Album Tracks - Real Audio
*These Days from 'Tandem' album
*Eight from 'Popcore' album
*Solitaire from 'Matter' album

History - Early Days
Cheyne Gelagin formed the embryo of the band in April 1992 at Lismore, NSW. Hooters and Hummers was the first band name which would later become The Simpletons. He literally raced to put a band together for the National Campus Band Competition, which is a contest to find the best University band. The Hooters and Hummers line-up was Cheyne (acoustic guitar and backing vocals), Carrie Haines (lead vocals), Brad Cheers(bass) and Stephen Meldrum (drums).

Their first performance was a heat of the band competition, and straight away they impressed with acoustic pop songs with amazing insightful lyrics (especially for a newly formed band.) They actually won the heat and made it to the Lismore final where they came runners up. They quickly established a strong live following in Lismore, where they stood out as not being the usual funk or covers band that was the standard offering from the town. Stu Hayes at this early stage took over managing the group.

Six months later Carrie left the band and Cheyne (who wrote all the songs) took over the lead vocal duties. The band were now a three piece and changed their name to Playground. In 1993 they again entered the band competition. This time they won the Lismore final, the Queensland final and the ultimate prize - the National final. Up against the odds and plenty of heavy rock bands, the acoustic witty pop group beat them all. Just before the final they dumped the kiddie ‘Playground’ and on Steve’s suggestion they were crowned The Simpletons. An extremely ironic name considering the nature of their lyrics.

Smother
To capitalise on winning the band competition, The Simpletons decided to tour in early 1994 and put out their debut EP. 6 tracks were recorded for Smother in Lismore, January 1994. Darren Hanlon joined as guest guitarist for the recording and ended up staying for years to come. His catchy jangly guitar work would become a familiar trademark for the band.

The Simpletons toured all around the country in a rented van and then manager Amanda. They impressed crowds instantly with their catchy acoustic pop songs. Smother sold extremely well at shows and became an instant classic. Every track on the CD remained a hit at live shows to come, even ‘2480’ a song about living in Lismore found life in different towns. The first 1,000 copies of Smother quickly sold out within 6 months and band refused to repress it. Smother was reborn about 2 years later when The Simpletons re-released it with new mastering and artwork changes. ‘Buzz Aldrin’ (about the second man on the moon) won Song of the Year at the North Coast Music Awards.

‘The Simpletons. Now there’s a great name for a band. Come to think of it, there’s a great name for several thousand bands. The one in question is actually relatively cerebral. the clarity is crystalline, the sound is semi-acoustic, the words are often funny and the style is eccentrically restless. There are lots of sharp lines.’ - Rolling Stone Magazine

After the tour they continued to base themselves in Lismore, playing a lot locally and making regular trips to Brisbane where their following was quickly growing. One of the more bizarre shows was playing in front of what would be their biggest crowd at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre supporting Willie Nelson. In no way was the band slightly country, so Darren played as many cheesy country licks as possible. They still sold over 50 CD’s to a bewildered audience who had no idea who the band were.

Mid-year the band took on Chris Crouch as their manager. Chris was a friend from Lismore who had studied with Cheyne and happened to be a huge fan of the band. Mid 1994 The Simpletons did an official ‘Smother’ launch at the Annandale Hotel in Sydney. On a Wednesday night the place was packed, and the band knew they definitely had an audience outside of small town Lismore.

‘Quite simply, an excellent live band.’ - Drum Media, Sydney Music Paper.

Nod
The follow-up to Smother was a great leap forward called ‘Nod’ released October 1994. They lost the derivative Billy Bragg overtones and found their own sound. Of course a feature of The Simpletons sound was no 2 songs ever sounded the same and they continued to be extremely eclectic throughout their recordings. Nod featured some great co-writing between Cheyne and Steve in the shape of 'Tall Poppies' and 'Cooking Claret' (two Simpletons classics). To support the release of Nod they did their second National tour, again to enthusiastic audiences all around the country. Triple J (Australia’s National Radio Station) got the band in to play live on the OzMusic Show. They liked ‘Tall Poppies’ so much they added it to their general playlist.

Highlights at the end of 1994 came in the form of playing their first Weddings, Parties, Anything Christmas show and the Byron Bay Festival. At this stage Cheyne was still being extremely prolific in his songwriting and planned to record their debut album early 1995.

‘...in other words, there are no real comparisons. This band is well worth keeping eyes and ears alert for; all here is splendid and only the beginning!’ - On The Street Music Paper

In early 1995 they went back into the studio to record their first ever single ‘Crash Out’. The 3 track single was recorded before the recording of the debut ‘Matter’ album. To support the release of Crash Out the band went on another 5 week National Tour. Despite it being a popular song it unfortunately failed to capture radio’s imagination. The single also marked another first, Cheyne made The Simpletons a super 8 video clip for the song.

Matter
The Matter album was recorded in Newtown, Sydney and produced by Rob Clarkson (now in Ruck Rover). The band relished recording the album as it gave them scope to show what they could produce with 15 tracks. They experimented with rock in the form of ‘Occupation’ and stripped things back with ‘Solitaire’ and ‘Postcard’. Popular songs like ‘I Do’ and ‘Tall Poppies’ were reworked and given a new lease of life.

