Silverchair
Encyclopedia
Silverchair were an Australian rock
band, which formed in 1992 as Innocent Criminals in Merewether
, Newcastle
with the line-up of Ben Gillies
on drums, Chris Joannou
on bass guitar and Daniel Johns
on vocals and guitars. The group got their big break in mid-1994 when they won a national demo competition conducted by SBS TV show Nomad and ABC radio station, Triple J
. The band were signed by Murmur
, and were successful on the Australian and international rock stages.
As from 2011, Silverchair have won a record number of 21 ARIA Music Awards
from 49 nominations. The band have also received six APRA Awards
with Johns winning three songwriting awards at the 2008 ceremony
. All five of their studio albums have peaked at number-one on the ARIA Albums Chart
: Frogstomp
(1995), Freak Show
(1997), Neon Ballroom
(1999), Diorama
(2002) and Young Modern (2007). Three of the group's singles have reached number-one on the related ARIA Singles Chart: "Tomorrow
" (1994), "Freak" (1997) and "Straight Lines
" (2007).
Silverchair's alternate rock sound has evolved throughout their career, differing styles on specific albums steadily growing more ambitious over the years, from grunge on their debut to more recent work displaying orchestral and art rock influences. The songwriting and singing of Johns has improved steadily while the band has developed an increased element of complexity. In 2003, following the release of Diorama, the band announced a hiatus, during which time members recorded with side projects The Dissociatives
, The Mess Hall
, and Tambalane
. Silverchair were reunited at the 2005 Wave Aid concerts, and, in 2007, they played the Across the Great Divide tour
with contemporaries Powderfinger
. In May 2011, Silverchair announced an indefinite hiatus. As from that month, the group have sold in excess of six million albums.
and Daniel Johns
, attended the same primary school in the Newcastle
suburb of Merewether
. As teenagers, singer-guitarist Johns and drummer Gillies, started playing music together – in one class they built a stage out of desks and played rap songs for their schoolmates. When they moved on to Newcastle High School
, a fellow student, Chris Joannou
, joined the pair on bass guitar. In 1992, they formed Innocent Criminals with Tobin Finane as a second guitarist – but he soon left. They played numerous shows around the Hunter Valley
region in their early teens, their repertoire was cover versions of Led Zeppelin
, Deep Purple
and Black Sabbath
. In 1994 Innocent Criminals entered YouthRock, a competition for school-based bands. Early in the year they recorded demos of "Acid Rain", "Cicada", "Pure Massacre" and "Tomorrow
" at Platinum Sound Studios.
In April, the band's mainstream breakthrough came when they won a national competition called Pick Me, using their demo of "Tomorrow". The competition was conducted by the SBS
TV show Nomad and Australian Broadcasting Corporation
(ABC) alternative radio station Triple J
. As part of the prize, Triple J recorded the song and ABC filmed a video
, which was aired on 16 June. For the video's broadcast, they had changed their name to Silverchair (styled as silverchair until 2002). In a 1994 interview with Melbourne magazine Buzz, the band claimed the name derived from a radio request for "Sliver
" by Nirvana
and "Berlin Chair
" by You Am I
being mixed up as Silver Chair. It was later revealed they were named for the C. S. Lewis
-penned novel The Silver Chair
from The Chronicles of Narnia
series.
Following a bidding war between rival labels, Silverchair signed a three-album recording contract with Sony Music subsidiary Murmur Records
. Initially the group were managed by their parents. Sony A&R manager John Watson, who was jointly responsible for signing the group, subsequently left the label to become their band manager. In September, their Triple J recording of "Tomorrow" was released as a four-track extended play. From late October, it spent six weeks at number-one on the ARIA Singles Chart
. In 1995, a re-recorded version of "Tomorrow" (and a new video) was made for the United States market, becoming the most played song on US modern rock radio that year.
Silverchair's debut album, Frogstomp
, was recorded in nine days with production by Kevin Shirley
(Lime Spiders
, Peter Wells) and was released in March 1995. At the time of recording, the band members were 15 years old, and still attending high school. Frogstomps lyrical concepts were fiction-based, drawing inspiration from television, hometown tragedies, and perceptions of the pain of friends. The album was well received: Allmusic and Rolling Stone
rated it in four and four-and-a-half stars respectively, praising the intensity of the album, especially "Tomorrow". Aside from Inside Criminals, the band has used The George Costanza Trio and Short Elvis as aliases.
Frogstomp was a number-one album in Australia and New Zealand. It reached the Billboard 200
Top 10, making Silverchair the first Australian band to do so since INXS
. It was certified as a US double-platinum album
by the RIAA, triple-platinum in Canada by the CRIA
and multi-platinum in Australia. The album sold more than 2.5 million copies worldwide. As Frogstomp and "Tomorrow" continued to gain popularity through 1995, the group toured the US where they supported Red Hot Chili Peppers
in June, The Ramones in September, and played on the roof of Radio City Music Hall
at the MTV Music Awards – in between touring they continued their secondary education in Newcastle. At the ARIA Music Awards of 1995
, the band won five awards out of nine nominations. To collect their awards on the night they sent Josh Shirley, the young son of the album's producer.
In a January 1996 murder case, the defendant counsel for Brian Bassett, 16, and Nicholaus McDonald, 18, claimed that the pair listened to "Israel's Son
", from Frogstomp, which contributed to the murder of Bassett's parents and a younger brother. McDonald's lawyer cited the lyrics "'Hate is what I feel for you/I want you to know that I want you dead'" which were "almost a script. They're relevant to everything that happened". The band's manager, Watson, issued a statement that they did not condone nor intend any such acts of violence, "The band is appalled by this horrific crime, and they hope that justice will prevail". Prosecutors rejected the defence case and convinced the jury that the murder was committed to "steal money and belongings and run off to California."
, in May 1996 while experiencing the success of Frogstomp in Australia and the US. It was produced by Nick Launay
(Birthday Party, Models
, Midnight Oil
) and was released in February 1997. The album reached number-one in Australia and yielded three Top 10 singles – "Freak", "Abuse Me
", and "Cemetery
". Its fourth single, "The Door
", reached No. 25. The songs focused on the anger and backlash that the expectations of Frogstomp brought upon the band. Freak Show was certified gold in the US, 4× platinum in Australia and global sales eventually exceeded 1.5 million copies.
By late 1997, the trio had completed their secondary education and, from May 1998, they worked on their third album, Neon Ballroom
which had Launay producing again. It was released in March 1999 and peaked at number-one in Australia. McFarlane said, "As well as being the band’s best album to date, it was universally acknowledged as one of the best albums of the year." The band originally intended to take a 12-month-break, but in the end decided to devote their time to making music. Neon Ballroom provided three Australian top 20 singles: "Anthem for the Year 2000
", "Ana's Song (Open Fire)
" and "Miss You Love
"; a fourth single, "Paint Pastel Princess", did not reach the top 50. The albums charted well internationally: Freak Show reached No. 2 in Canada, and Neon Ballroom reached No. 5. Both reached the top 40 on the United Kingdom Albums Chart
. "Abuse Me" reached No. 4 on Billboards Hot Modern Rock Tracks and Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks charts. "Ana's Song (Open Fire)" peaked at No. 12 on the Hot Modern Rock Tracks.
In 1999, Johns announced that he had developed the eating disorder, anorexia nervosa
, due to anxiety. Johns noted that the lyrics to "Ana's Song (Open Fire)" dealt with his disorder, where he would "eat what he needed … to stay awake." He revealed that his eating problems developed from the time of Freak Show and when Neon Ballroom was written he "hated music, really everything about it", but felt that he "couldn't stop doing it; I felt like a slave to it." Johns sought therapy and medication but felt "It's easier for me to express it through music and lyrics".
Silverchair added an auxiliary keyboardist, Sam Holloway (ex-Cordrazine
), for the Neon Ballroom Tour. The US leg had the group playing with The Offspring
and Red Hot Chilli Peppers, while Silverchair's tour of UK and European had The Living End
as the support act. Rolling Stones Neva Chonin attributed their chart success to the album's more "mature" sound. In Europe and South America it became the group's most successful album to date. The group appeared at festivals in Reading and Edgefest
, amongst others. Following the tour, the band announced that they would be taking a 12-month-break. Their only live performance in 2000 was at the Falls Festival
on New Year's Eve. On 21 January 2001, the band played to 250,000 people at Rock in Rio, a show they described as the highlight of their career.
After the release of Neon Ballroom, Silverchair's three album contract with Sony Music had ended. The group eventually signed with Atlantic Records
for North and South America, and formed their own label with Watson, Eleven: A Music Company
(distributed by EMI
), for Australia and Asia. In November 2000, after the group had left the label, Sony issued The Best of Volume 1 without the band's involvement. Johns disavowed the compilation, "We thought about putting out ads in the street press to make people aware that we weren't endorsing it, but that would have blown the whole thing out of proportion ... If people want to buy it, they can buy it but I wouldn't buy it if I was a silverchair fan."
(Tool
, Peter Gabriel
, King Crimson
) to start work on their fourth album, Diorama
. Johns formally assumed the role of a co-producer. The album name means "a world within a world". Most tracks came from Johns' new-found method of writing material on a piano, a technique he developed during the band's break after Neon Ballroom.
In order to complete the vision for Diorama, several other musicians contributed to the album, including Van Dyke Parks
, who provided orchestral arrangements to "Tuna in the Brine", "Luv Your Life
", and "Across the Night
". Paul Mac
(from Itch-e And Scratch-e
) and Jim Moginie
(from Midnight Oil) both on piano also collaborated with the band. While recording Diorama, Johns referred to himself as an artist, rather than simply being in a "rock band". Upon its release, critics commented that the album was more artistic than previous works.
