Underground Lovers
Background information
Origin	Melbourne, VIC, Australia
Genre(s)	Indie Rock
Years active	1990 - 2002
Associated acts	GBVG, GB3
Former members
Vincent Giarrusso, Glenn Bennie, Philippa Nihill, Maurice Argiro, Richard Andrew, Derek Yuen

Underground Lovers are an Australian alternative rock band. Although their commercial success was minimal at best, they were a much-lauded act in the country's alternative scene throughout the 1990s. While the band has experienced many lineup changes during its existence, the nucleus of the band since its inception has been Vincent M. Giarrusso (vocals, guitar, keyboard) and Glenn Bennie (guitar). Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Melbournes CBD has grown to straddle the Yarra River in three major precincts. ... The abbreviation/acronym VIC (all caps) may have one of several meanings, depending on context: A code for Victoria, Australia The Video Interface Chip from MOS Technology, used in the Commodore VIC-20 home computer (VIC sometimes colloquially refers to the VIC-20 computer itself, or to the VIC chip... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... MCMXC redirects here; for the Enigma album, see MCMXC a. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... Alternative rock (also called alternative music[1] or simply alternative) is a genre of rock music that emerged in the 1980s and became widely popular in the 1990s. ... For the band, see 1990s (band). ...

History

Vincent Giarrusso and Glenn Bennie met in high school in suburban Melbourne during the 1970s. Sharing an appreciation for likes of Joy Division, New Order, The Cure and Melbourne's underground electronic/experimental scene, they began collaborating musically whilst studying drama at university. The first fruit of their partnership was a one-off 7" released in 1988 under the moniker Blast. Melbournes CBD has grown to straddle the Yarra River in three major precincts. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... Joy Division were an English rock band that formed in 1976 in Salford, Greater Manchester. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... The Cure are a successful English rock band formed in Crawley, Sussex in 1976, widely seen as one of the leading pioneers of the British alternative rock scene of the 1980s. ...

The Underground Lovers officially assembled in 1990, playing their first gig in May that year at Melbourne's Corner Hotel, supporting The Macguffins. The lineup at the time was completed by Philippa Nihill (vocals, guitar, keyboard), Maurice Argiro (bass) and Richard Andrew (drums). After only a few gigs, they had secured Craig Kamber, then A&R director of Polydor, as their manager. To raise their profile, Kamber helped Underground Lovers get support slots with like-minded up-and-comers such as The Clouds. Meanwhile, Underground Lovers recorded their self-titled debut (with their own money) and put it out through Shock Records in March 1991. By the end of that year an EP of newer material, Nice, came out, in addition to a contribution to the Youngblood 3 compilation, "Ripe". The Corner Hotel in Richmond, Victoria is one of Melbournes most popular and respected medium-sized rock venues. ... In the music industry, artist and repertoire (A&R) refers to the division of a record label that is responsible for scouting and artist development. ... Polydor Records is a record label once headquartered in Germany. ... The Girls From The Clouds. ... [Shock Records] is Australias largest independant record company. ...

1992 saw a considerable rise in the band's fortunes. They won Best New Artist at the ARIA Awards for their self-titled debut, and supported The Cure and My Bloody Valentine on their Australian tours of that year. In January they entered the studio with producer Wayne Connolly (also of The Welcome Mat), and cut their more layered and experimental second album, Leaves Me Blind. The album came out first in the UK in August through the short-lived 4AD imprint Guernica. By that stage Polydor had signed the Underground Lovers in Australia, going on to release Leaves Me Blind locally in December. The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known as ARIA Music Awards or ARIA Awards) is an annual awards night celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Australian Record Industry Association (ARIA). ... The Cure are a successful English rock band formed in Crawley, Sussex in 1976, widely seen as one of the leading pioneers of the British alternative rock scene of the 1980s. ... My Bloody Valentine were an Irish-British shoegazing band best known for their creative use of guitar distortion, tremolo, and digital reverb. ... The British indie rock record label 4AD was started in 1979 by Ivo Watts-Russell and Peter Kent, funded by Beggars Banquet Records. ...

Following an extensive tour of the UK and North America for the first half of 1993, the Underground Lovers parted ways with Kamber, in order for him to concentrate more on his A&R position at Polydor. They then enlisted Melburnian electronic producers David Chesworth and Robert Goodge (ex-Essendon Airport) for work on their third album. Richard Andrew left the band around this time (mainly because he was denied more artistic input), with Derek Yuen taking his place. Dream It Down would surface in 1994, spawning the Triple J favorite "Losin' It". While the album sold in similar numbers to its predecessors, it wasn't good enough to improve their already acrimonious relationship with Polydor. The band quit Polydor in 1995 and, in a quest for more artistic freedom, set up their own Mainstream label (in conjunction with the big-league indie, Rubber Records). David Chesworth (born 1958, Stoke-on-Trent, United Kingdom) is an Australian based composer, keyboard player and sound designer. ... Essendon Airport was an Australian post-punk group from the late 1970s who explored experimental minimalist, electronic and funk music. ... Triple J (JJJ) is a nationally-networked, government-funded Australian radio station (a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation), mainly aimed at youth (defined as those between 12 and 25). ...

