View Full Version : Goodbye Sideburns Forever
sideburns
09-24-2006, 07:44 PM
Greetings all!
Before Chris made it big time, he was moonlighting in a band called 'Goodbye Sideburns Forever' (between '94-'97'). GSF were a Melbourne version of Blur crossed with Supergrass and we were doing the Britpop thing long before anyone in Australia had even heard of it!
I was the lead singer of that band and I can remember rehearsing at Chris's parents place at Wheelers Hill in the billiard/recreation room. Chris's Dad thought he was crazy when he decided to leave us due to too many of each other's gigs clashing (what happens when you play in two bands). We were nearly signed to Universal and EMI. Chris loved playing with us, and I can remember Scott saying that if Chris was'nt into the Living End he would be perfectly suited to being our guitarist!
We're reforming for some low key gigs around Melbourne late October.
It would be great to see some Living End fans there. Who knows, Chris may turn up. In fact, I'll SMS him now!!!
Cheers D!
very interesting.hmmm...:cool:
oh you got his number?!wheeeee....tell me it!!!:D :D
Actually i'm not an idiot,but maybe it's a chance,bahaha!just 1 sms.hehhe
Steph Format
09-24-2006, 07:55 PM
Australian Britpop... I have to admit, I am intrigued.
(especially since I love Blur and Supergrass)
mel_bound
09-24-2006, 08:07 PM
haha I asked about Goodbye Sideburns Forever a few forums ago.. hehe.
Not sure if Chris is gonna be in town in october though, coz they have the Aussie tour, and then Japan, NZ, Europe and the US! Good luck with that... let us know if he is gonna turn up though ;)
haha I asked about Goodbye Sideburns Forever a few forums ago.. hehe.
Not sure if Chris is gonna be in town in october though, coz they have the Aussie tour, and then Japan, NZ, Europe and the US! Good luck with that... let us know if he is gonna turn up though ;)
yes, wait a new topic "Goodbye The Living End,I choose a wrong way 10 years ago" soon! :cool:
mel_bound
09-24-2006, 08:27 PM
hehe I hope not!!!
hehe I hope not!!!
of course i hope too!!!:eek: End Of The Living End - bad news headline
sideburns
09-24-2006, 09:07 PM
haha I asked about Goodbye Sideburns Forever a few forums ago.. hehe.
Not sure if Chris is gonna be in town in october though, coz they have the Aussie tour, and then Japan, NZ, Europe and the US! Good luck with that... let us know if he is gonna turn up though ;)
Hey Melbound!
You previously asked about GSF? How did you know about us? There's not a lot of documentation about his time with us.
However, if you check out the 'AUSTRALASIAN WHO'S WHO OF ROCK' you'll see his name listed under GSF as a member, plus under the Living End, I am listed as a member.
Strange, as I was never in the Living End! LOL!
mel_bound
09-24-2006, 09:10 PM
You must be Darren then, and yeah I saw the entry in that book, I got it for christmas last year :)
The Dying Start
09-25-2006, 12:50 AM
Hey Melbound!
You previously asked about GSF? How did you know about us? There's not a lot of documentation about his time with us.
However, if you check out the 'AUSTRALASIAN WHO'S WHO OF ROCK' you'll see his name listed under GSF as a member, plus under the Living End, I am listed as a member.
Strange, as I was never in the Living End! LOL!
Awesome. What instrument do you play?
There has been alot of rumour and speculation as to the few non-regular drummers TLE had before they got Joe.
mel_bound
09-25-2006, 01:02 AM
It doesn't say in the book what Darren played in TLE (even though he didn't!), but in GSF he does vocals. I went asking for their CD ep "Self Titled" released november '94 but had no luck :p
The Dying Start
09-25-2006, 01:06 AM
Did TLE have a vocalist? Maybe they did ;)
So, are any of you actually going to go to this show because you like the sound of it, or are you just waiting to find out if Chris is going so you can all stalk him?
sideburns
09-25-2006, 10:17 AM
Hi again all,
I met Chris in '94 through Box Hill Music TAFE. We shared a similar love of English music (The Jam, The Clash, Adam and the Ants). The Living End were just starting out then playing gigs at The Tote and The Public Bar. I can remember seeing them in the Gershwin room at the Espy and there were about 12 people there (that's a big room so you can imagine, it was empty). They still rocked!
Chris loved my songwriting, related to my ideas and was keen to play guitar in the band as a side project to The Living End. We would rehearse at his parent's house mainly as he did'nt have much in the way of mulla for petrol (it cost a lot of money to feed that big Kingswood thing and run it to rehearsals.)
He was only working part time at a local primary school doing after school care.
I don't recall Chris ever having big aspirations to become the Aussie superstar he is and he would never have dream't that the band would tour America and Europe as extensively as they have. His ambitions at that stage were to just be a really great live act, record and have people turn up to their shows.
At the time 'Goodbye Sideburns' were getting a lot of attention from the music industry and we were looking at record contracts and meeting with producers that were keen to work with us.
Our gigs started to clash so we put it to Chris in the nicest way, that it was either The Living End or us. He went away and thought about it (his father thought he has crazy giving up on us as we had much better songs than his (HIS WORDS!!) and we were more likely to make it to the big time!).
Anyway, his passion was with The Living End and the rest is history.
