Regurgitator | |
|---|---|
 Regurgitator (left to right)Quan Yeomans andBen Ely performing live, 10 August 2018 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Brisbane,Queensland, Australia |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1993 (1993)–present (hiatus 2013–2015) |
| Labels | |
| Members | |
| Past members |
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| Website | regurgitator |
Regurgitator are an Australian alternative rock band fromBrisbane,Queensland, formed in late 1993 byQuan Yeomans on lead vocals, guitar and keyboards;Ben Ely on bass guitar, keyboards and vocals; and Martin Lee on drums.[1] Their debut studio album,Tu-Plang was released in May 1996; it was followed byUnit in November 1997 which was certified tripleplatinum.Unit won five categories at theARIA Music Awards of 1998:Album of the Year, Best Alternative Album,Producer of the Year (forMagoo),Engineer of the Year (Magoo) andBest Cover Art (forThe Shits). Their third album,...Art was released in August 1999.
Regurgitator had two singles reach the top 20 with "Polyester Girl" (May 1998) peaking at No. 14 in Australia and No. 16 in New Zealand; while "Happiness (Rotting My Brain)" (July 1999) also appeared at No. 16 in New Zealand. Martin Lee left Regurgitator in late 1999 and was replaced byPeter Kostic on drums, who was simultaneously a member ofFront End Loader (1991–present) and theHard-Ons (2002–2011). Casual members have includedSeja Vogel, fromSekiden; Shane Rudken (Ponyloaf); Dave Atkins (Pangaea, Resin Dogs) among others. Regurgitator's fourth studio album,Eduardo and Rodriguez Wage War on T-Wrecks was released in July 2001 and was their final studio album for Warner before mutually agreeing to terminate their recording agreement. They then went on to issue four more independent studio albums—Mish Mash! recorded as part of the multimedia reality show parodyBand in a Bubble;Love and Paranoia recorded in Rio de Janeiro onCorcovado after licensing theBand in a Bubble project to a US version staged in New York City;Super Happy Fun Times Friends recorded over three weeks in their home studio; andDirty Pop Fantasy recorded in a Hong Kong apartment before announcing an extended hiatus in December 2013. They commenced playing shows again in mid-2015. Recording at 'Greg's Byron Bay & Wild Mountain Sound resulted in ninth albumHeadroxx released in 2018. In 2022 work began on new music which came to beInvader released April 2024.
The group's spin-off projectRegurgitator's Pogogo Show released their debut album ofchildren's music in 2019.
Regurgitator was originally a 3-pieceindie rockband with Quan Yeomans (guitar and vocals), Ben Ely (bass and vocals) and Martin Lee (drums).[2][1] The three had purportedly met on a bus in inner Brisbane. At this time, all three were already in several bands - Pangaea, Zooerastia, Precision Oiler, Brazilia among others. Regurgitator at this time was not considered to be the main focus of any members, rather as a side-project to their other bands.
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The band released itsdebut self-titled EP in October 1994. With the emergence of Brisbane's underground music scene in the early 1990s, major labels, such asWarner Music Group, took the initiative to expand its Australian music roster. A&R representative Michael Parisi initially pursuedPangaea, a popular and established band in Brisbane's underground that Ben Ely fronted. It wasn't until Parisi was supplied with Pangaea recordings by their manager Paul Curtis that he discovered Regurgitator, whose material was also presented as part of a potential Valve label P&D deal. Ironically, Parisi would push for the less-established band to be signed because "it was the hook that Pangaea, for all the excitement [it] had generated on stage, had lacked."[3]
The band signed with Warner early in 1995, who re-released its debut EP in February 1995, which charted at number 45 on the ARIA singles chart. Regurgitator quickly released another EP, titledNew, which featured radio hits "Track 1" and "Blubber Boy".New peaked at number 30 on the ARIA singles chart.