Early in December, the first single, "The Greatest View
", was released to Australian radio networks. It's physical release in January 2002 coincided with the band's appearance on the Big Day Out
tour. Early in 2002, Johns was diagnosed with reactive arthritis
which made it difficult for him to play the guitar and subsequent performances supporting the album's release were cancelled. In March, Diorama was issued and topped the ARIA Albums Chart – it became their fourth number-one album and spent 50 weeks in the top 50.
Five singles were released from the album: "The Greatest View", "Without You
", "Luv Your Life", "Across the Night", and "After All These Years" – "The Greatest View" charted highest, reaching No. 3. In October, Silverchair were successful at the ARIA Music Awards of 2002
, they won five awards including 'Best Rock Album' and 'Best Group', and 'Producer of the Year' for Johns. The band played "The Greatest View" at the ceremony: the song was also nominated for 'Best Video'. Two singles (and a related video) were nominated for further ARIA Awards in 2003
. Following the 2002 ARIA Awards, the band announced an indefinite hiatus. Johns said it was necessary "given the fact the band were together for over a decade and yet were only, on average, 23 years old". From March to June 2003, Silverchair undertook the Across the Night Tour to perform Diorama. Their hometown performance on 19 April was recorded as Live from Faraway Stables
for a 2×CD and 2xDVD released in November. After the tour finished in June the group announced an indefinite hiatus.
. In mid-2003, during Silverchair's hiatus, the pair re-united and formed The Dissociatives
, releasing a self-titled album
in April 2004. The duo provided the theme music for the popular ABC-TV music quiz show Spicks and Specks – as a reworking of The Bee Gees' 1966 hit of the same name
. Johns also collaborated with then-wife Natalie Imbruglia
on her Counting Down the Days
album, released in April 2005.
Joannou worked with blues-rock
group The Mess Hall
, he co-produced – with Matt Lovell
– their six-track extended play Feeling Sideways
which was released in May 2003. The album was nominated for the ARIA Award for 'Best Independent Release' in 2003. Jounnou and Lovell co-produced The Mess Hall's studio album, Notes from a Ceiling
which was issued in June 2005. Jounnou and Lovell received a nomination at the ARIA Music Awards of 2005
for 'Producer of the Year'. In 2003, Gillies formed Tambalane
with Wes Carr
, initially as a song-writing project, they released a self titled album in 2005 and toured Australia.
The 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami resulted in the WaveAid
fund-raising concert held in January 2005: Silverchair performed to help raise funds for aid organisations working in disaster affected areas. As a result of WaveAid the band decided to resume working together. Gillies explained the band's reunion as due to a special "chemistry" between band members, telling The Sydney Morning Herald
, "It only took us 15 years, but recently we've realised, 'We've really got something special and we should just go for it.'"
After performing at Wave Aid, Silverchair reunited and by late 2005 began preparations for their next studio album, Young Modern. Johns had written about 50 songs during the hiatus for a possible solo album or other project but decided to use them for Silverchair. In 2006, after five weeks practice the group demoed tracks in the Hunter Valley
, and then recorded at Los Angeles' Seedy Underbelly Studios with Launay as producer. Parks again arranged orchestral tracks for the band – they travelled to Prague
to record with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra
. The group also used Mac, Luke Steele
(The Sleepy Jackson
) and Julian Hamilton
(The Presets
, The Dissociatives) – Hamilton also co-wrote songs with Johns. Silverchair self-funded the album's production to ease the pressures faced previously when working with a record label.
The band toured extensively before releasing the album, performing at Homebake
and numerous other shows. Both Mac and Hamilton joined the tour as auxiliary members providing keyboards. In October, they performed a cover of Midnight Oil
's 1981 single, "Don't Wanna Be the One", at the ARIA Music Awards of 2006
as part of that band's induction into the ARIA Hall of Fame
. During the performance Johns spray painted "PG 4 PM" (Peter Garrett
for Prime Minister) on a stage wall, paying tribute to the band's front-man, now a Federal Member of Parliament and Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts.
Young Modern was released in March 2007, as was the first single, "Straight Lines
". Four more singles, "Reflections of a Sound
", "If You Keep Losing Sleep
", and "Mind Reader
", were subsequently released. Young Modern became the fifth Silverchair album to top the ARIA Albums chart – they became the first artists to have five number-one albums. "Straight Lines" also became the band's third No. 1 single in Australia. In June, Silverchair and fellow rock group Powderfinger
announced the Across the Great Divide Tour
. The tour promoted the efforts of Reconciliation Australia
in mending the 17-year gap in life expectancy between Indigenous and non-Indigenous children. Support acts on the tour were John Butler
, Missy Higgins
, Kev Carmody
, Troy Cassar-Daley
, Clare Bowditch
and Deborah Conway
.
Young Modern and "Straight Lines" each won three awards at the ARIA Music Awards of 2007
, taking Silverchair's total to 20. The group also won three APRA Awards
for their song "Straight Lines", including Songwriter of the Year, which Johns was awarded for a record third time. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2008
both Silverchair and Powderfinger won 'Best Music DVD' for Across the Great Divide
, for Silverchair this was their 21st win from 49 nominations.
According to Silverchair's website, as of June 2009, the group had begun work on the follow-up to Young Modern, they had spent three weeks recording in Australia with future sessions earmarked for later that year. No release date was set, but the band uploaded in-studio videos of them working on several tracks to their official website. In December, Johns called in to Triple J's breakfast show, Robbie, Marieke and The Doctor, and discussed the band's new album which they were working on in Newcastle. He told them "the main difference is there's a lot of experimentation with instruments and synths... I think there's only guitar on four songs out of fifty so far," but added the new material is "surprisingly rocky given there’s no guitar." In April 2010, via the band's website, Joannou announced that they would perform two new songs called "16" and "Machina Collecta" at May's Groovin the Moo festival. He said work was progressing well and confirmed there was, as yet, no title for the proposed album and that they were simply referring to it as Album #6. The final concert of the festival was at Bunbury
on 15 May. By year's end, work on the album had stopped as each member pursued other interests.
Sydney Morning Heralds music writer, Bernard Zuel, said the band's use of "indefinite hibernation" was a way to soften the blow of the group's break-up for fans, he expected future reunions and performances for worthy causes. By June, Gillies was in the final stages of about 12 months of working on his solo album and he said that it was not a continuation of his earlier work with Tambalane. In October, Johns was working on the soundtrack for My Mind's Own Melody – a short film.
and post-grunge
band, although their loyalty to specific genres has changed as they have matured. Much of the band's early grunge and post-grunge work was inspired by Nirvana, Pearl Jam
, Soundgarden
, Alice in Chains
and Black Sabbath. According to Australian rock music historian, Ian McFarlane, "frogstomp captured the tempo of the times with its mix of Soundgarden/Pearl Jam/Bush post-grunge noise and teenage lyrical angst."
In their early years the perceived stylistic similarities led to Silverchair being derisively dubbed as 'silverhighchair', 'not Soundgarden but ' or 'Nirvana in Pyjamas' by the Australian media. The latter is a sarcastic conflated reference to the band's youth and the popular Australian children's TV series Bananas in Pyjamas
. McFarlane stated "Freak Show and tracks like 'Freak' were firmly in Nirvana territory with a hint of Led Zeppelin's Eastern mysticism." Gillies noted that the band were inspired by the Seattle Sound, as well as The Beatles
and The Doors
, and were highly impressionable in their youth. Johns admitted that "We were always influenced a lot by Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin it just so happened that we weren't very good at playing that style of music. So we were put in the whole grunge category because it was such a garage-y, heavy music term."
Australian rock music journalist, Ed Nimmervoll
, felt that Johns "had never intended to use his problems for inspiration, but in the end the music was the best way to unburden himself. 'Neon Ballroom' took six months to record. The album's passion and musical sophistication proved to the world that silverchair were a force to be reckoned with". According to 100 Best Australian Albums
, by three fellow journalists, John O'Donnell, Toby Creswell
and Craig Mathieson
, Neon Ballrooms lead-in track, "Emotion Sickness", described Johns' life in the 1990s and "addressed [his] desire to move beyond the imitative sounds of Silverchair's first two albums ... and create something new and original". "Ana's Song (Open Fire)" directly focussed on his eating disorder, "[it] became a hit all over the world and opened up for discussion the fact that males could also be affected by anorexia."
Allmusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine
felt Diorama, "was a shockingly creative and impressive step forward that showed the band shedding its grunge past and adding horns, strings, and mature lyrics to its arsenal." Fellow Allmusic reviewer, Bradley Torreano noted that "they somehow kept going and kept improving ... Silverchair has grown up and put together a fine mix of orchestral pop and rock on Diorama." Bernard Zuel, described how the Diorama concert tour marked a move from hard rock towards art rock
, "they stepped out of the arenas and barns and 'got classy' ... finally having admitted to harbouring artistic ambition (a very un-Australian band thing to do), they've proved they have the ability".
In writing Young Modern, Johns tried to make the music sound very simple, in spite of a complex musical structure. The lyrics were written after the music was created, sometimes as late as the day of recording. As Johns dreads writing lyrics, he suggested that the band could produce an instrumental album at some stage in the future. Johns is the band's primary songwriter, and notes that while Joannou and Gillies do not have significant influence on what he writes, they are key to the band's overall sound. For that album, Hamilton co-wrote four songs with Johns including the APRA Award winning "Straight Lines". Joannou believed that Young Modern was simpler than Diorama but "still as complex underneath with simple pop song elements". He said that much of the band's success resulted from trying to push themselves harder in recording and writing. Self-producing has allowed the band to do so without the pressures of a record label.
