabody (band)

Peabody are an Australian four-piece rock band. Forming straight out of school in Sydney in 1994, the then three-piece Peabody ingrained themselves in the live music scene of Inner-city Sydney. Following other Sydney bands of the time, such as You Am I, the group played venues like The Landsdowne Hotel and The Iron Duke before graduating to more well known venues such as The Annandale Hotel, The Hopetoun Hotel and The Sandringham Hotel.

Contents

• Albums
• EPs
• Songs
• References

The band recorded and self-released two early EPs but were best known for their live performances which led to the band developing a dedicated Sydney following. It was at this time that they began their association with Sydney-based independent record label Nonzero Records distributed through Shock Records. The label was founded in 2001 in order to release Bluebottle Kiss' 2002 album, "Revenge Is Slow", but had since expanded to release other local bands.

At Nonzero Records, Peabody found a label to release their records and a producer in new label-mate and Bluebottle Kiss leader, Jamie Hutchings. Despite having little experience producing other bands, Hutchings had demonstrated considerable skill for committing his own band's fearsome energy and polar dynamics to tape. ("It's wonderful to see that the dynamics and atmospheres this band can invoke in a live situation can translate so utterly successfully to a recorded medium", wrote critic Craig New of Bluebottle Kiss in 2002). That being the skill Peabody required from a producer, the relationship proved successful for both parties.

The resulting effort was 2003's "Professional Againster" (the name taken from the title of a New Bomb Turks song), a raw, solid and succinct example of what Peabody were best known for - energetic rock that sounded like the wheels were about to fall off, but never quite did.

Standout track "Stupid Boy" is the best example of this, and perhaps in acknowledgement, the EP release of the track included a version of classic Australia garage rock song, "My Pal", by early Joel Silbersher band, God.

Once again teaming up with producer Jamie Hutchings and engineer Dave Trump (The Church, Big Heavy Stuff) Peabody recorded their second LP, "The New Violence". The 2005 release proved to be a more slanted and diverse offering, showcasing the musical literacy of principal songwriter, Ben Chamie. "The New Violence shows a darker side to the group, with songs that are still well crafted yet less immediate", wrote critic Mark Nielsen.

The commercial single, "Got You On My Radar" featuring guest vocals from Sarah Blasko, reached No. 13 on the AIR charts.

Mid way through 2006 drummer Graeme Trewin announced his departure from the band and later that year Jared Harrison - who also played with Bluebottle Kiss - was named as his replacement. Early in 2007 Tristan Courtney-Prior joined the band as a second guitarist.

In June 2007, Peabody's third album, Prospero, was recorded, again produced by Jamie Hutchings. The first single The Devil For Sympathy was released in September and the album was released in October 2008.

In May 2010, Peabody's self-produced fourth album, Loose Manifesto, was recorded by Tim Kevin and released on the band's own label Peabrain Recordings through MGM Distribution in October 2010.

Peabody released a split 7-inch single ('All the bad girls') with local band Machine Machine, in late 2011. The band will start recording its 5th studio album in January 2017.

Peabody have toured with bands such as the Hoodoo Gurus, You Am I, Spiderbait, 78 Saab and Dallas Crane, and performed at the Big Day Out, Homebake and Livid festivals.

This band from Australia is not to be confused with the three-piece blues/funk-infused rock band of the same name, formed in 1998 in Indiana, Pennsylvania or the alternative rock band from New Orleans formed in 1991.