‘I’d even go so far as to say that they may one day be one of the best bands in the world, and I do not exaggerate.’ - Time Off, Brisbane Music Paper

April/ May saw the band tour yet again to huge crowds whether they went. ‘Matter’ was an instant success amongst fans. It had enough similar ingredients of the first 2 EP’s and then went further. Lyrically the album was amazing, full of clever wordplay and great imagery.

Up until this stage the band had been constantly touring and recording, so they decided to take 3 months off. In the down time, ‘Nice’ from the album was picked up by Triple J. Within weeks it was a big hit on the station receiving lots of airplay across the country. The band were unable to fully capitalise on the songs success due to their break. The unlikely radio song ‘Postcard’ also received a sprinkling of airplay.

‘After being blown away last time by The Simpletons, what I got wasn’t the same. It was better.’ - Rave Magazine, Brisbane Music Paper

A copy of Matter made it’s way into the hands of Billy Bragg. Chris ran in to Billy at Glastonbury 95 where he mentioned how much he loved the album, especially the lyrics. Billy promised next time he came to Australia he worked try to get The Simpletons a support spot. Naturally the band were over the moon hearing such high praise from the man that was an early inspiration.

The extended break served the band well and they hit the road again in November for the ‘Nice To Be Home’ tour. Despite the break no one had forgotten them and their live shows were packed. Good news followed this tour when they picked up the National support for Weddings, Parties, Anything Christmas Tour. Famous for their huge tours and big nights, the Weddings tour was one of the best times the Simpletons had on the road.

Early 1996 was another boom period for the band. They played the Byron Bay Festival and Sydney Fringe Festival and true to his word, Billy Bragg gave The Simpletons the support for his Sydney Enmore Theatre show. It was one the best Simpletons shows ever, making themselves right at home on the big stage. Meeting Billy and playing support act was a great highlight for everyone involved.

‘The Simpletons had the crowd wrapped around their little fingers. The atmosphere in those closing ten minutes was enough to rival even the greatest You Am I gathering.’ - Beat Magazine, Melbourne Music Paper

By this stage Cheyne was accumulating new songs for the next album. The band re-released Smother and hit the road in March/April to roadtest some of their new material. At the end of the tour The Simpletons lost Steve Meldrum as their drummer. He was a huge loss to the band not only because of his great drumming but the great songs he bought to the band.

Tandem
The follow-up album ‘Tandem’ was recorded in Sydney by David Trump (producer for Pollyanna, Big Heavy Stuff). Doug Threlfall (ex-Cartoon) played guest drums on the album. This album took things a lot further than Matter ever did. At the forefront was a bigger guitar sound. The acoustic influences were still there but placed on the second half of the album to give more consistency. All the strengths of the band feature on Tandem, but again pushing their limits. ‘Soup’ had a dance beat, ‘Loot’ was virtually punk and ‘These Days’ could easily be one of the best modern folk songs.

Ryan James (who now plays for The Mabels) was recruited from Lismore to play drums for the Tandem tour in August/September. He fitted in extremely well and the tour went off without a hitch. The band probably lost a few diehard fans with the more guitar conscious album but again the reviews were fantastic. ‘Bullets’ an instant crowd favourite, got played a lot on triple J and stations all around the country despite never been released as a single.

Great Supports and 3 EP's
Before the end of the year finished The Simpletons went back in the studio to record the ‘Light A Candle’ EP. Again this CD shows a lot of experimentation for a band not willing to stay creatively still. It also marked the recording debut of Ryan for the band and Darren offering his crowd favourite ‘Danielle.’

1997 heralded another boom period for the group. It started off in fine fashion when they played at the Gold Coast Big Day Out. Light A Candle was released and it become another hit on Triple J. Huge news came in the form of the National support for They Might Be Giants. The band flew and drove everywhere to do the shows for a band they held in very high esteem.

Straight after the Giants tour and their own tour for Light A Candle, came the news that the Clouds were splitting up. The Simpletons were proud to do the Sydney and Brisbane final Clouds shows.

The regular touring and recording regime continued. Back in the studio to record the next EP called F. Due to time constraints F was only recorded solo for Tandem. This time they wanted to record it with the band, how they originally intended. The experimental b-sides included spoken word tracks by Cheyne put to music.

At the end of the year the band put out their third and final EP from the Tandem album. 'Till The Sky' was released with 4 news songs tilting back again to their acoustic roots. The band re-recorded Till The Sky as they were never truly happy with the album version. The new version more represented how they were playing it live. To wrap up an incredible year the band also supported Juliana Hatfield for her Sydney show.

End of a Era
On their final tour for 1997, Chris their manager decided to call it quits. After all the work and pressures he simply had enough. Shortly afterwards Brad Cheers (bass) and Darren Hanlon (guitar) also decided to leave. Although, Darren would appear on the next Simpletons single ‘Eight.’ So after all the highs and lows of The Simpletons a big core of the band decided to pursue other things. Their loss was big a blow to the band and although The Simpletons name continued the spirit and heart of the group was gone.

