Hands Like Ours

They’re not all that handsome and they’re not super-styled; they’re four guys in a band who love creating and playing unadorned, rock music.

Their 8 hands are tuned to delivering original, lush indie rock with full-bodied chiming guitars, hook-laden melodies and lyrics that tell a story. It’s not their job to make you love them; it’s their passion to make you want to hear them again.

Their music is influenced by great outfits like Lemonheads, Interpol, REM, Something For Kate, Midnight Oil, Doves, Gomez, Spoon, Bluebottle Kiss, Buffalo Tom, Pearl Jam, Radiohead, Screamfeeder, The Clouds, Split Enz, Stereophonics, Pollyanna…and others.

They play local and want to stay local, for audiences who want to hear good music with zero pretence – just honest, uncontrived rock songs.

Rewind to the beginning....

It’s a sweet story...two men, one passion, an ad in Beat. From the minute they met in late 2007, Dave and Steve had collaboration on their minds, and the harmonious joining of their kindred musical loves was a beautiful and productive thing.

Dave had been kicking around in cover bands for a few years, before joining an indie rock crew that was destined never to leave the rehearsal studio. Steve was an active musician from Bris-Vegas and newly arrived in big ol’ Melbourne town. Nothing could keep them apart.

A few short months and a dozen songs later, they agreed to begin seeing other people. First came an ex-pom and drummer called Matt (poached from Dave’s previous band). His drumming was ok, but his ability to grow a great moustache was better, so he was welcomed in.
Greedy for more, the boys placed an ad for a bass player, and Che answered the call. He thought most of the tunes were a bit hokey, but he saw potential and thought he could add a little something to the dynamic (besides his unparalleled bass face) and perhaps improve the material. And Che was right, and so the quartet began to rehearse for their first gig in earnest.

Gigging around town...
Despite being told their “name is sh*t” (twice) by Brian Hooper (Beasts of Bourbon) at their first gig, Hands Like Ours still went on stage and played to a modest little crowd at the Idgaff in Abbotsford. That was April 08.
In November of the same year, their modesty (and doubts about the band name) had bridged into confidence and they launched their debut self-titled EP to a packed house, where it all began, at the Idgaff. It was standing room only, the crowd was generous, and they sold a bunch of CDs.

2009 highlights...

• Live appearance on 3WBC’s Rock Show with Dave & Andy in Feb ’09. They played two live acoustic songs in between chatting with the hosts. A wee broadcast to the Shire of Whitehorse and neighbouring areas, streamed live on the net, but still pretty cool!

• March ’09. The Basin Music Festival, where their song ‘Webs’ won ‘Best Local Song’ for the 2009 festival. They performed it acoustically on the main stage to a couple hundred people on the last day of the festival.

• ‘Webs’ and ‘Leave Me Home’ made it to the second round of judging in the Australian Songwriters Association Inc’s 29th Australian Songwriting Contest in 2009.

• Progressed to the semi-finals of the 2009 Espy Artists Showdown, which was organised by Gunn Music. To this day they’re not sure what was the bigger highlight - getting to the semis, or playing the Gerswhin Room at the Espy twice in a couple of months (a boyhood dream thing).