Biography
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Years Active
2004 – present (20 years)
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Founded In
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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Members
- Robert Wrigley
Rummaging through the bones of 60s pop, late 70s post-punk, 80s and 90s noise rock, Melbourne four piece Witch Hats are the ideal antidote to a world that celebrates the vacuous pursuits of the celebrity classes, cheap corporate rhetoric and the disposable lifestyle. Think The Birthday Party jamming with Andrew WK while Mark E. Smith and The Beatles look on knowingly, and you get some idea of the Witch Hats sound.
The Witch Hats story is one of grave secrecy, what can be divulged is this: that there is no 'The' in Witch Hats, that the band was formed when a debauched night on the town ended with a drunken bedroom recording session, that their first tour ended with an all-in-brawl that resulted in the venue shutting down, that their second tour oddly contributed to and consequently (through a bizarre twist of circumstance) resulted in them getting us banned from Slash's bar in New York (don't ask…) And that their third tour saw guitarist Tomas P. Barry getting mugged while turning twenty, bassist Ash falling in love, and a venue paying them not-to-play (after hearing the sound-check), and an innumerable number of other unspeakable and debauched events.
It was with a wicked grin that Witch Hats released their debut EP Wounds of a Little Horse in late 2006 on In-Fidelity. A polished up recording of the bands first self-released demo, the five tracks were re-recorded by ex-Birthday Party skinsman, Phill Calvert and Ben Ling, with the artwork paying irreverent homage to the Beatles' banned 'Butcher' cover, photographed in an abandoned orphanage in St Kilda.
In late 2007, Witch Hats gave a taste of what was to come with the release of the Before I Weigh 7", which also featured a stinging cover of The Breeders' track The She. In March 2008, Witch Hats released their much-anticipated debut full-length, Cellulite Soul, once again featuring the Calvert/Ling production team and released on In-Fidelity. The album more than delivered on the guttural promises of the Wounds… EP and allowed the band to expand their menacing, rumbling sound even further. After touring Australia in support of the album, the band embarked on an extensive US tour in July 2008, playing 34 cities in 44 days and releasing a tour 7", Hellhole.
Current Lineup (Dec. '08):
Kris Buscombe- vox, guitar
Ash Buscombe- vox, bass
Tomas P. Barry- guitar
Duncan Blachford- drums
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