Dash and Will
Encyclopedia
Dash & Will are an Australian indie pop
/pop rock
duo
formed in 2006, from Melbourne
.
. Their original relationship was bitter, as Josie recalls the two had "hated each other for quite a few years". At age twelve, they began performing together and in year nine (age fourteen), Charlie and Josie were awarded a small financial grant to record a professional demo of their original songs.
The following year, in 2005, Josie's dad was talking to the father of one of the girl's classmates, Barry Palmer
a Melbourne-based producer and former guitarist with Hunters & Collectors
and Deadstar
. Not long after, Palmer contacted the girls and asked if they would come into the studio for a chat and live performance. He then signed the duo to his music production company, Gigantically Small, and they would eventually sign to Mercury Records
through Universal Music Australia.
Dash and Will headlined the 2008 Rock the Schools tour across New South Wales
in May, as well as supporting Ben Lee
, Matt Costa
and Faker
's Nathan Hudson. Their first single, "Pick You Up
", was released in May 2008, and second single "Fighting Over Nothing
" was released in October 2008.
Dash and Will supported British indie rockers The Kooks
on their Australian tour in August and September 2008 as well as The Futureheads
, End of Fashion
and Van She
. They were also on the bill to play the long-running summer festivals Homebake
and Falls Festival
, also playing on The Other Stage at Southbound
in 2009.
In September 2008, the duo's version of The Easybeats
' "Somethin' Wrong" was released on Easy Fever, a compilation of The Easybeats' classic songs performed by Australian and New Zealand artists.
Dash & Will once again supported The Kooks
on their second tour of Australia in January 2009, as well as supporting another UK band, The Ting Tings
. The duo found exposure through appearances on numerous Australian television programs, including childrens show Saturday Disney
and music quiz shows RocKwiz
and 'Spicks and Specks'. They also hosted four episodes of a music based show for kids, The Go Show, on the Foxtel channel Nickelodeon.
They released their debut studio album
, Up in Something
, in August 2009.
In May, 2011, Dash and Will also supported Justin Bieber
on his 'My World' tour in Australia
.
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...
/pop rock
Pop rock
Pop rock is a music genre which mixes a catchy pop style and light lyrics in its guitar-based rock songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...
duo
Duet (music)
A duet is a musical composition for two performers. In classical music, the term is most often used for a composition for two singers or pianists; with other instruments, the word duo is also often used. A piece performed by two pianists performing together on the same piano is referred to as...
formed in 2006, from Melbourne
Melbourne
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...
.
Career history
Dash (Charlotte "Charlie" Thorpe) and Will (Josie De Sousa-Reay) first met in early 1999, at age nine. The pair both started grade four on the same day at the same new school, Preshil: The Margaret Lyttle Memorial SchoolPreshil
Preshil, or The Margaret Lyttle Memorial School, is an independent, co-educational, non-denominational, Progressive, school located in Kew, an eastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.Founded in the early 1930s by Margaret J. R. Lyttle...
. Their original relationship was bitter, as Josie recalls the two had "hated each other for quite a few years". At age twelve, they began performing together and in year nine (age fourteen), Charlie and Josie were awarded a small financial grant to record a professional demo of their original songs.
The following year, in 2005, Josie's dad was talking to the father of one of the girl's classmates, Barry Palmer
Barry Palmer (musician)
Barry Palmer is an Australian musician, songwriter and record producer based in Melbourne, best known as a member of the band Hunters & Collectors, from 1988-1998.-History:...
a Melbourne-based producer and former guitarist with Hunters & Collectors
Hunters & Collectors
Hunters & Collectors were an Australian rock music band formed in Melbourne in 1981, fronted by singer-songwriter and guitarist Mark Seymour, they developed a blend of pub rock and art-funk...
and Deadstar
Deadstar
Deadstar was an Australian band from Melbourne based around the songs of singer Caroline Kennedy and guitarist Barry Palmer ....
. Not long after, Palmer contacted the girls and asked if they would come into the studio for a chat and live performance. He then signed the duo to his music production company, Gigantically Small, and they would eventually sign to Mercury Records
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
through Universal Music Australia.
Dash and Will headlined the 2008 Rock the Schools tour across New South Wales
New South Wales
New 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...
in May, as well as supporting Ben Lee
Ben Lee
Benjamin Michael "Ben" Lee is an ARIA Award winning musician and actor. Lee began his career as a musician at the age of 14 with the Sydney band Noise Addict, but focused on his solo career when the band broke up in 1995. He appeared as the protagonist in the Australian film The Rage in Placid Lake...
, Matt Costa
Matt Costa
Matthew Albert Costa is a singer-songwriter from Huntington Beach, California.He has five independent releases: two self-recorded EPs, and three full-length CDs released via Brushfire Records.-Life:...
and Faker
Faker
Faker can mean:*Someone who fakes*Faker , an Australian alternative rock band, formed in Sydney in 1996*Faker , a cartoon supervillain*Faker , a comic book...
's Nathan Hudson. Their first single, "Pick You Up
Pick You Up (Dash and Will EP)
Pick You Up is the first EP release by pop duo Dash & Will. It features their first single of the same name, "Pick Up You".-Tracklisting:All songs written by Charlotte Thorpe & Josie DeSousa-Reay .#"Pick You Up" – 3:16...
