The Gin Club

Artist Information

Biography

The Gin Club has established a reputation as one of the most impressive Australian bands of recent memory, keeping their audiences perpetually intrigued and interested with a revolving live and studio-based line up of multi-instrumentalists and songwriters.

Based in Brisbane, Australia, The Gin Club are a musical collective who perform an eclectic mix of rock, pop, folk, blues, country, and everything in between.

On stage they will feature anywhere from 2 to 10 members playing everything from organ to cello, banjo to mandolin, violin to saxophone and more. They draw influence from the attitudes of artists such as The Band, Neil Young and The Wu-Tang Clan.

Since their formation through a chance meeting at an Open-mic night in 2003, The Gin Club has released three albums to public and critical acclaim, namely, their most recent release: 2008's Junk. This double album features 26 original songs, covered a breathtaking amount of musical ground and earned them several accolades including Song of the Year award at the 2008 QSong Awards.

The inimitable troupe have toured Australia and abroad, playing with many varied acts such as Paul Kelly, The Drones, Tim Rogers, You Am I and Pete Murray, as well as performing at major events including The Big Day Out, East Coast Blues and Roots, Splendor in the Grass, Woodford Folk Festival, Canadian Music Week, Musicexpo LA and many more.

July 2010 saw the release of the Gin Club's fourth full length album, "Deathwish". Second single "Pennies" was added to high rotation on national broadcaser Triple J and the band embarked on a highly successful string of shows on the East Coast.

The Gin Club are set to embark on a more extensive national tour in November 2010.

Instrumentation

Ben Salter - vocals, guitars, drums; Scott Regan - drums, vocals, guitars; Conor Macdonald - vocals, guitars, saxophone, harmonicas; Ola Karlsson - vocals, piano, guitars; Adrian Stoyles - vocals, guitars, accordion, piano; Bridget Lewis - cello, keys; Angus Agars - drums, percussion; Brad Pickersgill - vocals, guitars; Dan Mansfield - keys, guitars.

Discography

"Virginibus Puerisque" (Album) - 2003
"Fear of the Sea" (Album) - 2005
"Gabriel/Drugflowers" (Single) - 2005
"Junk" (Album) - 2008
"Rain" (Single) - 2009
"Deathwish" (Album) - 2010

Links

• Facebook
• Official Website
• MySpace

Audio

• Rain
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• You, Me & The Sea
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• Ten Paces Away
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• Gas Guzzler
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• Drugflowers
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• Company Kept
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• Already Gone
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• Wylde Bitch
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• Something Rotten
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Lyrics

• Ten Paces Away
• Gas Guzzler
• Something Rotten
• You, Me & The Sea

Video

Photo Gallery

Press

• "Junk" Album Review [+ Show ]
  

  Roy Slaven and H.G. Nelson had a slogan about their Saturday afternoon radio show This Sporting Life...Roy Slaven and H.G. Nelson had a slogan about their Saturday afternoon radio show This Sporting Life: "When too much sport is barely enough." In these
  days of music on demand leaking out of every pod, website and even the odd bought CD, a two-disc, 26-track release might seem profligate, but the catchphrase applies here too. This nine-piece
  Brisbane collective have crafted an
  amazing feat of songwriting, made even more impressive considering eight of the members get writing credits, along with guest Tim Rogers, and they still sound
  like one band. You might break it up into any number of playlists: with banjo or without; big electric guitar numbers; Wilco-inspired power ballads; and gentle
  acoustic pieces. But there's no need - it works a treat end to end. First track Ten Paces Away jumps out of the speakers and sets the template for what's to come:
  perfect hooks, gorgeous melodies, vocal harmonies applied with a spray can. There's stacked guitars, warm Hammond organs, horns, strings, all shaping one
  superb song after another. In the running for album of the year.
  JEFF GLORFELD

• The Globe, Brisbane, Friday 18th April [+ Show ]
  

  It's fitting that The Gin Club's album launch tour concludes in their hometown. If you've even glanc...It's fitting that The Gin Club's album launch tour concludes in their hometown. If you've even glanced at street press in weeks preceding, you'll have encountered the accolades surrounding the release of their double-album Junk. The fruits of The Gin Club's labours are plentiful and delicious; Bridget Lewis delivers a fine reading of the album's title track, before the revered folk-rock collective proceed to present argument after convincing argument as to why they're deserving of critical acclaim. Technical issues are shrugged off in good humour; it seems that nothing can dampen the band's enthusiasm and jubilance tonight. Their set becomes more intense and impressive with each quality song, culminating in a sublime performance of the Scott Regan-penned Days. Salter graciously encourages applause for The Globe's volunteer bar staff, and we're informed that an encore can't eventuate due to licensing restrictions: a bittersweet end to a truly extraordinary night of musicianship.
  
  ANDREW MCMILLEN
  

• "Musical Collective Has More Than A Tipple Of Talent" [+ Show ]
  

  WHAT has seven singers, five drummers and enough songs to make a new album every month? Answer: T...
  WHAT has seven singers, five drummers and enough songs to make a new album
  every month? Answer: The next big thing to emerge from the Brisbane music scene. That's The Gin Club. "Club" is the right
  word, since the band is a collective of singer-songwriters, sometimes up to seven of them, all swapping instruments and providing the framework to take their
  music to the world. Their new album, Junk, is as big as the
  band, with 26 tracks on two CDs.
  They set out on a 15-date Australian tour this month before playing at the Musexpo
  music trade fair in Los Angeles in May. Fans include Tim Rogers of You Am I, who loves the band so much he sings a song on Junk. The Gin Club's Ben Salter said: "We met
  through an open mike night I was hosting in Brisbane for songwriters and that grew into a band. Each writer sings their own
  songs and the others provide the backing, swapping instruments along the way." Which is how the band has featured five
  different drummers. Junk is a contender to feature in the
  2008 Q Song Awards, which rewards Queensland songwriters in categories from rock and pop to hip-hop and county. Q Song opens for entries from today.

Setlist

We prefer to do two sets per show - one showcasing acoustic based quiet material, and another of all rock material; or sometimes a combination of both. In any case we have enough songs and songwriters to do three!!

Basic Requirements

Calendar