So, what happened to us? Well, it was a case of being in the right place at the wrong time and the wrong place at the right time. The recording industry is a very fickle and difficult business to get into. Anyone who has made it, will tell you that they feel VERY lucky! Don't get me wrong, the Living End worked very hard to get where they are, and their success came from being focused and dedicated.
Now to answer some of those questions:
1. I am the singer and songwriter in GSF.
2. I was NEVER in THE LIVING END. The 'Australasian WHO'S WHO OF ROCK' have got it wrong.
We are currently in the process of getting the new website together, and a MY SPACE home, so when it is all up and running I will let you know and you can visit us to hear and see what we were all about and find out details of our new gigs and CD!!!
Yay!!!!
Darren Downs.
i'd definately go 'cause i like the sound of the music but i live too far away...
i just did a quick search online for GSF and found some rather interesting links...
hey Darren... was there ever a guy named Marcus in the band?
is he still involved?
he said some pretty average stuff somewhere online... maybe he's just shit stiring... i don't know...
*M!
sideburns
09-25-2006, 10:44 AM
i'd definately go 'cause i like the sound of the music but i live too far away...
i just did a quick search online for GSF and found some rather interesting links...
hey Darren... was there ever a guy named Marcus in the band?
is he still involved?
he said some pretty average stuff somewhere online... maybe he's just shit stiring... i don't know...
*M!
HA! HA! That's interesting!! Yes, a guy called Marcus was involved in the band around the same time. We didnt see eye to eye and we had to ask him to leave. It was hard (never good at doing that sort of thing). We explained our reasons and he was absolutely fine about it all, totally understood. We shook hands and parted ways.
I saw him at a club a couple of weeks later, said hello to him and he turned the other way. Snobbed me completely! Then I started hearing about rubbish he was making up about us. Hilarious!!!
I'd love to know what he said about me, and to who on line.
Was it a Living End site or something?
D.
Darren... for you
linky Mc ClickClick (http://www.xnet2.com/bomp/searchable/9907/msg01565.html)
pure chance that i found this!
i shall keep searching to see if there is any more dirt! *giggles*
*M!
sideburns
09-25-2006, 11:40 AM
Darren... for you
linky Mc ClickClick (http://www.xnet2.com/bomp/searchable/9907/msg01565.html)
pure chance that i found this!
i shall keep searching to see if there is any more dirt! *giggles*
*M!
He should work for WHO WEEKLY! He has a knack for dreaming up rubbish!
haha - he sounded like a bit of a tool!
he does have a bit of a flair for writing though...
"walking advertisement for retrospective abortion"
special effort really! :D
your band name got mentioned in someone's comments in this link for The 50 worst Australian band names of all time (http://blogs.theage.com.au/thedailytruth/archives/2006/08/the_50_worst_au.html)
there are some pretty good band names there actually...
*shrugs*
*M!
why in god's name is mental as anything there may i ask???
it would seem that people took offence to the term "Mental"
*shrugs*
*M!
Steph Format
09-25-2006, 02:50 PM
it's really interesting hearing the 'dirt' from you Darren.
I don't see how a top fifty list could fail to include the slightly less than legendary 70s outfit "Buster Hymen and the Penetrators"
ahhahaha
The Dying Start
09-25-2006, 04:18 PM
Hahahaha...that's a quality band name!
Habibster
09-27-2006, 08:25 PM
and what exactly do they penetrate?? :p :( (sorry that was really bad)
The Dying Start
09-27-2006, 09:56 PM
Hymens. God. Can you not read?
Buster Hymen and the Penetrators.
It's the whole joke!
oh man its the darryn dude who ive wondered about in that rock book for years. oh man. mystery solved. I need a new mystery now.
The Dying Start
09-28-2006, 11:31 PM
How about you start with the mystery of that weird rash on your balls?
hillaas
09-29-2006, 12:47 AM
After reading thi thread i find it all really interesting. I've never heard of GSF before but now after reading this i am keen to listen to some of your stuff Darren and go to a gig or two of yours (that is, if you play an all ages gig in Melbourne). Good luck with the whole reformation and it would be good to see Chris at the gig supporing some of his roots.
Julian
09-29-2006, 02:44 PM
it would be good to see Chris at the gig supporing some of his roots.
*giggles* ;)
Habibster
09-29-2006, 03:15 PM
Hymens. God. Can you not read?
I'm blind in one eye mate...
unless that means you only see every second word on a page, then you ain't got no excuse.
Habibster
09-29-2006, 07:18 PM
You'd think i would be able to come up with some real good comeback, seeing as my mums an optometrist and all...something like tunnel vision or retna pigmentosa....but really i shouldnt joke about that stuff...Maybe we could get back on topic now ay??
merrilee13
10-02-2006, 09:54 PM
I remember seeing Chris play with GSF in Richmond, and if you ask him he played with them to fill in a couple of times, but was never a member of the band, nor was it ever his intention - TLE has always been his one and only priority. If something has him listed as a member of the band, it has been listed incorrectly.
I think if you asked Chris he would say he was a mate of Darren, and always happy to help out, but no more than that. Chris' bands include: The Runaway Boys, The Living End, The Wrights etc.. with various member line-ups - but I am pretty sure that is it.
mel_bound
10-02-2006, 10:01 PM
Wow, thank you merrilee13! :)
The Dying Start
10-02-2006, 10:23 PM
Fair enough. That's the way i would have seen it anyway, from what Chris has said.
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