", was released in May 2008, and second single "Fighting Over Nothing
Fighting Over Nothing
Fighting Over Nothing is the second EP release by pop duo Dash and Will. It features their leading single of the same name, "Fighting Over Nothing", and their first single "Pick You Up".-Tracklisting:...
" was released in October 2008.
Dash and Will supported British indie rockers The Kooks
The Kooks
The Kooks are an English indie rock band formed in Brighton, East Sussex, in 2001. Formed by Luke Pritchard , Hugh Harris , Paul Garred , and Max Rafferty , the lineup of the band remained constant until 2008 and the departure of Rafferty...
on their Australian tour in August and September 2008 as well as The Futureheads
The Futureheads
The Futureheads are an English post-punk band from Sunderland. consisting of Ross Millard , Barry Hyde and David "Jaff" Craig...
, End of Fashion
End of Fashion
End of Fashion are an Australian power pop band from Perth, Western Australia. The band consists of singer and guitarist Justin Burford, guitarist Rodney Aravena, bassist Simon Fasolo, and drummer Mike Hobbs. The group gained mainstream attention with their 2005 single "O Yeah", which reached...
and Van She
Van She
Van She is an electropop band formed in 2005 in Sydney, Australia, with Matt Van Schie on bass guitar/vocals, Tomek Archer on drums/sequencer, Michael Di Francesco on synth/guitar and Nicholas Routledge on vocals/guitar...
. They were also on the bill to play the long-running summer festivals Homebake
Homebake
Homebake is an annual Australian rock festival, featuring an all-Australian lineup . The festival was first held on 4 January 1996 at Belongil Fields in Byron Bay, on the far north coast of New South Wales...
and Falls Festival
Falls Festival
The Falls Festival is a New Year's Eve music festival, held annually in Lorne, Victoria and Marion Bay, Tasmania Australia since 1993.It lasts four days, from 29 December to 1 January each year. The headline acts play mostly over two evenings, 30 December and 31 December...
, also playing on The Other Stage at Southbound
Southbound (festival)
Southbound is an arts, camping and music festival. A variety of Australian and international artists perform at this event. The festival occurs annually, early January, at the Sir Stewart Bovell Park in Busselton, Western Australia.-History:...
in 2009.
In September 2008, the duo's version of The Easybeats
The Easybeats
The Easybeats were an Australian rock and roll band. They formed in Sydney in late 1964 and broke up at the end of 1969. They are regarded as the greatest Australian pop band of the 1960s, and were the first Australian rock and roll act to score an international pop hit with their 1966 single...
' "Somethin' Wrong" was released on Easy Fever, a compilation of The Easybeats' classic songs performed by Australian and New Zealand artists.
Dash & Will once again supported The Kooks
The Kooks
The Kooks are an English indie rock band formed in Brighton, East Sussex, in 2001. Formed by Luke Pritchard , Hugh Harris , Paul Garred , and Max Rafferty , the lineup of the band remained constant until 2008 and the departure of Rafferty...
on their second tour of Australia in January 2009, as well as supporting another UK band, The Ting Tings
The Ting Tings
The Ting Tings are an English music duo comprising Jules de Martino and Katie White . They formed in December 2007 while based at Islington Mill Studios in Salford...
. The duo found exposure through appearances on numerous Australian television programs, including childrens show Saturday Disney
Saturday Disney
Saturday Disney is a children's program which has aired on the Seven Network in Australia for over 20 years, with the first episode going to air on 20 January 1990. Although, according to the hosts during the 800th episode of the show, they revealed the show premiered in March 1990, causing...
and music quiz shows RocKwiz
RocKwiz
RocKwiz is an Australian television quiz show series, focused on rock music, and broadcast on SBS One. It premiered in 2005.-Summary:The forty minute program airs on Saturday at 9:20 pm, and is hosted by Julia Zemiro. It is shot in The Gershwin Room at St Kilda's Esplanade Hotel, commonly...
and 'Spicks and Specks'. They also hosted four episodes of a music based show for kids, The Go Show, on the Foxtel channel Nickelodeon.
They released their debut studio album
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
, Up in Something
Up in Something
Up in Something is the debut studio album by Australian indie pop duo Dash and Will, released through Mercury Records on 28 August 2009.The album peaked at number four on the ARIA Hitseekers chart.-Track listing:# "Get It" — 2:44...
, in August 2009.
In May, 2011, Dash and Will also supported Justin Bieber
Justin Bieber
Justin Drew Bieber is a Canadian pop/R&B singer, songwriter and actor. Bieber was discovered in 2008 by Scooter Braun, who came across Bieber's videos on YouTube and later became his manager...
on his 'My World' tour 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...
.
Extended plays
- 2008: Pick You UpPick You Up (Dash and Will EP)Pick You Up is the first EP release by pop duo Dash & Will. It features their first single of the same name, "Pick Up You".-Tracklisting:All songs written by Charlotte Thorpe & Josie DeSousa-Reay .#"Pick You Up" – 3:16...
- 2008: Fighting Over NothingFighting Over NothingFighting Over Nothing is the second EP release by pop duo Dash and Will. It features their leading single of the same name, "Fighting Over Nothing", and their first single "Pick You Up".-Tracklisting:...
(#19 ARIA Hitseekers ChartARIA ChartsThe 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...
)