Music
Press
With only 10 tracks on Strange Flowers, this is a tightly harnessed record focusing on quality over quantity. The album’s title track is a blissful rendezvous, as it weaves its way in and out of a driving first section, before imploding in upon itself in the bridge and coming full circle. This can also be said for the album as a whole. Opening track Sky Burial, is a pulsating bass-heavy track made complete by jangly sparse guitars, while first single, Slume, is a dirty and emotional track that features some very intricate rhythmic changes and heartfelt lyrics.
Regular John have mutated into a different musical beast while still maintaining the soul that makes the band unique. Strange Flowers is everything a rock album should be: honest, edgy and downright powerful. - Drum Media
Regular John certainly don’t offer what used to be expected of them, either. Now with keyboards and other gear colouring the sound, its like they’ve escaped a straitjacket – perhaps of their own making – making a big fuzzy racket that gets you in. but this is about a 30-year-on band stratching and twisting and pleasing themselves – although, their clunky democracy eventually settles on each member choosing personal favourites for the sprawling setlist - Drum Media
Junky alley sex on a scummy couch. - One Trick Pony
Hands down my favourite Australian album of 2012, Regular John's Strange Flowers is a rock and roll masterpiece; an epic opus that fans of the band have been waiting for since they first stepped into the Sydney underground. I daresay it's the album they always wanted to make, too. The album is already gaining traction in the US and following a feature album spot on triple j, should see great things for them in 2013... Oh and definitely try and get your hands on a copy of the record on vinyl. It's beyond sexy. - Larry Heath - AU Review
Strange Flowers earned a spot on my top albums list of 2012 and having only seen snippets of the Sydneysiders performing throughout the year, I was looking forward to this set possibly more than many other bands’ this weekend. The psych-rock aspect of Regular John’s repertoire is delivered deliciously; through Ryan Adamson’s role as lead vocalist and guitarist, the crowd saw the performance of one of the country’s best up and coming musicians. The band works so well together, that much is obvious, and though the tent wasn’t packed out, the people who were assembled were treated to one hell of an unforgettable set.
- AU Review
Remember Regular John? Somewhat of a Sydney slouch-rock wunderkind, the four-piece dropped a cracking debut record, ‘The Peaceful Atom Is A Bomb’, in 2009, collected a stack of accolades, then went into a sneaky hibernation that lasted three years. In every sense, ‘Slume’ is their re-awakening. It’s a track that takes everything that ‘The Peaceful Atom’ did well, and rethinks it: tighter, brighter, more direct. The end result is an exercise in maturity – considered and refined - suggesting that for all their success, Regular John are only now arriving at the precipice of their potential. - FBi
I loved Regular John’s first record, The Peaceful Atom is A Bomb, but Strange Flowers is a whole new ball-game. Sprawling riffs, tumbling rhythms, crazy psychedelic ear-teasers and lyrical ideas, and that’s just the first track! It’s so brave for a band to completely stretch and reinvent themselves for their second record, and it paid off so hard. They can pull it off live too, or maybe I was just dazzled by Ryan’s naked torso. - Lindsay McDougall - Music Network
Alex Wheaton chats to Ryan Adamson - DB Magazine - Fortnightly Adelaide Streetpress
Krissi Weiss chats to Ryan Adamson - The Brag - Sydney weekly streetpress
Tour and Album Feature. - Beat Magazine - Melbourne weekly streetpress
Various media quotes taken from the first album, The Peaceful Atom Is a Bomb (2009) - Various
Cover Inset for Feature Interview 24/9 - Time Off - Brisbane weekly music streetprss
Media clippings report featuring pics, blurbs, track streams, video streams and other mentios - Various
Interview to support Annandale Block Party Festival (18/11) - Inner West Courier - Sydney local newspaper, circ 60.000
Feature about Annandale Block Party (18/11) - Inner West Courier - Sydney local newspaper, circ 60.000
Cover inset for September interview feature - Inpress - Melbourne weekly streetpress
Sydney rockers, REGULAR JOHN are building a career by proving they’re anything but regular Joes. They impressed critics and fans alike with their strong, debut LP, ‘The Peaceful Atom Is A Bomb’.
Some three years have passed since then and they are now armed with the new single, ‘Slume’. It’s a taster of their second album, ‘Strange Flowers’, and if this is indicative of the remainder of the material on the record then you can already start cracking open the bottle of champagne.