Following the success of their first two EPs, the band made an unusual move by travelling to Thailand to record their first full-length album. Made on a comparatively small budget[4] at a famed pop studio inBangkok,Tu-Plang (ตู้เพลง; Thai for 'Jukebox'), largely featured a mixture ofrock and hip hop, which was particularly evident on its third single release "Kong Foo Sing". The band also experimented in a number of genres includingtechno,musak,surf rock anddub. Yeomans gained notoriety for his uniquely cynical and obscene lyrical style, most notably the controversial pop-rock tune "I Sucked a Lot of Cock to Get Where I Am", which was attacked by Australian radio identityAlan Jones, who campaigned to have it removed from airplay.[5]Tu-Plang peaked at number 3 on the ARIA Charts, was certified platinum and wonBest Alternative Release andBreakthrough Artist at theARIA Music Awards of 1996.
The band recorded their second studio album in a warehouse in Brisbane which they affectionately named "The Dirty Room". In contrast with their rock-oriented works of the past, the band moved on with a more electronic and pop based sound. The band openly acknowledged their stylistic change with the album's opening track, ironically titled "I Like Your Old Stuff Better Than Your New Stuff". The band released "Everyday Formula" as the first single, with Yeomans and Magoo later admitting it was a conscious decision to ease their fans into the new sound with a heavier track.[6] The single release in October 1997 peaked at number 41 on the ARIA Charts.Unit was released in November and peaked at number 4 on the ARIA Charts. "Black Bugs", "Polyester Girl" and "! (The Song Formerly Known As)" (an homage to 1980s eraPrince) were all released as singles and gained significant amounts of airplay.Unit is Regurgitator's most commercially successful album, going platinum three times in Australia. Whilst it no doubt increased the popularity of the band, fans of their first generation of work are still divided in their responses to it.[7][8]
During the Unit tour in late 1997 drummer Martin Lee had failed to appear at a show at theUniversity of Western Australia. After disappearing from aPerth nightclub, he was found the next day, unconscious, and was taken to hospital where he remained comatose for a week. No-one, including Lee once he had recovered, had any recollection of the circumstances that had landed him there.Jon Coghill of Brisbane rock bandPowderfinger was his fill-in for the rest of the tour, though the arrangement purportedly caused a rift between the two bands as Coghill and Lee were high school friends and, as Yeomans explained in a 2011 interview, "...those guys (Powderfinger) are kind of from a different scene I guess, if you like. Almost a different social strata in a weird way; they're all private school boys so we never had that much in common".[9]
At theARIA Music Awards of 1998,Unit won 5Awards, includingAlbum of the Year andProducer of the Year.[10][11]
After a short break in 1998 working with respective side projects (Quan formedHappyland with Spiderbait's Janet English and Ben Ely revivedPangaea) the band moved into Wategoes Beachhouse atByron Bay on theNew South Wales coast to begin recording their third album,...art, which was released in August 1999 and peaked at number 2 on the ARIA Chart. Having rebuilt "The Dirty Room" studio with the assumption it would be used for the recording, Lee felt undervalued when Yeomans made it clear he needed a change in working environment.[12] Ely admitted that tension had always existed between the two.[13] Since theUnit sessions he had felt excluded from the creative process as his material would rarely be used and he was often replaced by a drum machine in the studio.[14] After an extended absence during the album recording and a string of absences on the supporting tour schedule it was announced in late 1999 that Lee would be leaving the group due to 'creative differences'.[15][16] He formedThe Boat Show with Matthew Strong ofCustard when Custard disbanded.[17] Lee was replaced byFront End Loader andHard-Ons drummer, Peter Kostic in late 1999.
The band's fourth album,Eduardo and Rodriguez Wage War on T-Wrecks was released in July 2001; a hip-hop-focused album that Yeomans and Ely recorded and produced in London. At this time, a turbulent relationship commenced with the Warner label who were unable to grasp the band's lack of motivation and refusal to compromise for the sake of commercial success.[18][19][20] After the fourth album, discussions led to a mutual request to end the deal, and the compilation albumJingles was released.
