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The Clouds (also called just Clouds) are an indie rock band from Sydney, Australia formed in December 1989. The core of the group consisted of frontwomen Jodi Phillis (guitar and vocals) and Patricia "Trish" Young (bass and vocals). The line-up of The Clouds has changed several times with different drummers and lead guitarists. The Clouds' music is distinguished by rapid and unusual chord changes, creative bass guitar, and Phillis and Young's vocal harmonies. They released 4 albums and numerous EPs and singles before breaking up in 1997. They reformed in 2011.
The Clouds | |
|---|---|
 The Clouds performing at The Corner Hotel, Melbourne in 2014 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Clouds |
| Origin | Sydney, Australia |
| Genres | Indie rock |
| Years active | 1989–1997 2011–present |
| Labels | Red Eye Records Elektra Records (USA) |
| Members | Jodi Phillis (guitar, vocals) Trish Young (bass, vocals) David Easton (guitar) Raphael Whittingham (drums) |
| Past members | Robert Phelan (guitar) Stuart Eadie (drums) Andrew Byrnes (drums) Ben Nightingale (guitar) |
History
edit1989–1993: Penny Century, Octopus & Thunderhead
editThe Clouds were one of Australia's most promising acts[citation needed] in the late 1980s and early 1990s, along with other up-and-comers like Ratcat, Falling Joys, Tall Tales and True and The Hummingbirds.
The Clouds secured a recording contract with Red Eye Records in 1990 and began recording their debut EP in May which was released in October, titled Cloud Factory. The EP peaked at number 118 on the ARIA charts[1] In April 1991, they released the EP Loot, featuring the song "Soul Eater". Loot peaked at number 22 on the ARIA chart.[2]
In mid 1991, recording for the Penny Century album began. The album was released in October 1991, and peaked at number 23 on the ARIA Chart.[2] It spawned the singles "Hieronymous" and "Anthem".
In September 1992, the band released "Say It", the lead single from their second studio album Octopus which was released in October 1992. Octopus peaked at number 24 on the ARIA charts.[2]
In June 1993, recording began on the third album, Thunderhead. The lead single "Bower of Bliss" was released in August. Thunderhead was released in October, and peaked at number 30 on the ARIA chart.[2] The second single, "Alchemy's Dead" was released in December.
1994–1999: Futura and break up
editIn 1994, Clouds took a six-month tour to Europe and the United States, securing an American record deal with Elektra Records.[citation needed] Whilst in London the EP Beetroot was recorded. It was released in Australia in October 1994 and peaked at number 65 on the ARIA chart.[citation needed]
Following the signing with Elektra Records Thunderhead was released in the United States in March 1995 along with numerous promotional singles.[3] However, shortly after these releases The Clouds were dumped by Elektra. Despite this setback, recording of new songs continued and two singles were released in 1995, "Aquamarine" and "Panel Van" in August and November 1995, respectively.[citation needed]
In May 1996, Red Eye Records released a re-released Penny Century which included a limited edition bonus CD of early songs called Pre-Raphaelite. This helped the album to reach gold accreditation in Australia (35,000 copies sold).[citation needed]
In November 1996, the band released their fourth studio album Futura which peaked at number 50 on the ARIA chart.[2] The group eventually disbanded in 1997.
In 1999, the compilation album Favourites was released.
2000–present: reformation
editAlthough Phillis was living in a small town in Tasmania and Young was living in London, the two occasionally reunited over the years to perform a few shows. Phillis went on to form The Dearhunters and Roger Loves Betty, and also records and performs as a solo artist.[citation needed]
In late 2005, Phillis and Young resurfaced under the name The Girls from the Clouds, releasing a 5-track EP titled Lalalala. In April 2007, however, the duo announced they had disbanded again.[4]
The Clouds reunited to tour with Jesus Jones and The Wonder Stuff in August 2011.[5] In late 2011 and early 2012, the band toured Australia in The Clouds Reunion Tour.[6]
In February 2017, The Clouds released a new song, "Mabel's Bookshop" from an EP Zaffre, their first new music in 20 years.[7] Two more songs followed in 2017 and 2019.
They toured at the 2017 The Day on the Green with Blondie and Cyndi Lauper.