The band has undergone a slight change in their line-up but they also promoted a sense of continuity by enlisting their long-time collaborator, Tim Powles (THE CHURCH). ‘Slume’ is four minutes of emotionally wrought material. It makes THE SMASHING PUMPKINS seem like an easy reference point, as it openly dissects heavy feelings of heartbreak and sheer angst. But there is also a layered world of fuzz and feedback to be heard amongst the pummelled drums and confined chaos, meaning at moments it is also like DINOSAUR JR.
‘Slume’ is ultimately a song that is both melodic and heavy. As you listen you believe Ryan Adamson when he sings about falling in love and getting lazy before he finally concedes: “I’ll spend forever in my head”. This interior landscape is certainly one that contains powerful forces and different influences at play. In short, it’s a feeling and energetic world where love and lust collides. - Sludge Factory - Australia's biggest metal and hard rock website
'Strange Flowers' was featured as album of the week - 2SER - Community Sydney radio station
Sydney's Morning Herald Gig Picks of the Week - Sydney Morning Herald - Major Sydney daily newspaper, circ 341,000
Album Review - Inpress - Melbourne weekly streetpress
Ryan Adamson interview with Brian Telford - Inpress - Melbourne weekly streetpress
Live Review from Toff In Town 22/9/12 - Inpress - Melbourne weekly streetpress
Cover inset for October 2 feature interview - Drum Sydney - Weekly Sydney Music Streetpress
Kate Benson chats with Ryan Adamson - Drum Sydney - Weekly Sydney Music Streetpress
Live review from Annandale Show 13/09/12 - Drum Sydney - Weekly Sydney Music Streetpress
Ryan Adamson talks to Brendan Telford - Time Off - Brisbane weekly music streetprss
A collection of gig and album mentions in print media around Australia. - Various
A collection of album and tour mentions, track and video streams on Australian music websites and blogs. - Various
Caleb Goman speaks to Matt Reekie - Blunt - National hard rock interview
4-STAR Review in Rolling Stone Australia - Rolling Stone - National music magazine
Ryan Adamson talks to Matt Reekie - Rolling Stone - National music magazine
Feature interview for Tour and album - The Age - Daily Melbourne Major Newspaper, circ 341,000
8/10 album review in national bi-monthly magazine, affiliated with triple j radio station - Triple J Mag
Feature interview for album and tour - Sludge Factory - Australia's biggest metal and hard rock website
Online Feature Interview - Push To Fire - Heavy Rock Music Website
Filmed interview - One Trick Pony - Australian Music Blog
Feature Interview for tour album - Undercover - Australian Music Website and IPTV Channel
Regular John Filmed Interview - Music Feeds - Australia's biggest music website
7.2 out of 10 album review - AU Review - Australian Music Website
7.2 out of 10 album review - AU Review - Australian Music Website
"We've always wanted to grow musically and not get stuck in the stoner rock kind of thing." - Canberra Times - Canberra Daily Newspaper
Feature in SPA Newsletter - Street Press Australia - Newsletter
Tour and album feature in Newcastle major daily newspaper - Newcastle Herald
'Slume' video stream - Street Press Australia - National Street Press Company
Premiere album stream on SPA website - Street Press Australia - National Street Press Company
Tour and Album Feature - Sydney Morning Herald - Major Daily Sydney Newspaper, circ 341,000
'Slume' video premiere on SPA website - Street Press Australia - National Street Press Company
4.5/5 Star Review for Australian music website Tomatrax - Tomatrax - Australian Music Website
“The album opens with a bang, Sky Burial, and it doesn’t really let up from there… From listening to this record, one thing resonates with me strongly. It’s clear that Regular John are climbing up the ranks in Australian alternative rock.” - Music Feeds - Australia's biggest music website
Street Press Australia (National street press group website) - Street Press Australia
"Strange Flowers is like peeling back an onion - after many listens there's something new to discover." - Rip It Up
Discography
Albums
Strange Flowers (Difrnt Music, 2012)
The Peaceful Atom Is A Bomb (Difrnt Music, 2009)
EPs
Marrickville 2204 (2007) (R-Minor/Chatterbox)
Devil's Melody/Easy Rider (2007) (R-Minor/Chatterbox)
Singles
Slume (Difrnt Music, 2012)
Photos
Bio
Regular John exploded onto the Australian rock scene with more guts and determination than most, moving from rural NSW to the big smoke of Sydney city; they proceeded to shake up the scene. Regular John released an EP and a double a-side single to herald their arrival, and their first album gained them an ARIA nomination, the crown of Best Rock Act in the 2009 Rolling Stone awards, and with the release of their second album, Strange Flowers, Regular John will be forever engrained into the minds of the willing.
