Custard | |
|---|---|
 Logo of the band | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Brisbane,Queensland, Australia |
| Genres | Indie rock |
| Years active | 1989–2000, 2009–present |
| Labels | ABC Music,rooArt,BMG,Nettwerk,Arista |
| Members |
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| Past members |
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Custard are anAustralian indie rock band formed in 1989 inBrisbane,Queensland. The band is colloquially known asCustaro (/kʌsˈtɑːroʊ/) due to frequent misreadings of its name.[1] They are best known for theARIA Music Award-winning song "Girls Like That (Don't Go For Guys Like Us)".
The band was originally known asCustard Gun and featuredDavid McCormack on vocals and guitar, Paul Medew on bass (McCormack and Medew both ex-Who's Gerald?), James Straker (later in The Melniks) on guitar and Shane Brunn (who later formed Hugbubble and Vanlustbader) on drums. After a few shows and line up changes (namely Straker being replaced by Matthew Strong) Custard Gun morphed into Custard in early 1990.
Custard's first release was the four track vinyl EPRockfish Anna, which was issued in November 1990.[2] Afire breathingElvis impersonator was part of the EP's launch festivities.[3]
Custard's debut album,Buttercup/Bedford, was recorded in 1991. It was originally intended to be released on CD in March 1992, but the CDs failed to turn up on time for the album launch, forcing them to give away copies of the album on cassettes to keep the audience happy.[3] It was not until the end of 1992 that the band finally got their hands on the elusive CDs. By this time Custard had signed toRa Records and had released their first "major label" release, an EP calledGastanked.Gastanked was followed in 1993 by another EP,Brisbane, and two singles, "Casanova" and "Singlette". By this time the band was onto its third drummer. Shane Brunn had been replaced by Gavin Herrenberg, who had subsequently been replaced by Danny Plant.
Custard's debut major label albumWahooti Fandango was issued in 1994.[4] The video for the album's first single, "Aloha Tambourinist", was set on a beach, featured male models pretending to be Custard, while scantily clad women roll around in the sand.
Wahooti Fandango was critically acclaimed, and at theARIA Music Awards of 1995 was nominated forBest Alternative Release.[5]
The band's "breakthrough hit" did not come until October 1995, when they released "Apartment", the first single lifted from their third studio album,Wisenheimer. "Apartment" received a high rotation airplay ontriple j, and was voted in at number 7 in theTriple J Hottest 100, 1995.[6]Wisenheimer was recorded in San Francisco, being produced byEric Drew Feldman (Captain Beefheart,PJ Harvey,Pere Ubu et al.). The album also spawned the singles "Sunset Strip", "Lucky Star" and "Leisuremaster".
AfterWisenheimer, Danny Plant was replaced byGlenn Thompson.
On 24 November 1996, Custard performed on the forecourt of theSydney Opera House as part ofCrowded House'sFarewell to the World concert, alongsideYou Am I andPowderfinger.[7] Estimates of the audience in attendance range from 100,000 to 250,000 people.[8]
1996 and 1997 were big years for the band, touring Australia withWeezer,Frank Black,Beck and thePresidents of the USA, and venturing back to America (whereWisenheimer had been recorded) to play more shows with the Presidents. While in the USA the band also recorded their 4th album,We Have the Technology.[9]
"Nice Bird" was the first single to be lifted fromWe Have the Technology, followed by "Anatomically Correct". However, it was the final single, "Music is Crap", that captured the public's attention and became their first single to peak within the ARIA top 100.[10] The song was written and sung by Thompson, and reinvigorated public interest in Custard.
The next single, "Girls Like That (Don't Go For Guys Like Us)", became the band's biggest hit. It peaked at #52 on theARIA singles chart,[11] and came in at 3 in theTriple J Hottest 100, 1998.[12] At theARIA Music Awards of 1999 they wonBest Video for Andrew Lancaster and David McCormack.[13] The album that it was featured on,Loverama, went on to become the band's most commercially successful.
Custard went on a six-month hiatus at the end of 1999, before eventually disbanding.[14]
After the split, lead singer and guitarist, McCormack, formed The Titanics with drummer, Thompson, also on guitar.[15] Joining them were McCormack's then-wife,Emma Tom, on bass and Tina Havelock-Stevens on drums. The Titanics did not last long, releasing two albums,Size Isn't Everything andLove is the Devil, before the group disbanded.
McCormack released a series of solo albums with The Polaroids, featuring his brother Dylan (Gentle Ben and his Sensitive Side) on bass, Shane Melder (ex-Sidewinder) on drums and Cameron Bruce (Paul Kelly). Releases include "Candy" (2002), "Save Dave" DVD (2003), "The Truth About Love" (2004) and "Little Murders" (2009).
In 2004, Strong joined the Lost Gospel, alongsidePhil Jamieson ofGrinspoon.[16] The group released one album.
