Essendon Airport (band)
Encyclopedia
Essendon Airport was an Australian post-punk
group from 1978-83 who explored experimental minimalist
, electronic
and funk
music. They reformed in the original duo lineup for occasional performances in 2003 following the re issue of Sonic Investigations of the Trivial. A new double CD reissue of Palimpsest and other live material is due out on Chapter Music in July 2011.
Based in Melbourne
, Essendon Airport began as an instrumental duo in 1978 with Robert Goodge on guitar and David Chesworth
on Wurlitzer electric piano along with a home made drum machine
bought from the Trading Post. Both members lived in or near the suburb of Essendon
and took the name of Essendon Airport
which since 1971 was no longer an international terminal (replaced by Melbourne Airport
).
They later became a four piece adding drums - Paul Fletcher, and saxophone - Ian Cox, and finally a five piece with bass player Barbara Hogarth in 1982 . The group disbanded in 1983. Each of these three line-ups produced quite different music.
Essendon Airport performed around Melbourne's newly emerging post-punk
inner-city venues such as The Crystal Ballroom, various galleries such as the George Paton and the Clifton Hill Community Music Centre
(CHCMC), a venue for experimental music, performance and film during this time. They were also closely associated with performance group → ↑ →.
Their EP was described at the time by Essendon Airport as .... songs which combine many of the most facile and insipid kinds of music in a redeemingly dignified manner.... creating new trivia out of old. All this takes place along with a kind of pedantic fetishism for small-repetition games - the music travels in circles, spirals and solid blocks of sameness and difference. This manifestation of Essendon Airport is perhaps less well known than the later ones but played some memorable performances around Melbourne including the Clifton Hill Community Music Centre and supports in front of bemused punters waiting for Midnight Oil
and Jimmy and the Boys.
Examples can be heard on the album Palimpsest (Innocent Records). The group also made recordings for Fast Forward cassette magazine and a disc give-away for the Art Network magazine.
and Richard Pleasance
) the group developed material with an art/funk feel and performed many headliners at the Jump Club, Crystal Ballroom and toured to Sydney
. Strangely the quintet did not release a recording. However there are tapes of Live-to-Air performances on 3RRR
FM including their final performance at the Crystal Ballroom.
After the dissolution of Essendon Airport, Chesworth continued performing as a soloist and with a new group entitled Whaddya Want? (with Phillip Jackson ex Whirlywirld
, Equal Local) He later formed the instrumental group the David Chesworth Ensemble. Goodge, Cox and Hogarth formed the nucleus of the successful pop-funk band I'm Talking
which featured Kate Ceberano
as lead vocalist.
entitled Sonic Investigations of The Trivial, comprising live and studio recordings of the duo from 1978-1980. Following this release Essendon Airport have given occasional performances in their original duo guise. They perform their original music having painstakingly transferred the drum machine sounds from old tapes onto computer and have also added some new pieces. Graham Lee
(ex-The Triffids
) has been accompanying them on pedal-steel guitar.
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...
group from 1978-83 who explored experimental minimalist
Minimalism
Minimalism describes movements in various forms of art and design, especially visual art and music, where the work is set out to expose the essence, essentials or identity of a subject through eliminating all non-essential forms, features or concepts...
, electronic
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
and funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
music. They reformed in the original duo lineup for occasional performances in 2003 following the re issue of Sonic Investigations of the Trivial. A new double CD reissue of Palimpsest and other live material is due out on Chapter Music in July 2011.
Based in 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...
, Essendon Airport began as an instrumental duo in 1978 with Robert Goodge on guitar and David Chesworth
David Chesworth
David Chesworth is an award-winning Australian-based composer and installation artist. Known for his experimental, and at times minimalist music, he has worked in rock groups, classical ensembles, theatre, opera...
on Wurlitzer electric piano along with a home made drum machine
Drum machine
A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums or other percussion instruments. They are used in a variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music...
bought from the Trading Post. Both members lived in or near the suburb of Essendon
Essendon, Victoria
Essendon is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 10 km north-west from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Moonee Valley...
and took the name of Essendon Airport
Essendon Airport
Essendon Airport is located at Essendon, in Melbourne's northern suburbs, Victoria, Australia. It is located next to the Tullamarine Freeway on , from the Melbourne Central Business District and from Melbourne Airport.-History:...
which since 1971 was no longer an international terminal (replaced by Melbourne Airport
Melbourne Airport
Melbourne Airport , also known as Tullamarine Airport, is the primary airport serving the city of Melbourne and the second busiest in Australia. It was opened in 1970 to replace the nearby Essendon Airport. Melbourne Airport is the sole international airport of the four airports serving the...
).
They later became a four piece adding drums - Paul Fletcher, and saxophone - Ian Cox, and finally a five piece with bass player Barbara Hogarth in 1982 . The group disbanded in 1983. Each of these three line-ups produced quite different music.
Essendon Airport performed around Melbourne's newly emerging 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...
inner-city venues such as The Crystal Ballroom, various galleries such as the George Paton and the Clifton Hill Community Music Centre
Clifton Hill Community Music Centre
Clifton Hill Community Music Centre was established in 1976 to provide a space for the playing and rehearsal of music that was not of a commercial nature. The building was an old two storey organ factory...
(CHCMC), a venue for experimental music, performance and film during this time. They were also closely associated with performance group → ↑ →.