Gillies notes that Silverchair will often "run the risk of losing fans" with their work, and this was evident in the changes in musical direction in Diorama and Young Modern. However, he described this as a good thing, describing the fact "that we haven’t been pigeonholed, and people really don’t know what to expect" as one of the attractive elements of the band. Despite the ups and downs of success at a young age, Gillies says the band "appreciate what we’ve achieved and what we’ve got" in their careers. The band have received six APRA Awards
with Johns winning three songwriting awards at the 2008 ceremony
.
however, claimed that the band had risen above their peers, applauding Johns' "ragged vocals". Herald Sun
journalist, Nue Te Koha praised Frogstomp for "breaking the drought of Australian music making an impact overseas". However he felt "It is highly debatable whether the three teens have gone to the world with a new sound or something identifiably Australian ... Silverchair's image and sound are blatantly ... Nirvana meets Pearl Jam". Nimmervoll disputed Te Koha's view, "It's not original, it's not Australian. Bah, humbug ... It's just as well Britain didn't say the same thing when The Beatles reinvented American R&B".
Freak Show saw the band show more of their own musical style, rather than copying others, and thus received more praise for its songwriting than its predecessor. Yahoo! Music
's Sandy Masuo described the lyrics as "moving" and "emotional". Johns' vocal delivery was complemented, his "bittersweet, crackly voice tops the ample power chordage ... [he] hits shivery, emotional notes that convey both sweet idealism and disappointment". Zuel felt that with this album, the band "have outgrown the jokes, predictions and their own understated teenage ambitions to find they have become (gasp!) career musicians."
In 100 Best Australian Albums (2010) their third album, Neon Ballroom, was placed at No. 25 according to its authors. Entertainment Weekly
approved of the further advancement in Neon Ballroom, commenting on "plush strings on these adult arrangements". There were once again significant advancements in songwriting; Johns was described as "furious, motivated, and all grown up". However, Rolling Stone said the album seemed confused, commenting that Silverchair "can't decide what they want to do" with their music. Meanwhile, Diorama was seen as an extension of the band's originality, with its "[h]eavy orchestration, unpredictable melodic shifts and a whimsical pop sensibility". According to PopMatters
' Nikki Tranter, the album stood out in an otherwise dull Australian music market.
Allmusic's Clayton Bolger described Young Modern as an improvement by the band, praising "catchy melodic hooks, inspired lyrical themes, and stunning string arrangements". He claimed the album was the pinnacle of the band's development. PopMatters' Nick Pearson saw the opposite, claiming that "[o]nce you reach the level of intellectual maturity where you can tell the difference between cryptic but poetic lyrics and nonsensical crap, you have outgrown Silverchair". Pearson called the album an attempt to secure a safer territory and assure sales, after the success of past works, calling it more boring than its predecessors. Other reviewers noted influences from cult British band XTC
.
In July 2009 "Tomorrow" was voted number 33 by the Australian public in Triple J's Hottest 100 of all time. As from May 2011, the group have sold in excess of six million albums. At the annual ARIA Music Awards
, Silverchair holds the record for the most nominated artist, with 49, and the most number of awards won, with 21. Their breakthrough year was in 1995
, when they won five out of nine nominations, including 'Best New Talent', and 'Breakthrough Artist' for both album and single categories. Their most successful year was at the 2007 ceremony
when they won six of eight nominations.
Auxiliary members
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band, which formed in 1992 as Innocent Criminals in Merewether
Merewether, New South Wales
Merewether is a suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, located from Newcastle's central business district with a population of around 10,000. The suburb stretches from Merewether Beach in the east to Adamstown in the west.- Establishment :...
, Newcastle
Newcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
with the line-up of Ben Gillies
Ben Gillies
Benjamin David Gillies is an Australian musician, best known as the drummer of Australian rock band Silverchair.Born in Merewether, a suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, he started as a quad drummer in the band The Marching Koalas, before forming the band Innocent Criminals at the age...
on drums, Chris Joannou
Chris Joannou
Christopher John Joannou is a Macedonian Australian musician, best known as the bass player for the successful alternative rock band Silverchair. Born in Newcastle, New South Wales, he has a twin sister and an older sister. He has a nephew and two nieces. He was the first of the three band...
on bass guitar and Daniel Johns
Daniel Johns
Daniel Paul Johns is an Australian musician, vocalist, composer, guitarist, and pianist, best known as the frontman of the rock band Silverchair. He is also part of The Dissociatives...
on vocals and guitars. The group got their big break in mid-1994 when they won a national demo competition conducted by SBS TV show Nomad and ABC 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...
. The band were signed by Murmur
Murmur (record label)
Murmur was a record label that started as an imprint of Sony Music Australia in mid 1994. Named after REM's first album, Murmur signed a number of Australia's most successful rock bands, including Silverchair, Ammonia, Something for Kate and Jebediah...
, and were successful on the Australian and international rock stages.
As from 2011, Silverchair have won a record number of 21 ARIA Music Awards
ARIA Music Awards
The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Australian Recording Industry Association...
from 49 nominations. The band have also received six APRA Awards
APRA Awards
The APRA Music Awards are several award ceremonies run in Australia and New Zealand by Australasian Performing Right Association to recognise songwriting skills, sales and airplay performance by its members annually....
with Johns winning three songwriting awards at the 2008 ceremony
APRA Awards of 2008
The Australasian Performing Right Association Awards of 2008 are a series of awards which include the APRA Music Awards, Classical Music Awards, and Screen Music Awards. The APRA Music Awards ceremony occurred on 16 June at the Sydney Hilton, they were presented by APRA and the Australasian...
. All five of their studio albums have peaked at number-one on the ARIA Albums Chart
ARIA Charts
The 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...
: Frogstomp
Frogstomp
Frogstomp is the debut album of Australian rock band Silverchair. It was released in Australia in early 1995, when the members were only 15 years of age, by a subsidiary of Sony Records and reached number one on the album charts. On 20 June 1995, Frogstomp was released by Epic Records in the U.S...
(1995), Freak Show
Freak Show (album)
Freak Show is the second studio album from Australian rock band Silverchair. Freak Show was released on 3 February 1997. The album also gives listeners a glimpse into the band's experimental side, as can be heard in "Petrol & Chlorine" and "Cemetery"...
(1997), Neon Ballroom
Neon Ballroom
Neon Ballroom is the third studio album by Australian alternative rock band Silverchair and was released on 8 March 1999. The album debuted at number-one on the ARIA Albums Chart and was certified 4× platinum by ARIA. It was also certified Gold in the United States...
(1999), Diorama
Diorama (album)
Diorama is the fourth studio album by Australian alternative rock band Silverchair. Released on 31 March 2002 by record label Eleven, the album was co-produced by Daniel Johns and David Bottrill...
(2002) and Young Modern (2007). Three of the group's singles have reached number-one on the related ARIA Singles Chart: "Tomorrow
Tomorrow (Silverchair song)
"Tomorrow" is a song by Australian alternative rock band Silverchair and was their breakthrough single from their debut album Frogstomp, which was released in 1994 in their home country and 1995 in the US...
" (1994), "Freak" (1997) and "Straight Lines
Straight Lines (song)
"Straight Lines" is a song by Silverchair. It was released in Australia on 20 March 2007, and debuted at number one on the ARIA Singles Chart. The single was shortly followed by the release of the band's fifth studio album Young Modern on 31 March 2007...
" (2007).
Silverchair's alternate rock sound has evolved throughout their career, differing styles on specific albums steadily growing more ambitious over the years, from grunge on their debut to more recent work displaying orchestral and art rock influences. The songwriting and singing of Johns has improved steadily while the band has developed an increased element of complexity. In 2003, following the release of Diorama, the band announced a hiatus, during which time members recorded with side projects The Dissociatives
The Dissociatives
The Dissociatives are an Australian band consisting of Daniel Johns of Silverchair, Australian dance producer DJ Paul Mac, and touring members Julian Hamilton and Kim Moyes from Sydney electronic duo "The Presets"...
, The Mess Hall
The Mess Hall
The Mess Hall are a two-piece drums and guitar combo based in Sydney, Australia specialising in "raw, edgy bluesy rock." The band consists of Jed Kurzel and Cec Condon ....
, and Tambalane
Tambalane
Tambalane was an Australian Pop rock band that was formed in 2003 by Silverchair drummer Ben Gillies after Silverchair went on hiatus in 2003. They released a single album which contained the singles "Little Miss Liar" and "Free"....
. Silverchair were reunited at the 2005 Wave Aid concerts, and, in 2007, they played the Across the Great Divide tour
Across the Great Divide tour
The Across the Great Divide tour was a concert tour by Australian alternative rock bands Powderfinger and Silverchair in 2007. The tour featured concerts in 26 towns across Australia and multiple shows in New Zealand...
with contemporaries Powderfinger
Powderfinger
Powderfinger was an Australian rock band that formed in Brisbane in 1989. From 1992 until their breakup the band lineup consisted of vocalist Bernard Fanning, guitarists Darren Middleton and Ian Haug, bassist John Collins, and drummer Jon Coghill....
. In May 2011, Silverchair announced an indefinite hiatus. As from that month, the group have sold in excess of six million albums.
Formation and early releases (1992–1996)
Silverchair's founders, Ben GilliesBen Gillies
Benjamin David Gillies is an Australian musician, best known as the drummer of Australian rock band Silverchair.Born in Merewether, a suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, he started as a quad drummer in the band The Marching Koalas, before forming the band Innocent Criminals at the age...
and Daniel Johns
Daniel Johns
Daniel Paul Johns is an Australian musician, vocalist, composer, guitarist, and pianist, best known as the frontman of the rock band Silverchair. He is also part of The Dissociatives...