Also produced by Wayne Connolly, Rushall Station, which came out in April 1996, was their most 'bare bones' recording since their debut. Phillipa Nihill left the band during the recording of the album to pursue a solo career (though she recorded vocals for two tracks). Later that year Giarusso self-published a book, also called Rushall Station, that combined his own song lyrics with a preview of his novel-in-progress, The Bogstar Ritual. The band subsequently received a nomination for Best Independent Release at the 1997 ARIA Awards. Also in 1997 Giarusso and Bennie put out the debut album by their experimental side-project GBVG, titled Whitey Trickstar, in addition to the fifth Underground Lovers album Ways T'Burn. The latter saw a move towards more electronic territory.

Giarrusso and Bennie maintained a low profile for much of 1998, though they did release another GBVG project - a cover of Can's "I Want More". The vocals were credited to a made-up Japanese chanteuse named Mitsuame, who in reality was Triple J and Recovery co-host Jane Gazzo. At the end of that year Underground Lovers, who by now were reduced to the core of Giarrusso and Bennie, readied their sixth album Cold Feeling. Can was a musical group formed in West Germany in 1968. ... Triple J (JJJ) is a nationally-networked, government-funded Australian radio station (a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation), mainly aimed at youth (defined as those between 12 and 25). ... Jane Gazzo Jane Gazzo (born 1977) is a radio presenter, performance and club DJ, TV personality, voice artist, music journalist. ...

Cold Feeling was the Underground Lovers' most electronic-influenced album to date. It also featured minor contributions from The Paradise Motel's Merida Sussex and ex-Triffids steel guitarist Graham Lee, among other Melburnian indie musicians. The title track received considerable airplay on Triple J, but the album still did not find an audience beyond the band's dedicated fanbase. For shows in support of the album, Emma Bortignon and Andrew Nunns were recruited to fill the bass and drum roles respectively. The Paradise Motel were an Australian post-punk band active from 1995-2000. ... The Triffids were an Australian rock band who achieved some international success in the 1980s. ... Graham Lee is an Australian rock musician and record producer, best known as the steel guitar player of the 1980s band The Triffids, where he was nicknamed Evil Graham Lee. He has also played with the KLF, Blackeyed Susans, The Paradise Vendors, David McComb, David Chesworth and Essendon Airport. ... Triple J (JJJ) is a nationally-networked, government-funded Australian radio station (a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation), mainly aimed at youth (defined as those between 12 and 25). ...

Following Cold Feeling, Giarrusso concentrated mainly on finalising his feature film debut Mallboy, which he wrote and directed, and starred Kane McNay of SeaChange fame. Inspired by Giarrusso's work as a social worker, the film focused on a troubled youth and his dysfunctional lifestyle in Melbourne's northern suburbs. The film premiered at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival where it was selected for the highly prestigious Director's Fortnight (at the time only the fifth Australian film to have been selected). It later premiered in Australia at the 2001 Melbourne International Film Festival as closing night film and had a limited release in cinemas soon after (through Buena Vista International). McNay won an AFI Award (Best Actor) for his performance. Giarrusso and Bennie composed and recorded the score for Mallboy, which came out as the unofficial seventh Underground Lovers album in 2001. Further live activity was undertaken that year, to preview newer material - none of which has been recorded or released. Mallboy is an Australian film released in 2001, written and directed by Vincent Giarrusso, which depicts the difficulties faced by an adolescent trying to grow up in a community plagued by social problems. ... Seachange may refer to: Look up seachange in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Cannes Film Festival logo. ... The Melbourne International Film Festival, or MIFF, has been running since 1951. ... The Australian Film Institute (AFI) was established in 1958. ...