In December 2022, The Clouds toured in commemoration of the 30th anniversary of Penny Century.[8]
Members
edit- Jodi Phillis – guitar, vocals (1989–1997, 2005–2006,[a] 2011–present)
- Trish Young – bass, vocals (1989–1997, 2005–2006,[a] 2011–present)
- Robert Phelan – guitar (1989–1990)
- Stuart Eadie – drums (1989–1991)
- Dave Easton – guitar (1990–1996, 2011–present)
- Andrew Byrne – drums (1992)
- Raphael Whittingham – drums (1993–1997, 2011–present)
- Ben Nightingale – guitar (1996–1997)
Timeline
edit
Discography
editStudio albums
edit| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS [2] |
US CMJ [9] | |||
| Penny Century |
|
23 | - | |
| Octopus |
|
24 | - | |
| Thunderhead |
|
30 | 31 | |
| Futura |
|
50 | - | |
Compilation albums
edit| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| AUS [10] | ||
| Collage |
|
— |
| Favourites |
|
181 |
Extended plays
edit| Title | Extended play details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| AUS [2][1][10] | ||
| Cloud Factory |
|
118 |
| Loot |
|
22 |
| Beetroot |
|
65 |
| Aquamarine |
|
- |
| Panel Van |
|
72 |
| Zaffre | - |
Singles
edit| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS [2][10] |
US CMJ [12] | |||
| "Hieronymus"/"Lucy's Eyes" | 1991 | 45 | - | Penny Century |
| "Anthem" | 1992 | 47 | - | |
| "Say It" | 56 | - | Octopus | |
| "Bower of Bliss" | 1993 | 69 | 122 | Thunderhead |
| "Alchemy's Dead" | 125 | - | ||
| "Boy of Air" | 1994 | - | - | Beetroot EP |
| "Panel Van" | 1995 | 118 | - | Panel Van EP |
| "Aquamarine" | - | - | Aquamarine EP | |
| "Here Now"/"Down from the Sky" | 1996 | 113 | - | Futura |
| "Never Say Forever" | 1997 | 162 | - | |
| "Mabel's Bookshop"[7] | 2017 | - | - | Zaffre |
| "Beautiful Nothingness"[13] | - | - | Non Album Single | |
| "Check Us Out"[14] | 2019 | - | - | Non Album Single |
Notes
editAwards and nominations
editARIA Music Awards
editThe ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music. They commenced in 1987.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Penny Century | Breakthrough Artist - Album | Nominated | [15] |
| 1994 | Thunderhead | Best Adult Alternative Album | Nominated | [16] |
References
edit- ^ a b "Bubbling Down Under Week commencing 17 December 1990". www.bubblingdownunder.com. 17 December 2021. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Australian (ARIA) chart peaks:
- Top 50 peaks: "australian-charts.com > Clouds in Australian Charts". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
- Top 100 peaks to December 2010: Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
- ^ https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/CMJ/1995/CMJ-New-Music-Report-1995-07-10.pdf#search=%22clouds%22 [bare URL]
- ^ "The Girls From The Clouds News". The Girls from the Clouds. 9 June 2007. Retrieved 25 April 2007.
- ^ "Jesus Jones the Wonder Stuff and The Clouds Tour". Faster Louder. June 2011. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
- ^ "The Clouds Announce Reunion Tour". The AU Review. 6 September 2011. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
- ^ a b "The Clouds Release a New Song After 20 Years". The Dwarf. January 2017. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
- ^ "The Clouds Announce 'Penny Century' 30th Anniversary Tour". Rolling Stone Australia. 24 March 2022. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
- ^ https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/CMJ/1995/CMJ-New-Music-Report-1995-07-10.pdf#search=%22clouds%22 [bare URL]
- ^ a b c "The Clouds Australian Band ARIA Chart history complete to 2024". ARIA. Retrieved 26 July 2024 – via Imgur.com. N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart.
- ^ "Zaffre (EP)". Apple Music. February 2017. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
- ^ https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/CMJ/1995/CMJ-New-Music-Report-1995-04-17.pdf#search=%22clouds%22 [bare URL]
- ^ "Beautiful Nothingness - single". Apple Music. 16 October 2017. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
- ^ "Check Us Out - single". Apple Music. 17 May 2019. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
- ^ "Winners by Year 1992". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Archived from the original on 26 September 2007. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
- ^ "ARIA Awards – History: Winners by Year 1994: 8th Annual ARIA Awards". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved 4 January 2017.