, attended the same primary school in the Newcastle
Newcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
suburb of Merewether
Merewether, New South Wales
Merewether is a suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, located from Newcastle's central business district with a population of around 10,000. The suburb stretches from Merewether Beach in the east to Adamstown in the west.- Establishment :...
. As teenagers, singer-guitarist Johns and drummer Gillies, started playing music together – in one class they built a stage out of desks and played rap songs for their schoolmates. When they moved on to Newcastle High School
Newcastle High School (Australia)
Newcastle High School is a state run high school located in Newcastle West—a suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia–with an enrolment of approximately 1,000 students....
, a fellow student, Chris Joannou
Chris Joannou
Christopher John Joannou is a Macedonian Australian musician, best known as the bass player for the successful alternative rock band Silverchair. Born in Newcastle, New South Wales, he has a twin sister and an older sister. He has a nephew and two nieces. He was the first of the three band...
, joined the pair on bass guitar. In 1992, they formed Innocent Criminals with Tobin Finane as a second guitarist – but he soon left. They played numerous shows around the Hunter Valley
Hunter Valley
The Hunter Region, more commonly known as the Hunter Valley, is a region of New South Wales, Australia, extending from approximately to north of Sydney with an approximate population of 645,395 people. Most of the population of the Hunter Region lives within of the coast, with 55% of the entire...
region in their early teens, their repertoire was cover versions of Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
, Deep Purple
Deep Purple
Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members believe that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre...
and Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
. In 1994 Innocent Criminals entered YouthRock, a competition for school-based bands. Early in the year they recorded demos of "Acid Rain", "Cicada", "Pure Massacre" and "Tomorrow
Tomorrow (Silverchair song)
"Tomorrow" is a song by Australian alternative rock band Silverchair and was their breakthrough single from their debut album Frogstomp, which was released in 1994 in their home country and 1995 in the US...
" at Platinum Sound Studios.
In April, the band's mainstream breakthrough came when they won a national competition called Pick Me, using their demo of "Tomorrow". The competition was conducted by the SBS
Special Broadcasting Service
The Special Broadcasting Service is a hybrid-funded Australian public broadcasting radio and television network. The stated purpose of SBS is "to provide multilingual and multicultural radio and television services that inform, educate and entertain all Australians and, in doing so, reflect...
TV show Nomad and Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
(ABC) alternative 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...
. As part of the prize, Triple J recorded the song and ABC filmed a video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
, which was aired on 16 June. For the video's broadcast, they had changed their name to Silverchair (styled as silverchair until 2002). In a 1994 interview with Melbourne magazine Buzz, the band claimed the name derived from a radio request for "Sliver
Sliver (song)
"Sliver" is a song by American grunge band Nirvana. It was originally released as a non-album single in 1990 by Sub Pop. DGC re-released the song to radio to support the release of the rarities compilation album Incesticide in 1992....
" by Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
and "Berlin Chair
Berlin Chair
"Berlin Chair" is the second single from the album Sound As Ever by Australian rock band You Am I. It was released in 1994 and reached #23 in that year's Hottest 100, while in the 1998 Hottest 100 of All Time it came in at #61 and #52 in the 2009 Hottest 100 of All Time. In a phone-in poll in 1999,...
" by 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...
being mixed up as Silver Chair. It was later revealed they were named for the C. S. Lewis
C. S. Lewis
Clive Staples Lewis , commonly referred to as C. S. Lewis and known to his friends and family as "Jack", was a novelist, academic, medievalist, literary critic, essayist, lay theologian and Christian apologist from Belfast, Ireland...
-penned novel The Silver Chair
The Silver Chair
The Silver Chair is part of The Chronicles of Narnia, a series of seven fantasy novels written by C. S. Lewis. It was the fourth book published and is the sixth book chronologically. It is the first book published in the series in which the Pevensie children do not appear. The main characters are...
from The Chronicles of Narnia
The Chronicles of Narnia
The Chronicles of Narnia is a series of seven fantasy novels for children by C. S. Lewis. It is considered a classic of children's literature and is the author's best-known work, having sold over 100 million copies in 47 languages...
series.
Following a bidding war between rival labels, Silverchair signed a three-album recording contract with Sony Music subsidiary Murmur Records
Murmur (record label)
Murmur was a record label that started as an imprint of Sony Music Australia in mid 1994. Named after REM's first album, Murmur signed a number of Australia's most successful rock bands, including Silverchair, Ammonia, Something for Kate and Jebediah...
. Initially the group were managed by their parents. Sony A&R manager John Watson, who was jointly responsible for signing the group, subsequently left the label to become their band manager. In September, their Triple J recording of "Tomorrow" was released as a four-track extended play. From late October, it spent six weeks at number-one on the ARIA Singles Chart
ARIA Charts
The 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...
. In 1995, a re-recorded version of "Tomorrow" (and a new video) was made for the United States market, becoming the most played song on US modern rock radio that year.
Silverchair's debut album, Frogstomp
Frogstomp
Frogstomp is the debut album of Australian rock band Silverchair. It was released in Australia in early 1995, when the members were only 15 years of age, by a subsidiary of Sony Records and reached number one on the album charts. On 20 June 1995, Frogstomp was released by Epic Records in the U.S...
, was recorded in nine days with production by Kevin Shirley
Kevin Shirley
Kevin Shirley is a music producer and mixer for many artists, such as the bands Journey, Iron Maiden, Rush, Led Zeppelin, Joe Bonamassa, Marya Roxx, Dream Theater, Tyler Bryant, Mr. Big, and Europe.-Biography:...
(Lime Spiders
Lime Spiders
Lime Spiders are an Australian punk rock band, currently consisting of Mick Blood, Tom Corben, Gerard Corben, David Sparks and Tony Bambach.-Early Days :...
, Peter Wells) and was released in March 1995. At the time of recording, the band members were 15 years old, and still attending high school. Frogstomps lyrical concepts were fiction-based, drawing inspiration from television, hometown tragedies, and perceptions of the pain of friends. The album was well received: Allmusic and Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
rated it in four and four-and-a-half stars respectively, praising the intensity of the album, especially "Tomorrow". Aside from Inside Criminals, the band has used The George Costanza Trio and Short Elvis as aliases.
Frogstomp was a number-one album in Australia and New Zealand. It reached the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
Top 10, making Silverchair the first Australian band to do so since INXS
INXS
INXS are an Australian rock band, formed as The Farriss Brothers in 1977 in Sydney, New South Wales. Mainstays are Garry Gary Beers on bass guitar, Andrew Farriss on guitar/keyboards, Jon Farriss on drums, Tim Farriss on lead guitar and Kirk Pengilly on guitar/sax...
. It was certified as a US double-platinum album
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
by the RIAA, triple-platinum in Canada by the CRIA
Music Canada
Music Canada was a Canadian music television miniseries which aired approximately monthly on CBC Television from 1966 to 1967.-Premise:This series featured various special productions of music and dance, from classical to modern styles.-Scheduling:...
and multi-platinum in Australia. The album sold more than 2.5 million copies worldwide. As Frogstomp and "Tomorrow" continued to gain popularity through 1995, the group toured the US where they supported Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers is an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles in 1983. The group's musical style primarily consists of rock with an emphasis on funk, as well as elements from other genres such as punk, hip hop and psychedelic rock...
in June, The Ramones in September, and played on the roof of Radio City Music Hall
Radio City Music Hall
Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue located in New York City's Rockefeller Center. Its nickname is the Showplace of the Nation, and it was for a time the leading tourist destination in the city...
at the MTV Music Awards – in between touring they continued their secondary education in Newcastle. At the ARIA Music Awards of 1995
ARIA Music Awards of 1995
The Ninth Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards was held on 20 October 1995 at the Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre. There had been a 19-month gap since the previous award ceremony which was moved to be "closer to the business end of the music industry's year"...
, the band won five awards out of nine nominations. To collect their awards on the night they sent Josh Shirley, the young son of the album's producer.
In a January 1996 murder case, the defendant counsel for Brian Bassett, 16, and Nicholaus McDonald, 18, claimed that the pair listened to "Israel's Son
Israel's Son
"Israel's Son" is a song by Australian rock band Silverchair, released in 1995. It was the third single released from their debut full-length album, Frogstomp, which was released earlier the same year...
", from Frogstomp, which contributed to the murder of Bassett's parents and a younger brother. McDonald's lawyer cited the lyrics "'Hate is what I feel for you/I want you to know that I want you dead'" which were "almost a script. They're relevant to everything that happened". The band's manager, Watson, issued a statement that they did not condone nor intend any such acts of violence, "The band is appalled by this horrific crime, and they hope that justice will prevail". Prosecutors rejected the defence case and convinced the jury that the murder was committed to "steal money and belongings and run off to California."
Critical and commercial success (1997–2001)
Silverchair began recording their second studio album, Freak ShowFreak Show (album)
Freak Show is the second studio album from Australian rock band Silverchair. Freak Show was released on 3 February 1997. The album also gives listeners a glimpse into the band's experimental side, as can be heard in "Petrol & Chlorine" and "Cemetery"...
, in May 1996 while experiencing the success of Frogstomp in Australia and the US. It was produced by Nick Launay
Nick Launay
Nick Launay is an English record producer and recording engineer. He is currently one of the most sought after producers in the world due to his current success with recent albums by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Arcade Fire, and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds...
(Birthday Party, Models
Models (band)
Models were an alternative rock group formed in Melbourne, Australia, in August 1978 and went into hiatus in 1988. They are often incorrectly referred to as The Models. They re-formed in 2000, 2006 and 2008 to perform reunion concerts. "Out of Mind, Out of Sight", their only No. 1 hit,...