Duo 1978-79
The duo released the EP Sonic Investigations of the Trivial and the single Talking To Cleopatra with Anne Cessna both on Innocent Records.Their EP was described at the time by Essendon Airport as .... songs which combine many of the most facile and insipid kinds of music in a redeemingly dignified manner.... creating new trivia out of old. All this takes place along with a kind of pedantic fetishism for small-repetition games - the music travels in circles, spirals and solid blocks of sameness and difference. This manifestation of Essendon Airport is perhaps less well known than the later ones but played some memorable performances around Melbourne including the Clifton Hill Community Music Centre and supports in front of bemused punters waiting for Midnight Oil
Midnight Oil
Midnight Oil , were an Australian rock band from Sydney originally performing as Farm from 1972 with drummer Rob Hirst, bass guitarist Andrew James and keyboard player/lead guitarist Jim Moginie...
and Jimmy and the Boys.
Quartet 1980-81
Embellished with the arrhythmic drumming of Paul Fletcher and the often sweet, often brittle saxophone of Ian Cox. The four-piece performed a range of material from extreme minimalism to plundering the hidden resonances of the popular song.Examples can be heard on the album Palimpsest (Innocent Records). The group also made recordings for Fast Forward cassette magazine and a disc give-away for the Art Network magazine.
Quintet 1982-83
Adding bass player Barabara Hogarth (from the funky band 'Government Drums' featuring Willy ZygierDeborah Conway
Deborah Ann Conway, is an Australian rock singer-songwriter and guitarist, and had a career as a model and actor. She was a founding member of the 1980s rock band Do-Ré-Mi with their surprise top 5 hit "Man Overboard"....
and Richard Pleasance
Richard Pleasance
Richard Arnold Pleasance is an Australian rock musician and producer. He was a founding member of Boom Crash Opera on guitar, bass guitar, vocals and as a songwriter in 1985; they released three albums before Pleasance left in 1992...
) the group developed material with an art/funk feel and performed many headliners at the Jump Club, Crystal Ballroom and toured to Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
. Strangely the quintet did not release a recording. However there are tapes of Live-to-Air performances on 3RRR
3RRR
3RRR is a popular Australian community radio station, based in Melbourne. It is the largest per capita subscribed radio station in the world....
FM including their final performance at the Crystal Ballroom.
After the dissolution of Essendon Airport, Chesworth continued performing as a soloist and with a new group entitled Whaddya Want? (with Phillip Jackson ex 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...
, Equal Local) He later formed the instrumental group the David Chesworth Ensemble. Goodge, Cox and Hogarth formed the nucleus of the successful pop-funk band I'm Talking
I'm Talking
I'm Talking was a 1980s Australian funk-pop rock band, which featured vocalists Kate Ceberano and Zan Abeyratne. They formed in 1983 in Melbourne and provided top ten hit singles "Trust Me", "Do You Wanna Be?" and "Holy Word" and a top fifteen album, Bear Witness, before disbanding in...
which featured Kate Ceberano
Kate Ceberano
Kate Ceberano is an Australian singer. She achieved success in the soul, jazz and pop genres as well as in her brief forays into musicals with Jesus Christ Superstar and film...
as lead vocalist.
Reformation 2003-
In 2003 a compilation CD was released on Chapter MusicChapter Music
Chapter Music is one of Australia's longest-running independent record labels. It was founded by Guy Blackman in Perth in June 1992, after a few issues of a Syd Barrett inspired fanzine called Chapter 24, that Blackman started in October 1990, when he was seventeen...
entitled Sonic Investigations of The Trivial, comprising live and studio recordings of the duo from 1978-1980. Following this release Essendon Airport have given occasional performances in their original duo guise. They perform their original music having painstakingly transferred the drum machine sounds from old tapes onto computer and have also added some new pieces. Graham Lee
Graham Lee (Australian musician)
Graham Lee is an Australian rock musician and record producer, best known as the steel guitar player of the 1980s band The Triffids, where he was nicknamed 'Evil Graham Lee'....
(ex-The Triffids
The Triffids
The Triffids were a seminal Australian alternative rock and pop band formed in Perth, Western Australia, in May 1978 with charismatic, David McComb as singer-songwriter, guitarist, bass guitarist and keyboardist. They achieved negligible success in Australia, but greater success in the U.K...
) has been accompanying them on pedal-steel guitar.
Members
- David ChesworthDavid ChesworthDavid Chesworth is an award-winning Australian-based composer and installation artist. Known for his experimental, and at times minimalist music, he has worked in rock groups, classical ensembles, theatre, opera...
- keyboard, vocals (1978-1983, 2003- ) - Robert Goodge - guitar (1978-1983, 2003- )
- Ian Cox - saxophone (1980-1983)
- Paul Fletcher - drums (1980-1983)
- Barbara Hogarth - bass (1982-1983)
- Graham LeeGraham Lee (Australian musician)Graham Lee is an Australian rock musician and record producer, best known as the steel guitar player of the 1980s band The Triffids, where he was nicknamed 'Evil Graham Lee'....
- pedal steel guitar (2005- )
EPs and singles
- Sonic Investigations Of The Trivial - EP (1979)
- Talking To Cleopatra - single (1980)
External links
- Essendon Airport Official Website
- Audio-interview with David Chesworth on the Clifton Hill Community Music Centre Tapes website.