In 2004, Regurgitator created and participated in theBand in a Bubble project; a new reality TV-inspired media stunt sponsored and broadcast by Australian music channel,Channel V. The band entered a small glass recording studio, built inFederation Square in the centre ofMelbourne, to record their new album; their first on new labelValve Records. Pedestrians could look into most rooms of the "bubble" and could watch the band work, or tune into a 24-hour digital cable television channel and watch their work on that. Nobody could enter or leave the bubble, a laBig Brother. In addition to the three band members, their longtime Australian producerMagoo, engineer Hugh Webb and Channel V hostJabba were all also locked into the bubble with the band.
The first single from the session was released in October 2004 as "The Drop" and the album,Mish Mash! was released in November 2004 and it peaked at number 52 on the ARIA Charts.
In August 2005, the band released the#?*! (orPillowhead) EP which contained B-sides fromMish Mash!.
Regurgitator took a break in 2006, during which time Ely began working on his projectJump 2 Light Speed and Yeomans worked on establishing a solo career. The band also licensed theirBand in a Bubble concept to Initial TV in the UK. In 2007, Yeomans released an EP with Sydney-based musician Spod called Blox.
In 2007, the band reunited and recorded their sixth album inRio de Janeiro, Brazil.Love and Paranoia was released in Australia on 15 September 2007 and peaked at number 74. It features 80s style keyboard-driven poprock tunes, with new memberSeja Vogel on keyboards. Two singles were released from the album, "Blood and Spunk" and "Romance of the Damned".
In 2008, Regurgitator supported the album with a tour of UK and Asia. It was the first time in 5 years that the band had toured the UK. Simultaneously, Ben Ely andQuan Yeomans both launched solo projects with "Ben Ely's Radio 5" becoming his second solo project while Yeomans's albumQuan: The Amateur was his debut solo album which was recorded in Hong Kong.
At the beginning of May 2010, Regurgitator announced on the news section of their website that they had begun work on new music and would release music 'as they go along' instead of an album.[21] In August 2010, the band released the single "Making No Sense"[22] and in September, a four-track EP titledDistractions. In December 2010, the band released another single titled, "Nrob Bmud".
In July 2011, the band released "One Day", the lead single from their seventh studio albumSuper Happy Fun Times Friends in August 2011. The album debuted on the AIR chart at No. 18 and the ARIA chart at No. 91.[23]
In June 2012, it was announced that Regurgitator would be playing their first two albums,Tu Plang andUnit, in their entirety in an Australian tour namedRetroTech.[24]
In early 2013, the band announced that they were working on their eighth studio album in Hong Kong. EntitledDirty Pop Fantasy, the album was released on 6 September 2013 through Valve Records. The album was streamed online on 23 August 2013 on the Deezer website.[25] During the band's keynote address at the Big Sound music conference in early September 2013, the band explained that the lower level of productivity during the latter part of their career is due to the geographical spread of the two primary band members, Ely and Yeomans—Ely is based in Melbourne, Australia, while Yeomans resides in Hong Kong. A post on the band's Facebook page on 18 September 2013 then revealed that Regurgitator will enter a period of indefinite hiatus following a national Australian and Asian tour that ended in December 2013 due to the birth of Yeomans's first child.[26][27] Their last show for the foreseeable future was in Beijing on 7 December 2013 as part of the Converse Rubber Tracks event with touring friends Chinese band New Pants.
In May 2015, following an 18 month hiatus commencing in September 2013, Regurgitator announced their Cheap Imitations tour-ché across Australia from August to September 2015.[28]
In April 2016, they performed at theNational Gallery of Victoria covering Velvet Underground's debut album,The Velvet Underground and Nico as part of the Andy Warhol-Ai Weiwei exhibition.[29] Regurgitator's line-up was Yeomans, Ely, Kostic and joined by Seja Vogel on keyboards/vocals and Mindy Meng Wang onguzheng.[29] In homage to Prince, they added a cover of his song, "When Doves Cry" to their set list on 22 April.[30]
In October 2017, Regurgitator performed a special one-off show at theGold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre as a part ofEB Games Expo, celebrating the 20th anniversary of their 1997 album Unit. The concert was also filmed and was later released on DVD in 2019.