Underground Lovers played their last shows supporting New Order during their Australian tour in January 2002. It's unclear as to whether they are on indefinite hiatus or have broken up. This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

Recent activity

As of 2006, Glenn Bennie has an ongoing solo project named GB3. Rubber Records released the first GB3 album Circlework in October 2003, which was accompanied by a couple of exclusive shows that brought together Underground Lovers members old and new (but not Giarrusso). 2006 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The second GB3 album Emptiness Is Our Business was issued to critical acclaim in August 2006, and featured collaborations with Sarah Blasko, Steve Kilbey, ex-Frente! vocalist Angie Hart, the late Grant McLennan, Sianna from Love Outside Andromeda, Stephen Cummings, and Adalita from Magic Dirt amongst others. Sarah Blasko (born September 23, 1976) is an Australian musician. ... Steve Kilbey Steve Kilbey (13 September 1954) is the lead singer of Australian rock band The Church. ... Frente! was an Australian alternative pop/rock group, formed in 1991. ... Grant William McLennan (12 February 1958 – 6 May 2006) was an Australian singer-songwriter with the independent band The Go-Betweens, which he co-founded with Robert Forster in Brisbane, Australia in 1977. ... Bold text==History==Bold text Melbournes Love Outside Andromeda formed in 2000 as Andromeda, the brainchild of Sianna Lee - an ambitious bedroom guitarist with a knack for confessional-style song writing. ... Stephen Cummings is an Australian singer, songwriter and author. ... Magic Dirt at the 2004 Big Day Out Magic Dirt is an Australian rock band, formed in 1992 in Geelong, Australia. ...

Giarrusso has since started developing a number of film and music projects with funding from private and government bodies. Godless, a feature film he will direct and score, is slated for production in early 2007. Sydney indie label Popfrenzy will release the first of three albums for Giarrusso in late 2007 under the moniker Mist and Sea - predominantly a recording project in collaboration with Jason Sweeney and Cailan Burns. The first album Unless is slated for release late 2006/early 2007. Meanwhile, Giarrusso is also playing live music with a new band called Raining Ropes, featuring former members of Bergerac and The Paradise Motel. The current line up consists of Giarrusso, Jed Palmer, Emma Bortignon, Steve Griffiths and Mark Austin.

After officially leaving Underground Lovers in 1996, Phillipa Nihill recorded two solo releases - the Dead Sad EP in November 1996, and a full length album A Little Easy in 2000. Aside from her guest appearances with GB3, she has recently returned to the Melbourne music scene as part of Saoi, an Irish Gaelic-influenced ambient duo completed by vocalist Paula Kehoe. Their debut CD This Drowning Is Dreaming was released independently in December 2006.

Discography

Albums

• Underground Lovers (Shock, 1991)
• Leaves Me Blind (Guernica/4AD [UK]; Polydor [Australia], 1992)
• Dream It Down (Polydor, 1994)
• Rushall Station (Rubber/Mainstream/Shock, 1996)
• Whitey Trickstar (Technical Revolution of Sound, 1997) - As GBVG
• Ways T'Burn (Rubber/Mainstream/BMG, 1997)
• Cold Feeling (Reliant/Fiido/Festival, 1999)
• Evil: Underground Lovers 94-97 (self-released, 2000)
• Mallboy (Silvertone/Zomba, 2001)

Singles & EPs

• "Round and Round" (Shock, 1991)
• "Looking For Rain" (Shock, 1991)
• "Lick The Boot" (Shock, 1991)
• "Nice (EP)" (Shock, 1991)
• "Ladies Choice" (Polydor, 1992)
• "I Was Right" (Polydor, 1992)
• "Promenade (EP)" (Polydor, 1993)
• "Your Eyes" (Polydor, 1993)
• "Las Vegas" (Polydor, 1994)
• "Losin' It" (Polydor, 1994)
• "Splendid (EP)" (Polydor, 1995?)
• "In My Head" (Mainstream, 1996)
• "Takes You Back" (Mainstream, 1996)
• "Starsigns" (Mainstream, 1997)
• "Common Box (Mainstream, 1997)
• "I Want More" (Reliant, 1998) - as GBVG featuring Mitsuame
• "Cold Feeling" (Reliant, 1999)
• "Infinite Finite" (Reliant, 1999)
• "'Trackies' Remix" (featuring Pauly B) (Silvertone, 2001)

Awards

• Rolling Stone's award for Best Australian Record, 1992, for Leaves Me Blind
• "Losin' It" Number 19 in the Triple J Hottest 100, 1994

This article is about the magazine. ... The 1994 Triple J Hottest 100, counted down in January 1995, was a countdown of the most popular songs of the year, according to listeners of the Australian radio station Triple J. A CD featuring 32 of the songs was released. ...

References

• Mathieson, Craig. The Sell-in, Allen & Unwin, 2000.
• MacFarlane, Ian. The Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop, Allen & Unwin, 1999.

External links

• HowlSpace: Underground Lovers
• Australian Music Online: Underground Lovers
• GB3 on MySpace
• Mist & Sea on MySpace
• Mist & Sea interview at Cyclic Defrost
• Raining Ropes on MySpace
• Official Saoi site (featuring Phillipa Nihill)