Neon (Australian band)

Neon are a three-piece Australian rock band from Melbourne, Australia. Their "A Man" single made the top 50 of the Australian singles charts in November 2004 and has won critical acclaim in the British music media.[1]

This article is about the Australian band. For the British new wave band, see Neon (British band). For other bands named Neon, see Neon (disambiguation) ยง Bands.

Biography

Two of the members of Neon come originally from Broken Hill.[2] Bitmead and Gurney initially played in a band called Porcelein, who won a Triple J Unearthed contest in the mid-to-late 1990s. However, Neon formed in 2001 in Melbourne and started working on songs written by Josh Bitmead. The band started recording demos and working as support acts for Dallas Crane, Magic Dirt, Rocket Science and You Am I.

Eventually, the band signed a record deal with independent record label Ivy League Records.[3] A copy of a demo tape fell into the hands of Steve McDonald of Redd Kross who offered to produce a record for the band in Los Angeles.[2] The album featured contributions from Pat Smear and Dale Crover, the drummer for the Melvins.

Former Blur guitarist Graham Coxon had also heard a copy of their demo tape and offered them a contract to release an EP on his Transcopic Records in 2004. The A Man EP featured a track from the Steve McDonald sessions, "A Man" along with three of the demo recordings. The EP received good reviews from the NME, Kerrang! and BBC Radio 1. Neon also supported Jet, the Vines and the Living End on their Aussie Invasion tour of the US.[4]

Their debut self-titled album was released in Australia in 2005 through Ivy League records,[5] with its lead single making number 48 on the Australian singles charts in November 2004.[6] The band also signed an international record deal with V2 Records for international distribution.[3]

Band members
  • Josh Bitmead (guitar, vocals, songwriter)
  • Britt Spooner (bass)
  • Jamie Gurney (drums)
  • Anthony Troiano (drums)

Discography
  • A Man EP (2004) - Transcopic
  • Hit Me Again EP (2004)
  • Dizziness EP (2005)
  • Neon LP (2005) - Ivy League/Slanted[7]
  • "Hello" / "Never Again" 7" (2009)

References
  1. Zuel, Bernard (12 August 2005), "The new Jet?", The Sydney Morning Herald
  2. "neon alight at last", Herald Sun, 7 July 2005
  3. Mengel, Noel (6 August 2005), "Neon signs are flashing success", The Courier Mail
  4. Gilchrist, Inga (30 June 2005), "Bright lights", MX (Australia)
  5. Carney, Shaun (7 July 2005), "Neon review", The Age
  6. The ARIA Report, issue 770
  7. Mathieson, Craig (10 July 2005), "Neon review", Sun Herald
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