, 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 was released in February 1997. The album reached number-one in Australia and yielded three Top 10 singles – "Freak", "Abuse Me
Abuse Me (Silverchair song)
"Abuse Me" was the second single from Silverchair's second album, Freak Show. In the United States, Sony chose "Abuse Me" as the first single from Freak Show despite protests by the band's manager. "Freak" was the Australian lead single and the preferred lead single from the album. It was also...
", and "Cemetery
Cemetery (song)
"Cemetery" is a single by the Australian alternative rock band Silverchair. The song is found on the band's second album Freak Show. It was also included on their Best of Volume 1.-Background:...
". Its fourth single, "The Door
The Door (song)
"The Door" is the fourth and last single off the band Silverchair's second album, Freak Show. It is also one of only a few songs from Frogstomp and Freak Show that the band still plays live.-Track listing:...
", reached No. 25. The songs focused on the anger and backlash that the expectations of Frogstomp brought upon the band. Freak Show was certified gold in the US, 4× platinum in Australia and global sales eventually exceeded 1.5 million copies.
By late 1997, the trio had completed their secondary education and, from May 1998, they worked on their third album, Neon Ballroom
Neon Ballroom
Neon Ballroom is the third studio album by Australian alternative rock band Silverchair and was released on 8 March 1999. The album debuted at number-one on the ARIA Albums Chart and was certified 4× platinum by ARIA. It was also certified Gold in the United States...
which had Launay producing again. It was released in March 1999 and peaked at number-one in Australia. McFarlane said, "As well as being the band’s best album to date, it was universally acknowledged as one of the best albums of the year." The band originally intended to take a 12-month-break, but in the end decided to devote their time to making music. Neon Ballroom provided three Australian top 20 singles: "Anthem for the Year 2000
Anthem for the Year 2000
"Anthem for the Year 2000" is a song by Silverchair, which was released as the first single from their third album, Neon Ballroom.The song reached number 3 on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart, but did not make #1 like the first singles from their previous albums, Frogstomps "Tomorrow" and Freak...
", "Ana's Song (Open Fire)
Ana's Song (Open Fire)
"Ana's Song " is a song by Silverchair which was released as the second single from their third album, Neon Ballroom.The song is about lead singer Daniel Johns' struggle with anorexia nervosa. The song earned Silverchair a Comet Award in Germany...
" and "Miss You Love
Miss You Love
"Miss You Love" is the fifth track on Australian rock band Silverchair's third album, Neon Ballroom. According to the drummer Ben Gillies, it was "weird" filming the video clip for it, because they didn't use instruments and just sat in a movie theatre most of the video.-Song structure and...
"; a fourth single, "Paint Pastel Princess", did not reach the top 50. The albums charted well internationally: Freak Show reached No. 2 in Canada, and Neon Ballroom reached No. 5. Both reached the top 40 on the United Kingdom Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
. "Abuse Me" reached No. 4 on Billboards Hot Modern Rock Tracks and Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks charts. "Ana's Song (Open Fire)" peaked at No. 12 on the Hot Modern Rock Tracks.
In 1999, Johns announced that he had developed the eating disorder, anorexia nervosa
Anorexia nervosa
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by refusal to maintain a healthy body weight and an obsessive fear of gaining weight. Although commonly called "anorexia", that term on its own denotes any symptomatic loss of appetite and is not strictly accurate...
, due to anxiety. Johns noted that the lyrics to "Ana's Song (Open Fire)" dealt with his disorder, where he would "eat what he needed … to stay awake." He revealed that his eating problems developed from the time of Freak Show and when Neon Ballroom was written he "hated music, really everything about it", but felt that he "couldn't stop doing it; I felt like a slave to it." Johns sought therapy and medication but felt "It's easier for me to express it through music and lyrics".
Silverchair added an auxiliary keyboardist, Sam Holloway (ex-Cordrazine
Cordrazine (band)
Cordrazine are an Australian rock band formed in 1996 in Melbourne, Victoria. They released a top ten album on the Australian Recording Industry Association Albums Chart, From Here to Wherever in 1998. The album was nominated for 'Breakthrough Artist - Album' at the ARIA Music Awards for 1998;...
), for the Neon Ballroom Tour. The US leg had the group playing with The Offspring
The Offspring
The Offspring is an American punk rock band from Huntington Beach, California, formed in 1984. Known as Manic Subsidal until 1986, the band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Dexter Holland, lead guitarist Kevin "Noodles" Wasserman, bassist Greg K. and drummer Pete Parada...
and Red Hot Chilli Peppers, while Silverchair's tour of UK and European had 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...
as the support act. Rolling Stones Neva Chonin attributed their chart success to the album's more "mature" sound. In Europe and South America it became the group's most successful album to date. The group appeared at festivals in Reading and Edgefest
Edgefest
Edgefest, a yearly outdoor rock concert festival that primarily promotes Canadian rock music, began in 1987 as a thank-you gesture to the listeners of Toronto radio station 102.1 the Edge and as a birthday party to commemorate both the station's tenth birthday, and the coinciding Canada Day...
, amongst others. Following the tour, the band announced that they would be taking a 12-month-break. Their only live performance in 2000 was at the 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...
on New Year's Eve. On 21 January 2001, the band played to 250,000 people at Rock in Rio, a show they described as the highlight of their career.
After the release of Neon Ballroom, Silverchair's three album contract with Sony Music had ended. The group eventually signed with Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
for North and South America, and formed their own label with Watson, Eleven: A Music Company
Eleven: A Music Company
Eleven: A Music Company is an Australian record label known for its small but successful roster, including Silverchair and Missy Higgins. The company was founded on 11 November 2000 by leading artist manager John Watson.-History:...
(distributed by EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
), for Australia and Asia. In November 2000, after the group had left the label, Sony issued The Best of Volume 1 without the band's involvement. Johns disavowed the compilation, "We thought about putting out ads in the street press to make people aware that we weren't endorsing it, but that would have blown the whole thing out of proportion ... If people want to buy it, they can buy it but I wouldn't buy it if I was a silverchair fan."
Diorama (2001–2002)
In June 2001, Silverchair entered a studio in Sydney with producer David BottrillDavid Bottrill
David Bottrill is a Canadian record producer. He has won three Grammys. Currently, he owns Rattlebox Studios in Toronto, Ontario with producer Brian Moncarz...
(Tool
Tool (band)
Tool is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1990, the group's line-up has included drummer Danny Carey, guitarist Adam Jones, and vocalist Maynard James Keenan. Since 1995, Justin Chancellor has been the band's bassist, replacing their original bassist Paul D'Amour...
, Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel
Peter Brian Gabriel is an English singer, musician, and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock group Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career...
, King Crimson
King Crimson
King Crimson are a rock band founded in London, England in 1969. Often categorised as a foundational progressive rock group, the band have incorporated diverse influences and instrumentation during their history...
) to start work on their fourth album, Diorama
Diorama (album)
Diorama is the fourth studio album by Australian alternative rock band Silverchair. Released on 31 March 2002 by record label Eleven, the album was co-produced by Daniel Johns and David Bottrill...
. Johns formally assumed the role of a co-producer. The album name means "a world within a world". Most tracks came from Johns' new-found method of writing material on a piano, a technique he developed during the band's break after Neon Ballroom.
In order to complete the vision for Diorama, several other musicians contributed to the album, including Van Dyke Parks
Van Dyke Parks
Van Dyke Parks is an American composer, arranger, producer, musician, singer, author and actor. Parks is perhaps best known for his contributions as a lyricist on the Beach Boys album Smile....
, who provided orchestral arrangements to "Tuna in the Brine", "Luv Your Life
Luv Your Life
"Luv Your Life" is the third single by Australian rock band Silverchair from their fourth album Diorama, which was released in 2002. The song was released as a single and a video was made in which the band was portrayed as animated characters...
", and "Across the Night
Across the Night
"Across the Night" was the fifth and final single released by rock band Silverchair from their fourth album, Diorama. It is the first track on Diorama, and is a major departure from their previous, grungy sound which was featured on Frogstomp, which was released in 1995. This more progressive type...
". Paul Mac
Paul Mac
Paul Mac is a musician, producer and music remixer from Sydney, Australia. He was classically trained at Sydney's Conservatorium of Music. Paul Mac formed the bands Smash Mac Mac, Itch-e And Scratch-e, The Lab, and The Dissociatives, as well as releasing two records under his own name...
(from Itch-e And Scratch-e
Itch-E and Scratch-E
Not to be confused with the fictional characters Itchy and Scratchy from The Simpsons.Itch-E and Scratch-E is an Australian electronic music group formed by Paul Mac and Andy Rantzen in Sydney in the early 1990s initially recording on the Volition label...
) and Jim Moginie
Jim Moginie
James "Jim" Moginie is an Australian musician. He is best known for his work with Midnight Oil, of which he was a founding member, guitarist, keyboardist and leading songwriter...
(from Midnight Oil) both on piano also collaborated with the band. While recording Diorama, Johns referred to himself as an artist, rather than simply being in a "rock band". Upon its release, critics commented that the album was more artistic than previous works.
Early in December, the first single, "The Greatest View
The Greatest View
"The Greatest View" is the first single by rock band Silverchair released from their fourth album, Diorama, which was released in 2002, as was "The Greatest View". The song was released as a single and a video was made in which the band plays in hotel room representing Daniel John's inner space...
", was released to Australian radio networks. It's physical release in January 2002 coincided with the band's appearance on the 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...
tour. Early in 2002, Johns was diagnosed with reactive arthritis
Reactive arthritis
Reactive arthritis , is classified as an autoimmune condition that develops in response to an infection in another part of the body. Coming into contact with bacteria and developing an infection can trigger the disease. Reiter's syndrome has symptoms similar to various other conditions collectively...
which made it difficult for him to play the guitar and subsequent performances supporting the album's release were cancelled. In March, Diorama was issued and topped the ARIA Albums Chart – it became their fourth number-one album and spent 50 weeks in the top 50.
