Friendly Yen
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Friendly Yen

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia | INDIE

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia | INDIE
Band Rock Reggae

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This band has not uploaded any videos
This band has not uploaded any videos

Music

Press


"Casual Projects support 1"

"Saturday night at Transit Bar saw brilliant free entertainment with Canberra bred talents, Casual Projects. The fun kicked off with local up and comers Friendly Yen, giving the crowd a taste of their groovy reggae-rock sounds and smooth vocals provided by front man, Jeff Hann. Friendly Yen certainly gave the dance floor a warm-up and put smiles on faces with what can only be described as an uplifting performance. Their song writing is unique and heartfelt and their style on stage is solid. These local boys are definitely faces to watch out for in the live music scene".

- Inthemix.com/ Danikaa, May 2007


"Dahahoo C.D Launch"

"Friendly Yen are reminiscient of Lior in terms of their lead vocalist. He can do intricate vocal runs with perfect pitch. The trio is one of the most impressive in Canberra, the drummer one of those rarities who “plays music” as opposed to simply “playing drums" - FasterLouder.com / F Schadenfreude, April 2007


"Casual Projects support 2"

"Next up was local trio, Friendly Yen, looking smart with classy hats and vests. They had a really fun (friendly even) vibe, sounding a bit like The Beautiful Girls, except with some jazzier Lior-type vocals from Jeff Hann. Occasionally adding a few guitar FX’s with a wah-wah pedal and some crispy beats from the drum kit, they sounded snappy and worked their magic on a group of good-looking girls up the front who were dancing to their tunes".

- FasterLouder.com/Marianne


"Drawing North, Friendly Yen, Scaramouche, Mark Rice @ The Maram,"

Friday night was the first of a four-day performing streak for Friendly Yen. The group owned the stage with a tight set, shredding guitar solos and a great stage presence... If their set was anything to go by, the boys are in for a very busy 2011! - FasterLouder.com / Smashley, Feb 2011


Discography

"4:59" - August 2011
"Wild Things E.P" - 2008

Photos

Bio

After two patient years of writing, travelling and developing, Friendly Yen are proud to announce the release of their debut mini-album “4:59”.  Thanks to some strong demos and a generous arts grant, Friendly Yen were able to snag the attention of ARIA nominated producer Forrester Savell (Birds of Tokyo, Dead Letter Circus, Dallas Frasca, The Butterfly Effect). He has worked on many gold album records including The Butterfly Effect's 'The Final Conversation of Kings', and was nominated for a ARIA for 'producer of the year' for Karnivool’s ‘Sound Awake' (which reached number 2 on the ARIA charts). The boys spent two weeks at Savell and his colleague Prasheen Naran's base in Sing Sing South Studios, Melbourne, recording and mixing the tracks. The final result is a collection of infectious tracks that will leave you hanging for more.

The band is fronted by Jeff Hann, who has been described as having “intricate vocals running with perfect pitch” (FastLouder.com.au, 2007).   4:59 is a seven-track collection of songs, written by Hann and inspired by the excitements and realities of life: the frustration of the nine-till-five work world, the bittersweetness of sharing a moment with someone you will never see again, and the doubt that comes with chasing your dreams.  

Hann returned to Australia in 2010 after spending twelve months abroad in Germany and decided to relocate to Melbourne with the rest of Friendly Yen.  Having already cemented themselves in the Canberra Music Scene, the move sought to strengthen the bands profile, ensuring they have loyal fan-bases in both cities.  During this time Julian Abrahams (Casual Projects, Mustered Courage) was recruited to the band, bringing with him a wealth of knowledge - not to mention his huge guitar sound!

It's not only Hann who is critically applauded, with Jason Peters' being called a drummer who is “one of those rarities who “plays music” as opposed to “playing drums” (FastLouder.com.au, 2007), whilst bass player Patrick Lillicrap brings a solid groove to the table.

Friendly Yen's reviewers have always applauded their stage presence, which is clearly fuelled by the chemistry of knowing each other for several years and spending many nights entertaining the unsuspecting and enlightened alike.  “The group owned the stage with a tight set, shredding guitar solos and a great stage presence.  If their set was anything to go by, the boys are in for a very busy 2011!” (Fasterlouder.com.au, 2011)

The first single The Colour (released August 6th) will be accompanied by a clip directed by award-winning Josh Aylett of Volley Films.  Shot in Aylett's current home of Sweden, The Colour features stunning scenery, poignant close-ups and oh, just a little full-frontal male nudity.

4:59 will be released on August 19th, and will be available for purchase on I-Tunes.

Celebrate with Friendly Yen at the 4:59 launch party on Sunday August 28th at Northcote Social Club, Melbourne.

You can also catch Friendly Yen on the following dates:

Saturday, July 23rd at The Vineyard in St Kilda, Melbourne
Thursday, August 4th at The Empress, Fitzroy North, Melbourne
Wednesday, August 17th at The Espy, St Kilda, Melbourne
Thursday, September 1st at The Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick, Melbourne

Friendly Yen's reviewers have always applauded their stage presence, which is clearly fueled by the chemistry of knowing each other for several years and spending many nights entertaining the unsuspecting and enlightened alike.

August 2011 will see the release of Friendly Yen's debut album "4:59".

Upcoming gigs
-
- 8 June @ The Espy, St Kilda
- 9 June @ Pony, Melbourne
- 26 June @ Yah Yahs, Collingwood
- 13 uly @ The Espy, St Kilda
- 23 July @ The Vineyard, St Kilda
- 4 August @ The Empress, Fitzroy North
- 17 August @ The Espy, St Kilda
- 28 August @ The Northcote Social Club, Northcote
- 1 September @ The Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick

To view their film clip, please copy this link in your web browser:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yeG0kCiDCs