The fear, fervour and ferocity contained within their live show has brought them countless opportunities, including the chance to play some of Australia’s biggest and most well-known festivals including multiple Big Day Out Festivals, Homebake, Soundwave, Come Together, Essential and Pyramid Rock Festival. Along with supporting international heavyweights including Motorhead, Monster Magnet, Dinosaur Jr., Helmet, The Bronx, Dananananaykroyd, as well as seasoned veterans of the Australian scene, including You Am I, Shihad, The Hard-Ons, Karnivool and Birds of Tokyo.
With their first EP release in 2007, Marrickville 2204, Regular John quickly gained notoriety in the local Sydney scene, with the EP’s first singles scoring Triple J (Australian Youth Radio) rotation and incessant gigging to bring them into the Australian stream of consciousness and onto the radar of industry types and help the band craft their art into something all the more powerful.
With experience, comes wisdom, and come 2009, the band hunkered down in the studio with producer Tim Powles (The Church) to commence work on what would be their debut record, knowing Tim could help Regular John realise their vision. With his help, they seamlessly found the common ground between At the Drive-In, Sonic Youth and John Lennon. The Peaceful Atom is A Bomb was instantly embraced by critics, scoring feature album on Triple J, iTunes, Bigpond Music and Bandit FM and an array of four star reviews. The album and band also scored an abundance of accolades including Best Rock Act of 2009 by Rolling Stone Magazine, an ARIA nomination and the single ‘Transmitter’ also scored international coverage, making it onto EA Sports’ Need For Speed soundtrack and being crowned
Despite all this acclaim for their debut album, the band well and truly disappeared for three years, to focus their way of thinking, to refine their ideas, to recharge their batteries, and to take themselves on a journey. Strange Flowers is the reason.
After biding their time, the first new music from Regular John was released into the world. The first single ‘Slume’ had arrived, and with it came a refreshed sound and a renewed sense of purpose. ‘Slume’ landed and wormed its way into public consciousness and scored high rotation on triple j (national youth radio station), was 4th most added alternative track to radio on week of release and a top 10 downloaded track for national community radio (AIRIT – national community radio platform).
The video, a one-take, warts and all clip, which showcases the vulnerability of singer Ryan Adamson, had many comparing it to Sinead O’ Connor’s ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ clip. The video entered into the Top 10 on the rock charts for Channel V (Pay TV music channel) and premiered in the newsletter for Street Press Australia (national newsletter distributed to subscribers and music industry, an affiliate of the biggest music street press group in Australia).
Choosing to record again with longtime collaborator Tim Powles (The Church), Strange Flowers stretches sonically and emotionally into dimensions only hinted on their debut, with Powles production bringing layered headphone bliss while retaining the power of the band’s live sound.
The album takes you through epic multi movements like ‘Sky Burial’ and the Philip K Dick inspired ‘Time Machine’ to the fragile and melodic reverberations of ‘San Isidore’ and ‘Devils Face’. Thick with a guitar sound not heard since the walls of Siamese Dream within the doom pop of ‘Crystal Ball’, while the joyous pummel of ‘Strange Flower’ will have you humming their melodies for days.
On release, Strange Flowers scored itself glowing reviews and has been widely endorsed by critics, including a four-star review in Rolling Stone (monthly music magazine), an eight out of ten in triple j Mag (bi-monthly magazine affiliated with triple j) and a four-star review in Drum Media (Sydney weekly streetpress).
As the Strange Flowers story continues to develop in Australia, the story begins in the US, as radio plugging agency, The Planetary Group service 'Slume' to US college radio in preparation for a an American album service in February 2013. The band have also garnered booking interest from US group, Pinnacle Entertainment. The journey has only just begun for the four Sydney boys, as more news comes to hand daily, including:-
OVER IN THE U.S.A. -
• In the first week of radio servicing to U.S. college rad
Links