Five singles were released from the album: "The Greatest View", "Without You
Without You (Silverchair song)
"Without You" is the second single released by Australian rock band Silverchair from their fourth album, Diorama, released in 2002 . It was written in Db major and was actually written during the recording of the band's third album Neon Ballroom but was not used.The video is composed of many...
", "Luv Your Life", "Across the Night", and "After All These Years" – "The Greatest View" charted highest, reaching No. 3. In October, Silverchair were successful at the ARIA Music Awards of 2002
ARIA Music Awards of 2002
The 16th Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards were held on 15 October 2002 at the Sydney SuperDome.-ARIA Awards:...
, they won five awards including 'Best Rock Album' and 'Best Group', and 'Producer of the Year' for Johns. The band played "The Greatest View" at the ceremony: the song was also nominated for 'Best Video'. Two singles (and a related video) were nominated for further ARIA Awards in 2003
ARIA Music Awards of 2003
The 17th Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards were held on 21 October 2003 at the Sydney Superdome.-ARIA Awards:*Album of the Year**Powderfinger – Vulture Street...
. Following the 2002 ARIA Awards, the band announced an indefinite hiatus. Johns said it was necessary "given the fact the band were together for over a decade and yet were only, on average, 23 years old". From March to June 2003, Silverchair undertook the Across the Night Tour to perform Diorama. Their hometown performance on 19 April was recorded as Live from Faraway Stables
Live from Faraway Stables
Live from Faraway Stables is a 2003 live album and concert film by Australian alternative rock band Silverchair. It was recorded at their concert held on 19 April 2003, at Newcastle Civic Theatre in the band's home-town of Newcastle, New South Wales, and was the second show to be held during the...
for a 2×CD and 2xDVD released in November. After the tour finished in June the group announced an indefinite hiatus.
Extended break and side projects (2003–2005)
In 2000, while also working with Silverchair, Johns and Mac released an internet-only EP, I Can't Believe It's Not RockI Can't Believe It's Not Rock
I Can't Believe It's Not Rock is the self-titled debut EP, an experimental project consisting of Daniel Johns and Paul Mac. "I Can't Believe It's Not Rock" is an EP that happened by accident....
. In mid-2003, during Silverchair's hiatus, the pair re-united and formed The Dissociatives
The Dissociatives
The Dissociatives are an Australian band consisting of Daniel Johns of Silverchair, Australian dance producer DJ Paul Mac, and touring members Julian Hamilton and Kim Moyes from Sydney electronic duo "The Presets"...
, releasing a self-titled album
The Dissociatives (album)
The Dissociatives is an album by the Australian duo of the same name consisting of Daniel Johns of Silverchair and Australian dance music producer Paul Mac. The band met when Paul Mac remixed the Silverchair song "Freak" off the "Freak Show" album and subsequent albums "Neon Ballroom" and "Diorama"...
in April 2004. The duo provided the theme music for the popular ABC-TV music quiz show Spicks and Specks – as a reworking of The Bee Gees' 1966 hit of the same name
Spicks and Specks (song)
"Spicks and Specks" is a song by The Bee Gees .An instrumental version of the song is part of the soundtrack for Melody, which also featured several other Bee Gees songs.-Live performances:...
. Johns also collaborated with then-wife Natalie Imbruglia
Natalie Imbruglia
Natalie Jane Imbruglia is an Australian singer-songwriter, model and actress. In the early 1990s, Imbruglia was known to audiences as Beth Brennan in the popular Australian soap Neighbours. Three years after leaving the programme, Imbruglia launched a singing career with the international hit,...
on her Counting Down the Days
Counting Down the Days
Counting Down the Days is the third studio album by Australian singer Natalie Imbruglia released by Brightside Recordings in the United Kingdom on 4 April 2005. The album included the two singles "Shiver" and "Counting Down the Days"....
album, released in April 2005.
Joannou worked with blues-rock
Blues-rock
Blues rock is a hybrid musical genre combining bluesy improvisations over the 12-bar blues and extended boogie jams with rock and roll styles. The core of the blues rock sound is created by the electric guitar, piano, bass guitar and drum kit, with the electric guitar usually amplified through a...
group The Mess Hall
The Mess Hall
The Mess Hall are a two-piece drums and guitar combo based in Sydney, Australia specialising in "raw, edgy bluesy rock." The band consists of Jed Kurzel and Cec Condon ....
, he co-produced – with Matt Lovell
Matt Lovell
Matt Lovell is a notable Australian record producer and mixer for many artists, such as; Something for Kate, The Mess Hall, Tom Morgan and Shihad...
– their six-track extended play Feeling Sideways
Feeling Sideways
Feeling Sideways, produced by Chris Joannou earned an ARIA music award for Best Independent Release. The same year, The Original Drummer, Anthony Johnsen left the band and was replaced with Cec Condon of The Tremors.-Track listing:...
which was released in May 2003. The album was nominated for the ARIA Award for 'Best Independent Release' in 2003. Jounnou and Lovell co-produced The Mess Hall's studio album, Notes from a Ceiling
Notes From A Ceiling
Notes From A Ceiling is the second album from the Australian two-piece rock band The Mess Hall.The album won an ARIA Music Award for Best Engineer, was short-listed for the inaugural Australian Music Prize and was included in both Triple J and Rolling Stone's Top 50 of 2005.According to Jed Kurzel...
which was issued in June 2005. Jounnou and Lovell received a nomination at the ARIA Music Awards of 2005
ARIA Music Awards of 2005
The 19th Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards were held on 23 October 2005 at the Sydney Superdome at the Sydney Olympic Park complex, thus continuing the previous year's innovation of televising the awards on Sunday evening...
for 'Producer of the Year'. In 2003, Gillies formed Tambalane
Tambalane
Tambalane was an Australian Pop rock band that was formed in 2003 by Silverchair drummer Ben Gillies after Silverchair went on hiatus in 2003. They released a single album which contained the singles "Little Miss Liar" and "Free"....
with Wes Carr
Wes Carr
Wes Carr is an Australian singer-songwriter. He released his first studio album Simple Sum independently in 2008 shortly before entering Australian Idol. In November 2008 he was announced as the winner of the sixth season of Australian Idol...
, initially as a song-writing project, they released a self titled album in 2005 and toured Australia.
The 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami resulted in the WaveAid
WaveAid
WaveAid was a fund raising concert held on Saturday the 29th of January 2005 as a means for raising funds for the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, known as the Boxing Day Tsunami. It was held at the Sydney Cricket Ground and broadcast on television by Channel [V] and MTV, and on radio...
fund-raising concert held in January 2005: Silverchair performed to help raise funds for aid organisations working in disaster affected areas. As a result of WaveAid the band decided to resume working together. Gillies explained the band's reunion as due to a special "chemistry" between band members, telling The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald is a daily broadsheet newspaper published by Fairfax Media in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1831 as the Sydney Herald, the SMH is the oldest continuously published newspaper in Australia. The newspaper is published six days a week. The newspaper's Sunday counterpart, The...
, "It only took us 15 years, but recently we've realised, 'We've really got something special and we should just go for it.'"
Return from hiatus (2006–2010)
Hunter Valley
The Hunter Region, more commonly known as the Hunter Valley, is a region of New South Wales, Australia, extending from approximately to north of Sydney with an approximate population of 645,395 people. Most of the population of the Hunter Region lives within of the coast, with 55% of the entire...
, and then recorded at Los Angeles' Seedy Underbelly Studios with Launay as producer. Parks again arranged orchestral tracks for the band – they travelled to Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
to record with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra
Czech Philharmonic Orchestra
The Česká filharmonie is a symphony orchestra based in Prague and is the best-known and most respected orchestra in the Czech Republic.- History :...
. The group also used Mac, Luke Steele
Luke Steele (singer)
Luke James Steele , is the vocalist and primary songwriter of the alternative rock band The Sleepy Jackson...
(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...
) and Julian Hamilton
Julian Hamilton
Julian Thomas Hamilton is a singer, song-writer and keyboardist, who, with bandmate Kim Moyes, makes up successful Sydney electronica duo, The Presets.-Biography:...
(The Presets
The Presets
The Presets are an Australian electronic duo formed in 2003, consisting of Julian Hamilton on vocals and keyboards, and Kim Moyes on drums and keyboards. They released their debut album Beams in 2005 to positive critical response. Their 2008 release Apocalypso debuted at number-one on the ARIA...
, The Dissociatives) – Hamilton also co-wrote songs with Johns. Silverchair self-funded the album's production to ease the pressures faced previously when working with a record label.
The band toured extensively before releasing the album, performing at 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 numerous other shows. Both Mac and Hamilton joined the tour as auxiliary members providing keyboards. In October, they performed a cover of 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...
's 1981 single, "Don't Wanna Be the One", at the ARIA Music Awards of 2006
ARIA Music Awards of 2006
The 20th Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards were held on 29 October 2006 at the Acer Arena at the Sydney Olympic Park complex...
as part of that band's induction into the ARIA Hall of Fame
ARIA Hall of Fame
Since 1988 the Australian Recording Industry Association has inducted artists into its ARIA Hall of Fame. While most have been recognised at the annual ARIA Music Awards, in 2005 ARIA sought to create a separate standalone "ARIA Icons: Hall of Fame" event as only one or two acts could be inducted...
. During the performance Johns spray painted "PG 4 PM" (Peter Garrett
Peter Garrett
Peter Robert Garrett, AM, MP , is an Australian musician, environmentalist, activist and politician.Garrett was lead singer of the Australian rock band Midnight Oil from 1973 until its disbanding in 2002...
for Prime Minister) on a stage wall, paying tribute to the band's front-man, now a Federal Member of Parliament and Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts.
