So those of you who’ve been following my web-travels since these guys came onto the scene will know they’re my favourite Australian band. Over the years I’ve said A LOT about them online, in various street press magazines and played their music to death on several radio projects I’ve worked on. The stuff below the photo was like a sort of a way of introducing the band to readers of mine that hadn’t really heard me talk about them much. It was written in November 2007, so it’s bloody old.

Anyway, since then I’ve written a STACK more on the guys, including a couple of interviews and the like. You can read about everything I’ve scribed on the boys from today all the way back to January 2006 by clicking here, on the Van She Category page. You can also join my ace Van She Facebook group; I Heart VAN SHE.

Sydney’s VAN SHE were the first band in years to captivate me after only the one live show. Prior to their gig supporting Annie in 2006 at Melbourne’s now defunct Honky Tonks, I’d not heard all that much about them. An electrifying live performance made sure that by the end of their set, I’d decided they were my new favourite band. The next day, I purchased their self titled E.P, and it is still one of the most played CD’s in my collection. Since then I’ve been following them around to as many Melbourne shows as possible, writing about them in true fanboy style for various publications, and have been banging on about their upcoming debut album over on the old website. And now that there is a new single on its way (the outstanding Cat & The Eye) and - hurrah - the new album due in 2008, I thought it was about time everyone else knew who they were as well. So what’s their story?

Nicholas Routledge (Vocals/Guitar)

Matt Van Schie (Bass)

Michael Di Francesco (Synths)

Tomek Archer (Drums)

So that is an up-close view of their mugs. Not exactly harsh on the eyes are they?

Forming in 2005, Van She’s band members decided to form a band in the backyard of bassist Matt’s house during a BBQ. Not nearly as exciting as the (fabricated) story which claimed they met at an ill-fated audition for a metal group citing Phil Collins as inspiration. The story goes that their record label, Modular (home of Wolfmother, Robyn, Muscles etcetera here in Oz,) signed them off the back of the one live show. It’s really not all that surprising a record company was unable to resist the musical force and charms of these boys; all it takes for a keen music lover is one live show of theirs to make anyone shout claims of hysterical fandom.

Touring around the country, singles from their self-titled E.P. such as Kelly and Sex City sunk into the ears (and hearts) of many. Channel [V] played the Kelly clip what seemed like a hundred times a day (no complaints here,) and the boys featured in several publications across the country, being - rightfully - hyped as the next big thing.

Clearly a Number #1 single people simply forgot to buy in droves. I’ve always felt that this song not taking off as big as it should have was one of music’s biggest injustices.

Nick & Michael formed an alliance with two (according to the internuts, anyway) unnamed ladies for a remix project called Vanshe Tech. Nick & Michael have played numerous DJ sets together as Vanshe Tech over the past year, and have put the name to remixes of Sneaky Sound System, Muscles, Feist, Riot In Belgium and - more importantly - Utah Saints‘ ASTOUNDING club classic Something Good. Naturally, these are all remixes you should own. The Utah Saints remix scored the guys their first mention on Popjustice, with a nod to their remix of Feist’s 1234 following shortly after. No mention of Kelly though…

The guys are finally gearing up to release their debut album in the earlier months of next year. After hearing them play a bunch of new songs over the last 12 months at various gigs, no one could be any more excited than I that it’s finally coming.

Their new single, Cat & The Eye, is already one of my absolute favourite songs of the year, and is an exciting sign of things to come in 2008, from the most important, talented and thought provoking Australian band in an absolute age.

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FYI: Drummer Tomek Archer won AUD$5000 in 2004 through the NESCAFE Big Break competition (a comp for young people with bright business ventures,) which went towards the birth of becoming the creative director of his own design studio, Tomahawk Studios. There is an incredibly AH-MAH-ZHING lighting system and gorgeous ‘campfire’ table he has designed which I one day plan on owning. LOOK AT HOW PRETTY THEY ARE. It was reported a while ago that Archer had also written an essay on Franz Ferdinand/Marxism. He recently told me during an interview that it was actually a big misquote, though there IS an essay he’s written which references one written by Alex Kapranos from Franz Ferdinand, so I guess it’s easy to spot how the offending journalist managed to come up with such an interesting misquote. (!?)

FYI: Synth-man Michael has been on tour with DELTA! GOODREM! (Please note: exclamation marks added due to the increased brilliance of Delta! Goodrem!’s musical output of late.)

FYI: But wait, there is seriously more. It seems drummer Tomek has done a spot of drumming for Sneaky Sound System. I swears, I turned on the teley and saw him on Video Hits this morning!

FURTHER LISTENING: You may as well just buy the whole E.P. on iTunes or Sanity, it’s the best few bux you’ll spend on music all year. Pay close attention to the E.P’s closer Here With You, which is one of my favourite songs of all time.

VAN SHE ON THE INTERWEB:

Official Site | Modular People | Band MySpazz | DJ MySpazz

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DISCOGRAPHY

2005
Van She – Van She [E.P]
featuring
- Mission
- Kelly
- Sex City
- Survive
- Kelly Reprise
- Here With You

UNRELEASED(ISH)
- Filthy Licks

2007
Van She – Cat & The Eye [SINGLE]

2008
Van She – Title TBA [ALBUM]

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VANSHE TECH REMIXES

Dragonette - I Get Around (Van She Vocal Mix)
Feist - 1234 (Van She Tech Mix)
I Am Finn - I Love You (Van She Tech Remix)
Klaxons - Gravity’s Rainbow (Van She Tech Remix)
Mandy Kane - Murder In The Daylight (Van She Tech Vocal Mix)
Melinda Jackson - Fall In Love (Van She Tech Remix)
Muscles - One Inch Badge Pin (Van She Tech City Gym Remix)
New Young Pony Club - Ice Cream (Van She Remix)
Riot in Belgium - La Musique (Van She Tech Remix)
Sneaky Sound System - UFO (Van She Tech Remix)
Teenager - Alone Again (Van She Tech Remix)
The Audio Thieves - (Pray Like) Aretha Franklin (Van She Tech Remix)
The Bravery - Time Won’t Let Me Go (Van She Tech Remix)
The Presets - Are You The One? (Van She Mix)
Tiga - You Gonna Want Me (Van She Tech Remix)
Utah Saints - Something Good (Van She Tech Remix)

Photos of Nicholas and Tomek taken from Krippy’s Flickr. Pictures of Matt and Michael taken from ademwithane.com’s private collection.