Thompson joinedThe Go-Betweens in 2001,[17] having previously played withRobert Forster andGrant McLennan in 1995.[18] In addition to appearing on many of Forster's solo albums, Thompson played on The Go-Betweens' final two albums,Bright Yellow Bright Orange[19] andOceans Apart;[20] and toured with the band until McLennan's death in 2006.[21] Thompson then released his first solo album,Brighton Bothways, under the name "Beachfield" in 2007.[22][23] In 2010, Thompson formed a duo with Adele Pickvance from The Go-Betweens, called Adele & Glenn, and launched a debut album in April 2012.[24]
A DVD video clip compilation calledThe Spaces at the Side of the Road – A Digital History of Custard was released in 2007.[25]
In 2008, Medew was a member of The Purple Hearts.
Custard reformed for an event on 10 December 2009 to celebrateQueensland's 150th birthday, appearing alongsidePowderfinger and a number of other local acts.[26][27]
Since reforming, the band have played one or two gigs per year.[28] In 2010 they appeared at the Meredith Music Festival. They also performed as a headliner act forFloat On: A Brisbane Flood Relief Benefit in February 2011, a show to raise money for the victims of thefloods in Queensland. In 2011 Custard were featured as part of theBrisbane Festival.[29]
Custard released their first album of new material since 1999'sLoverama, on 6 November 2015, entitledCome Back, All Is Forgiven, throughABC Music.[30]
In 2017, Custard releasedThe Common Touch, featuring the singles "In the Grand Scheme of Things" and "2000 Woman".
In August 2018, to promote a short tour the group undertook that September, the group releasedThe Band: Live in the Basement, a recording of a concert performed on 9 November 2017 at the Basement club in Sydney.
On 19 March 2020, Custard released the new single "Funky Again", and announced their eighth studio albumRespect All Lifeforms.[31]The album was released on 22 May.
In September 2023, Custard announced on their social media pages that pre-production on a new album has started. 15 August 2024 saw the release of a new single, "Molecules Colliding", announced as the first single off the band's ninth album,Suburban Curtains, with a supporting tour to follow in November 2024.
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications |
|---|---|---|---|
| AUS [11] | |||
| Buttercup/Bedford |
| — | |
| Wahooti Fandango |
| 89 | |
| Wisenheimer |
| 55 | |
| We Have the Technology | 36 |
| |
| Loverama | 19 |
| |
| Come Back, All Is Forgiven |
| 71 | |
| The Common Touch |
| — | |
| Respect All Lifeforms |
| 33 | |
| Suburban Curtains |
| — |
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| The Band (Live in the Basement) |
|
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| AUS [11] | ||
| Wacked Not Wacky |
| — |
| Goodbye Cruel World |
| 64 |
| Brisbane 1990–1993 |
| — |
| The Essential |
| — |
| '98 Demos |
| — |
| Title | EP details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| AUS [34] | ||
| Rockfish Anna |
| — |
| Gastanked |
| 200 |
| Brisbane |
| 153 |
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| AUS [11][34] | |||
| "Casanova" | 1993 | 177 | non-album single |
| "Singlette" | 173 | Wahooti Fandango | |
| "Aloha Tambourinist" | 1994 | 124 | |
| "Pack Yr Suitcases" | 149 | ||
| "Alone" | 1995 | 113 | |
| "Apartment" | 105 | Wisenheimer | |
| "Lucky Star" | 1996 | 118 | |
| "Sunset Strip" | 107 | ||
| "Leisuremaster" | 115 | ||
| "Nice Bird" | 1997 | 108 | We Have the Technology |
| "Anatomically Correct" | 140 | ||
| "Music Is Crap" | 73 | ||
| "Girls Like That (Don't Go For Guys Like Us)" | 1998 | 52 | Loverama |
| "Hit Song" | 1999 | 60 | |
| "Ringo (I Feel Like)" | 118 | ||
| "The New Matthew" | 98 | ||
| "Monday / What Am I Gonna Do"[35] | 2015 | — | non-album single |
| "We Are the Parents (Our Parents Warned Us About)" | — | Come Back, All Is Forgiven | |
| "Rice & Beans" | 2016 | — | |
| "In the Grand Scheme of Things (None of This Really Matters)" | 2017 | — | The Common Touch |
| "2000 Woman" | — | ||
| "Funky Again"[36] | 2020 | — | Respect All Lifeforms |
| "The Min Min Lights"[37] | — | ||
| "Couple's Fight" | — | ||
| "Take the Skinheads Bowling" | — | ||
| "Molecules Colliding"[33] | 2024 | — | Suburban Curtians |
| "Someday" (featuringSerena Ryder)[38] | — | ||
| "Heart Attacks"[39] | — |
TheARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres ofAustralian music. Custard have won one award from three nominations.[40]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Wahooti Fandango | Best Alternative Release | Nominated |
| 1996 | Wisenheimer | Best Independent Release | Nominated |
| 1999 | Andrew Lancaster &David McCormack for "Girls Like That (Don't Go For Guys Like Us)" by Custard | Best Video | Won |
| International | |
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| Artists | |