Young Modern was released in March 2007, as was the first single, "Straight Lines
Straight Lines (song)
"Straight Lines" is a song by Silverchair. It was released in Australia on 20 March 2007, and debuted at number one on the ARIA Singles Chart. The single was shortly followed by the release of the band's fifth studio album Young Modern on 31 March 2007...
". Four more singles, "Reflections of a Sound
Reflections of a Sound
"Reflections of a Sound" is a song by Australian rock band Silverchair and is the fourth track on their fifth studio album Young Modern, released in March 2007. The song was released on 14 July 2007 as the second single from that album...
", "If You Keep Losing Sleep
If You Keep Losing Sleep
"If You Keep Losing Sleep" is a song by Australian band Silverchair from their fifth album Young Modern, released on 9 October 2007. It was the third single in Australia to be released from the album. It was released worldwide as the second single from the album since "Reflections of a Sound" was...
", and "Mind Reader
Mind Reader (song)
"Mind Reader" is a song by Australian alternative rock band Silverchair, from their fifth studio album Young Modern. The song was sent to Australian radio stations in January 2008 and released as the fourth single from the album. The song was co-written by Julian Hamilton of The Presets, who is...
", were subsequently released. Young Modern became the fifth Silverchair album to top the ARIA Albums chart – they became the first artists to have five number-one albums. "Straight Lines" also became the band's third No. 1 single in Australia. In June, Silverchair and fellow rock group Powderfinger
Powderfinger
Powderfinger was an Australian rock band that formed in Brisbane in 1989. From 1992 until their breakup the band lineup consisted of vocalist Bernard Fanning, guitarists Darren Middleton and Ian Haug, bassist John Collins, and drummer Jon Coghill....
announced the Across the Great Divide Tour
Across the Great Divide tour
The Across the Great Divide tour was a concert tour by Australian alternative rock bands Powderfinger and Silverchair in 2007. The tour featured concerts in 26 towns across Australia and multiple shows in New Zealand...
. The tour promoted the efforts of Reconciliation Australia
Reconciliation Australia
Reconciliation Australia is the non-government, not-for-profit foundation established in January 2001 to provide a continuing national focus for reconciliation. It was established by the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation...
in mending the 17-year gap in life expectancy between Indigenous and non-Indigenous children. Support acts on the tour were John Butler
John Butler (musician)
John Charles Wiltshire-Butler or John Charles Butler is an Australian musician, songwriter, record label owner and producer...
, Missy Higgins
Missy Higgins
Melissa "Missy" Morrison Higgins is an Australian pop singer-songwriter, musician and actor. Her No. 1 albums in Australia are The Sound of White and On a Clear Night , and her Top Ten singles are "Scar", "The Special Two", "Steer" and "Where I Stood". From a musical family in...
, Kev Carmody
Kev Carmody
Kevin Daniel "Kev" Carmody is an Indigenous Australian singer-songwriter. His song "From Little Things Big Things Grow" was recorded with co-writer Paul Kelly for their 1993 single; it was covered by the Get Up Mob in 2008 and peaked at #4 on the Australian Recording Industry Association singles...
, Troy Cassar-Daley
Troy Cassar-Daley
Troy Cassar-Daley is a multi-award-winning country musician from New South Wales, Australia.He released his first EP, "Dream Out Loud", in 1994 and was nominated for his first Golden Guitar for Best Male Vocalist the same year...
, Clare Bowditch
Clare Bowditch
Clare Bowditch is an Australian musician from Melbourne, Victoria. She released her fourth album Modern Day Addiction via Island Records on 13 August 2010. It became both 3RRR Album of the Week and ABC Radio National's Album of the Week. MDA is the first of Bowditch's album's to enter the Top Ten...
and Deborah Conway
Deborah 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"....
.
Young Modern and "Straight Lines" each won three awards at the ARIA Music Awards of 2007
ARIA Music Awards of 2007
The 21st Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards were held on 28 October 2007 at the Acer Arena at the Sydney Olympic Park complex. Rove McManus was the host of the event...
, taking Silverchair's total to 20. The group also won three APRA Awards
APRA Awards
The APRA Music Awards are several award ceremonies run in Australia and New Zealand by Australasian Performing Right Association to recognise songwriting skills, sales and airplay performance by its members annually....
for their song "Straight Lines", including Songwriter of the Year, which Johns was awarded for a record third time. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2008
ARIA Music Awards of 2008
The 22nd Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards took place on 19 October 2008...
both Silverchair and Powderfinger won 'Best Music DVD' for Across the Great Divide
Across the Great Divide Tour (DVD)
The Across the Great Divide Tour was a live DVD and release by Australian rock bands Powderfinger and Silverchair. Released on 1 December 2007, it followed two Melbourne concerts during the bands' two month-long nationwide tour, titled the Across the Great Divide tour...
, for Silverchair this was their 21st win from 49 nominations.
According to Silverchair's website, as of June 2009, the group had begun work on the follow-up to Young Modern, they had spent three weeks recording in Australia with future sessions earmarked for later that year. No release date was set, but the band uploaded in-studio videos of them working on several tracks to their official website. In December, Johns called in to Triple J's breakfast show, Robbie, Marieke and The Doctor, and discussed the band's new album which they were working on in Newcastle. He told them "the main difference is there's a lot of experimentation with instruments and synths... I think there's only guitar on four songs out of fifty so far," but added the new material is "surprisingly rocky given there’s no guitar." In April 2010, via the band's website, Joannou announced that they would perform two new songs called "16" and "Machina Collecta" at May's Groovin the Moo festival. He said work was progressing well and confirmed there was, as yet, no title for the proposed album and that they were simply referring to it as Album #6. The final concert of the festival was at Bunbury
Bunbury, Western Australia
The port city of Bunbury is the third largest city in Western Australia after the State Capital Perth and Mandurah. It is situated south of Perth's central business district...
on 15 May. By year's end, work on the album had stopped as each member pursued other interests.
"Indefinite hibernation" (2011)
On 25 May 2011, Silverchair announced an indefinite hiatus:Sydney Morning Heralds music writer, Bernard Zuel, said the band's use of "indefinite hibernation" was a way to soften the blow of the group's break-up for fans, he expected future reunions and performances for worthy causes. By June, Gillies was in the final stages of about 12 months of working on his solo album and he said that it was not a continuation of his earlier work with Tambalane. In October, Johns was working on the soundtrack for My Mind's Own Melody – a short film.
Musical style
Silverchair are generally classified as an alternative rockAlternative 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...
and post-grunge
Post-grunge
Post-grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged in the mid-1990s as a derivative of grunge, using the sounds and aesthetic of grunge, but with a more commercially acceptable tone...
band, although their loyalty to specific genres has changed as they have matured. Much of the band's early grunge and post-grunge work was inspired by Nirvana, Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam is an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. Since its inception, the band's line-up has included Eddie Vedder , Jeff Ament , Stone Gossard , and Mike McCready...
, Soundgarden
Soundgarden
Soundgarden is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984 by singer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto...
, Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1987 by guitarist and songwriter Jerry Cantrell and original lead vocalist Layne Staley. The initial lineup was rounded out by drummer Sean Kinney, and bassist Mike Starr...
and Black Sabbath. According to Australian rock music historian, Ian McFarlane, "frogstomp captured the tempo of the times with its mix of Soundgarden/Pearl Jam/Bush post-grunge noise and teenage lyrical angst."
In their early years the perceived stylistic similarities led to Silverchair being derisively dubbed as 'silverhighchair', 'not Soundgarden but ' or 'Nirvana in Pyjamas' by the Australian media. The latter is a sarcastic conflated reference to the band's youth and the popular Australian children's TV series Bananas in Pyjamas
Bananas in Pyjamas
Bananas in Pyjamas is an Australian children's television show that premiered in July 1992 on ABC Television. It has since become syndicated in many different countries, and dubbed into other languages. In the United States, the "Pyjamas" in the title was modified to reflect the American spelling...
. McFarlane stated "Freak Show and tracks like 'Freak' were firmly in Nirvana territory with a hint of Led Zeppelin's Eastern mysticism." Gillies noted that the band were inspired by the Seattle Sound, as well as The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
and The Doors
The Doors
The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...
, and were highly impressionable in their youth. Johns admitted that "We were always influenced a lot by Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin it just so happened that we weren't very good at playing that style of music. So we were put in the whole grunge category because it was such a garage-y, heavy music term."
Australian rock music journalist, Ed Nimmervoll
Ed Nimmervoll
Edward Francis "Ed" Nimmervoll is an Australian rock music journalist, author and historian. He worked on rock magazines Go-Set and Juke both as a journalist and as an editor...
, felt that Johns "had never intended to use his problems for inspiration, but in the end the music was the best way to unburden himself. 'Neon Ballroom' took six months to record. The album's passion and musical sophistication proved to the world that silverchair were a force to be reckoned with". According to 100 Best Australian Albums
100 Best Australian Albums
100 Best Australian Albums is a compendium of rock and pop albums of the past 50 years as compiled by music journalists Toby Creswell, Craig Mathieson and John O'Donnell. The book was published on 25 October 2010 by Hardie Grant Books...
, by three fellow journalists, John O'Donnell, Toby Creswell
Toby Creswell
Toby Creswell is an Australian music journalist and pop-culture writer. He was editor of Rolling Stone and a founding editor of Juice. In 1986 he co-wrote, with Martin Fabinyi, his first book Too Much Ain't Enough a biography of pub rocker and former Cold Chisel vocalist Jimmy Barnes...
and Craig Mathieson
Craig Mathieson
Craig Mathieson is an Australian music journalist and writer. His books include, Hi Fi Days and The Sell-In .-Biography:...