2018 saw the release of the band's 9th studio album,Headroxx.
In 2019, the group announced their newchildren's music spin-off projectRegurgitator's Pogogo Show. Their debut offering,The Really Really Really Really Boring Album was released on 1 March 2019.[31] At theARIA Music Awards of 2019,The Really Really Really Really Boring Album was nominated forBest Children's Album.[32]
In October 2019, the group released a best of album titledQuarter Pounder: 25 Years of Being Consumed, alongside a national tour. In May 2023, Regurgitator toured around Australia for 25 years ofUnit, withCustard,DZ Deathrays,Butterfingers &Glitoris. In October of that same year, they opened forWeezer for their two headlining Australian shows in early October 2023. The two bands also supportedKiss at their last Australian concert atAccor Stadium in Sydney.[33]
In 2024, Regurgitator announced their 11th studio albumInvader. A supporting tour began soon after the album's release. TheIt's So Invasive Tour started in Hobart, Tasmania, and ended in Cairns, Queensland, with 23 dates. Supporting acts across the tour included Party Dozen, the Subculture Clique, Displeasure,Cry Club, Wolfpack, Monster Zoku Onsomb!, and Dubbzone.[34]
In November and December 2025, Regurgitator tourRetrospective Singles Tour.[35]
Current members
Current touring musicians
Former members
Former touring musicians
Guest musicians
The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally asAIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector. They commenced in 2006.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020[44] | The Really Really Really Really Boring Album | Best Independent Children's Album or EP | Won | |
| 2025 | Regurgitator | Best Independent Punk Album or EP | Nominated | [45] |
TheARIA Music Awards are annual awards, which recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres ofAustralian music. Regurgitator have won 7 awards from 23 nominations.[46]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Regurgitator | Best Alternative Release | Nominated |
| 1996 | Tu-Plang | Album of the Year | Nominated |
| Best Group | Nominated | ||
| Breakthrough Artist - Album | Won | ||
| Best Alternative Release | Won | ||
| Magoo and Regurgitator forTu-Plang | Producer of the Year | Nominated | |
| Magoo forTu-Plang | Engineer of the Year | Nominated | |
| New[nb 1] | Highest Selling Single | Nominated | |
| Rockin' Doodles, Quan Yeomans and Ben Ely forTu-Plang | Best Cover Art | Nominated | |
| 1998 | Unit | Album of the Year | Won |
| Best Group | Nominated | ||
| Best Alternative Release | Won | ||
| Jeremy Hydnes, George Pinn for "Polyester Girl" | Best Video | Nominated | |
| Quan Yeomans for "Black Bugs" | Best Video | Nominated | |
| Magoo and Regurgitator forUnit | Producer of the Year | Won | |
| Magoo forUnit | Engineer of the Year | Won | |
| The Shits[nb 2] forUnit | Best Cover Art | Won | |
| 1999 | Unit | Highest Selling Album | Nominated |
| "! (The Song Formerly Known As)" | Single of the Year | Nominated | |
| Best Group | Nominated | ||
| Tony McGrath for "! (The Song Formerly Known As)" | Best Video | Nominated | |
| 2000 | Paul Butler, Scott Walton for "Happiness (Rotting My Brain)" | Best Video | Nominated |
| 2019 | The Really Really Really Really Boring Album | Best Children's Album | Nominated |
TheHelpmann Awards is an awards show, celebrating live entertainment and performing arts in Australia, presented by industry groupLive Performance Australia since 2001.[48] Note: 2020 and 2021 were cancelled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Regurgitator and Sydney Opera House -Akira | Best Australian Contemporary Concert | Nominated | [49] |
| Best Original Score | Nominated |
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