We take a look at some great bands that were formed in 1997 and are celebrating their 21st birthdays this year!
Eskimo Joe
There must be something in the water in WA because so many successful bands come from the biggest state. Eskimo Joe, formed in 1997 in Western Australia, was originally a side project to Freud’s Pillow, of which all 3 members were a part of with someone else.
They competed in the National Campus Band Competition in Western Australia, progressed through to the final in Sydney, won that, and earned themselves a spot on Livid Festival in Brisbane and a recording session in Sydney. They were a national treasure in a heartbeat.
In celebration of turning 21, the band are re-issuing their back catalogue in special new formats. As well as being issued on limited edition light blue vinyl, the Ghosts Of The Past anniversary edition CD will feature the original album remastered and paired with eight additional songs. The album will be released on Friday May 18 and is available to pre-order now.
When you go back to their first real hit, "Sweater", you realise how far they’ve come as a band.
28 Days
The guys from Frankston, Victoria came along at an interesting time in music when cross-over genres were starting to emerge. Early works, like "La Tune" and "Kool", garnered them airplay on Triple J and would see them compared to The Offspring, a straight up punk rock band. However, they developed their sound to include hip-hop, rap rock, and punk rock and created something unique, both here in Australia, and around the world, especially with the hit, "Rip It Up". By then, 28 Days were a solid festival certainty and touring constantly.
Taxiride
The guys in Taxiride were all cover band guys in Melbourne in the 90’s, and like nearly all cover bands at the time, moved into writing their own music with the dreams of cracking the market. But these guys did it a touch differently. Recording an EP, they gave it to a friend of theirs who drove Taxi’s so he could test it on passengers during their trip. One such person was an executive at Warner Music, and they were signed. Needing a name, they took it from the experiences in which the music was heard, and Taxiride was born. Their harmonies were what stood them apart from other bands at the time, mixing it with pop-rock vibes, they’ve enjoyed two platinum albums in Australia.
Gyroscope
What was I saying about something in the water in WA? Yep, that’s where these guys formed in 1997, originally as Gyroscope Sunday, but soon dropping the ‘Sunday’. They worked on their sound and playing around work and school commitments, supporting headliners like The Living End, 28 Days, Unwritten Law, and Blink 182. They signed to fellow WA band, Jebediah’s label, Redline Records and supported them on their national tour, and they were off. But it wasn’t until 2004 that they really got their mainstream with the single "Safe Forever".
Karnivool
Guess where we go for this band, yep, WA. 1997 on the West Coast was a hive of brilliance it seems, with Karnivool developing from a highschool band. Past members being described as a ‘bunch of clowns’ gave them a name, and after line up changes, they finally settled on the 5 members you now see in the band. Founding member Andrew Goddard wrote the band’s debut album, Themata and has said that the first time the band played it together was after it was recorded. Goddard not only wrote all of the album's songs and played guitar, but also played drums on every track except "L1fel1ke", as Judd had not yet joined the band.
21 years of ferociously infectious recorded works, and stellar live shows has rewarded the band with an incredibly loyal and devoted fan base that results in sold-out tours.
Kasabian
Ok, so these guys aren’t from Perth, or WA, but you can fly directly to them from Perth these days. Kasabian are from England, and like the other bands are getting the key to the house and turning 21. The band came together when three of the lads (English people are always lads) were attending community college together. Bass player, Chris Edwards was working at a recording studio in Leicester as an engineer, which is where they first recorded together, as Saracuse. Once their EP started circulating, interest came from BMG, EMI and Concept Music. Their eponymous debut was eventually released in 2004 by RCA and the single "L.S.F" cracked the top 10 in their home country.
Sick Puppies
Like so many bands, Sick Puppies came together in a high school music classroom in 1997. Mosman High in NSW was the setting, lead singer/guitarist Shimon Moore (who played drums at the time), and bass player Emma Anzai argued about who was supposed to have the music room, and then bonded over their love of Silverchair. They’d jam out to ‘chair songs, RATM, and Green Day, and soon decided to write their own songs. Bringing in Chris Mileski on drums, and the line up was complete. But it wasn’t until their song "All The Same" was added to a YouTube video that started the Free Hugs movement, they started to enjoy success.
Soulfly
After leaving the band he formed, Sepultura, Max Cavalera moved on to his next venture in Soulfly. Max said he wanted to combine the sounds with spiritual beliefs, which was hard for him at the time of writing the first album due to losing his stepson and best friends, Dana Wells. However, he pressed on and with a slew of special guests, including Dino Cazares and Burton C Bell (Fear Factory), Fred Durst (Limp Bizkit), and Chino Moreno (Deftones). Max, remembering that time, said in a later interview “Coming into a whole new situation underneath the shadow of Roots was a huge challenge for me, and most people thought I was nuts. Plus, we made a conscious effort not to sound like Sepultura.”
If this was your era, get stuck into our Hits Of The 90s playlist on Spotify...