, Neon Ballrooms lead-in track, "Emotion Sickness", described Johns' life in the 1990s and "addressed [his] desire to move beyond the imitative sounds of Silverchair's first two albums ... and create something new and original". "Ana's Song (Open Fire)" directly focussed on his eating disorder, "[it] became a hit all over the world and opened up for discussion the fact that males could also be affected by anorexia."
Allmusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine is a senior editor for Allmusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for Allmusic, as well as a freelance writer, occasionally contributing liner notes. He is also frontman and guitarist for the Ann Arbor-based band Who Dat?Erlewine is the nephew...
felt Diorama, "was a shockingly creative and impressive step forward that showed the band shedding its grunge past and adding horns, strings, and mature lyrics to its arsenal." Fellow Allmusic reviewer, Bradley Torreano noted that "they somehow kept going and kept improving ... Silverchair has grown up and put together a fine mix of orchestral pop and rock on Diorama." Bernard Zuel, described how the Diorama concert tour marked a move from hard rock towards art rock
Art rock
Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, with influences from art, avant-garde, and classical music. The first usage of the term, according to Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, was in 1968. Influenced by the work of The Beatles, most notably their Sgt...
, "they stepped out of the arenas and barns and 'got classy' ... finally having admitted to harbouring artistic ambition (a very un-Australian band thing to do), they've proved they have the ability".
Gillies notes that Silverchair will often "run the risk of losing fans" with their work, and this was evident in the changes in musical direction in Diorama and Young Modern. However, he described this as a good thing, describing the fact "that we haven’t been pigeonholed, and people really don’t know what to expect" as one of the attractive elements of the band. Despite the ups and downs of success at a young age, Gillies says the band "appreciate what we’ve achieved and what we’ve got" in their careers. The band have received six APRA Awards
APRA Awards
The APRA Music Awards are several award ceremonies run in Australia and New Zealand by Australasian Performing Right Association to recognise songwriting skills, sales and airplay performance by its members annually....
with Johns winning three songwriting awards at the 2008 ceremony
APRA Awards of 2008
The Australasian Performing Right Association Awards of 2008 are a series of awards which include the APRA Music Awards, Classical Music Awards, and Screen Music Awards. The APRA Music Awards ceremony occurred on 16 June at the Sydney Hilton, they were presented by APRA and the Australasian...
.
Reception
Frogstomp was described as similar to Nirvana and Pearl Jam; Erlewine noted that it followed in "the alternative rock tradition" of those bands. Silverchair's songwriting was poor at that stage, with Erlewine stating that "their songwriting abilities aren't as strong" as those of their peers. Rolling StoneRolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
however, claimed that the band had risen above their peers, applauding Johns' "ragged vocals". Herald Sun
Herald Sun
The Herald Sun is a morning tabloid newspaper based in Melbourne, Australia. It is published by The Herald and Weekly Times, a subsidiary of News Limited, itself a subsidiary of News Corporation. It is available for purchase throughout Melbourne, Regional Victoria, Tasmania, the Australian Capital...
journalist, Nue Te Koha praised Frogstomp for "breaking the drought of Australian music making an impact overseas". However he felt "It is highly debatable whether the three teens have gone to the world with a new sound or something identifiably Australian ... Silverchair's image and sound are blatantly ... Nirvana meets Pearl Jam". Nimmervoll disputed Te Koha's view, "It's not original, it's not Australian. Bah, humbug ... It's just as well Britain didn't say the same thing when The Beatles reinvented American R&B".
Freak Show saw the band show more of their own musical style, rather than copying others, and thus received more praise for its songwriting than its predecessor. Yahoo! Music
Yahoo! Music
Yahoo! Music, owned by Yahoo!, is the provider of a variety of music services, including Internet radio, music videos, news, artist information, and original programming...
's Sandy Masuo described the lyrics as "moving" and "emotional". Johns' vocal delivery was complemented, his "bittersweet, crackly voice tops the ample power chordage ... [he] hits shivery, emotional notes that convey both sweet idealism and disappointment". Zuel felt that with this album, the band "have outgrown the jokes, predictions and their own understated teenage ambitions to find they have become (gasp!) career musicians."
In 100 Best Australian Albums (2010) their third album, Neon Ballroom, was placed at No. 25 according to its authors. Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
approved of the further advancement in Neon Ballroom, commenting on "plush strings on these adult arrangements". There were once again significant advancements in songwriting; Johns was described as "furious, motivated, and all grown up". However, Rolling Stone said the album seemed confused, commenting that Silverchair "can't decide what they want to do" with their music. Meanwhile, Diorama was seen as an extension of the band's originality, with its "[h]eavy orchestration, unpredictable melodic shifts and a whimsical pop sensibility". According to PopMatters
PopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
' Nikki Tranter, the album stood out in an otherwise dull Australian music market.
Allmusic's Clayton Bolger described Young Modern as an improvement by the band, praising "catchy melodic hooks, inspired lyrical themes, and stunning string arrangements". He claimed the album was the pinnacle of the band's development. PopMatters' Nick Pearson saw the opposite, claiming that "[o]nce you reach the level of intellectual maturity where you can tell the difference between cryptic but poetic lyrics and nonsensical crap, you have outgrown Silverchair". Pearson called the album an attempt to secure a safer territory and assure sales, after the success of past works, calling it more boring than its predecessors. Other reviewers noted influences from cult British band XTC
XTC
XTC were a New Wave band from Swindon, England, active between 1976 and 2005. The band enjoyed some chart success, including the UK and Canadian hits "Making Plans for Nigel" and "Senses Working Overtime" , but are perhaps even better known for their long-standing critical success.- Early years:...
.
In July 2009 "Tomorrow" was voted number 33 by the Australian public in Triple J's Hottest 100 of all time. As from May 2011, the group have sold in excess of six million albums. At the annual ARIA Music Awards
ARIA Music Awards
The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Australian Recording Industry Association...
, Silverchair holds the record for the most nominated artist, with 49, and the most number of awards won, with 21. Their breakthrough year was in 1995
ARIA Music Awards of 1995
The Ninth Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards was held on 20 October 1995 at the Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre. There had been a 19-month gap since the previous award ceremony which was moved to be "closer to the business end of the music industry's year"...
, when they won five out of nine nominations, including 'Best New Talent', and 'Breakthrough Artist' for both album and single categories. Their most successful year was at the 2007 ceremony
ARIA Music Awards of 2007
The 21st Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards were held on 28 October 2007 at the Acer Arena at the Sydney Olympic Park complex. Rove McManus was the host of the event...
when they won six of eight nominations.
Members
- Tobin Finane – rhythm guitar (1992, only in Innocent Criminals)
- Ben GilliesBen GilliesBenjamin David Gillies is an Australian musician, best known as the drummer of Australian rock band Silverchair.Born in Merewether, a suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, he started as a quad drummer in the band The Marching Koalas, before forming the band Innocent Criminals at the age...
– drums, percussion (1992–2011) - Chris JoannouChris JoannouChristopher John Joannou is a Macedonian Australian musician, best known as the bass player for the successful alternative rock band Silverchair. Born in Newcastle, New South Wales, he has a twin sister and an older sister. He has a nephew and two nieces. He was the first of the three band...
– bass guitar (1992–2011) - Daniel JohnsDaniel JohnsDaniel Paul Johns is an Australian musician, vocalist, composer, guitarist, and pianist, best known as the frontman of the rock band Silverchair. He is also part of The Dissociatives...
– vocals, guitar, piano, harpsichord, orchestral arrangements (1992–2011)
Auxiliary members
- Sam Holloway – keyboards, samples (1999)
- Paul MacPaul MacPaul Mac is a musician, producer and music remixer from Sydney, Australia. He was classically trained at Sydney's Conservatorium of Music. Paul Mac formed the bands Smash Mac Mac, Itch-e And Scratch-e, The Lab, and The Dissociatives, as well as releasing two records under his own name...
– keyboards, piano, remixing, programming (2001–2003, 2006–2007) - Julian HamiltonJulian HamiltonJulian Thomas Hamilton is a singer, song-writer and keyboardist, who, with bandmate Kim Moyes, makes up successful Sydney electronica duo, The Presets.-Biography:...
– keyboards, backing vocals (2001–2003, 2007)
Discography
- FrogstompFrogstompFrogstomp is the debut album of Australian rock band Silverchair. It was released in Australia in early 1995, when the members were only 15 years of age, by a subsidiary of Sony Records and reached number one on the album charts. On 20 June 1995, Frogstomp was released by Epic Records in the U.S...
(1995) - Freak ShowFreak Show (album)Freak Show is the second studio album from Australian rock band Silverchair. Freak Show was released on 3 February 1997. The album also gives listeners a glimpse into the band's experimental side, as can be heard in "Petrol & Chlorine" and "Cemetery"...
(1997) - Neon BallroomNeon BallroomNeon Ballroom is the third studio album by Australian alternative rock band Silverchair and was released on 8 March 1999. The album debuted at number-one on the ARIA Albums Chart and was certified 4× platinum by ARIA. It was also certified Gold in the United States...
(1999) - DioramaDiorama (album)Diorama is the fourth studio album by Australian alternative rock band Silverchair. Released on 31 March 2002 by record label Eleven, the album was co-produced by Daniel Johns and David Bottrill...
(2002) - Young Modern (2007)
See also
- List of awards and nominations received by Silverchair
- Music of AustraliaMusic of AustraliaThe music of Australia is the music produced in the area of, on the subject of, or by the people of modern Australia, including its preceding Indigenous and colonial societies. Indigenous Australian music is a part of the unique heritage of a 40–60,000 year history which produced the iconic...