Cheyne and Ryan continued, recruiting new members for the third album ‘Popcore’. The album again combined some of the Simpletons trademarks, great lyrical pop songs. After a 9 month absence on the live scene, the band emerged for a live tour for the new line-up. The shows were indeed different and then infrequent. Now finished for good.

For those who saw the band in their heyday, they would understand the great spirit and joy of seeing The Simpletons live. They were truly a great original band and we were better for it. That spirit still lives on in their priceless recordings and the great memories they gave us.

Adventures In Sideburning In Simpleton Eon Pop (A Fan's View)
It all began in 1993, when we tried to sneak into the World Championship Air guitar competition without paying. Upon checking that the coast was of the clear and seaweed-free variety, we attempted to slip in casually.

We had hired the help of "Big Stabber Jaws Delaney" to assist our unlawful entry. "Stabber" rose to prominence in the early 50's after breaking the world record for holding somebody elses breath under water (three days i believe). His vicious reign of terror spanned three decades and he is still wanted in seventeen canteens for unlawful conduct with plastic cutlery. We were well versed in the championship password: "I once challenged a Llama to an arm wrestle but he said to me he didnt wanna be no commemorative stamp for nobody ! I believe they call that Post Trauma." And with a bemused smile, the doorman (now identified as Mr Crouch, the guy from Candle) let us in.

But upon entry, the facts just didnt add up....we hadn't passed any Model T Fords parked outside, we were not greeted at the door with the expected words of "would you like smirking or non smirking, women?"..... the audience wasn't as we had contemplated....Not a single aqua silk shell tracksuit to be seen, number of toupees: 0 definite and 1 suspect, people standing unaided: 40 (most), moshpit loose, but full.....hmmm.

(cue "lightening flash")

Well Claude Van Dammit ! wrong venue. But put those horses on hold, what have we here? On stage, a pair of tracksuits pants fitted nicely on the drummer, jean cuffs tucked firmly into the top of the bass players trusty blundstones.........Yes, the Simpletons are playing tonight (backing Mick Thomas). Please apply major "Yipees", high fives, hats in the air, and "back slapping" to the crowd with care.

At this moment my life was transformed. Though I had had trains of thought in relation to music leaving every few minutes, all this time I had been standing on the wrong platform. Luckily i had attended those "ply your shattered eardrums with cosmic love and instantaneous Shamanic healing" evening classes, so my recovery from the music i'd been exposed to previously was swift. (I was able to excise any residual "Rat Cat" growths).

The Simpletons made us laugh, they made us smile, with guaranteed hip hip hoorays all round. They rejuvenated and re-defined the local band formula, flushed the music scene, provided the bubblebath of tune and created the music elixir that we had been waiting for....the SIMPLETONIC. The bewildering simulcrum. Shall i compare the excited anticipation conjured up by the sound of a warming -up twang of Darren's guitar to the sound of a pre-world cup unzip of a tracksuit in the dressing room? They set the standard of gig at such a dizzy height that good gigs became as hard to come by as a Dodo feather.

Cheynes hair colour changed at an amphetamine rate. .... He was the master of towering lyrical ambition, spokesperson for a generation and all out pop-god. Cheyne would select lyrics like an old Italian woman would choose a tomato, and buoyed by a sense of intellectual engagement, he would jump into theoretical highs, we would lapidate his lyrics in our cerebral washing machines, and global harmony would be restored. And just in the nick of time, just as we'd been teetering on the precipice of a dying music scene, along came the Simpletons with enough studied coolness to knock out the eye of a cyclops. It was the treasure chest of banana paddlepops to a monkey. Having the effect of rendering all other gigs as exciting as a brown paper-bag puppet making workshop.

And then there was Sir Darren Hanlonship, Mr Corderoy Truzzers himself. Who deserves an Academy award for his "shuffle to the mike" expertise. A shuffle that smothered the audience with an unrivalled frenzied hysteria. Yes, it was shuffle mania. Pandamonium barometer reading: very high. Mayhem: in abundance.The modest fellow, played down the impact and crowd pleasure that his "move" created and despite numerous suggestions, refused to patent the "shuffle". After the guys in the lab had spent hours bent over the microscope, determining the extra chromosome responsible for the "shuffle trait", i cut straight to the source, and after making an insubstantial investment in the VB flavoured ilk, bought the Hanlon mother a VB to try to expose the mystique behind such a talent. (For more info see "Hanlon customs" : "Stardom in the Making Publishing House": $15.99).

The bass player with his seductive words: "Hi i'm Brad Cheers, can i help you with my Bombaderry electrical expertise?" often heard lobbed across the Kmart halls, resulted in me possessing enough electrical goods to enable me to hack into the Pentagon defense system.

Drummer, Stephen "no relation to Molly" Meldrum was replaced by Gene Simmons from "Kiss", at least we were sure the new Simpletons drummers hair and tongue had been excised from the guy from Kiss, all under the pseudonym of "excess baggage".

Then the band rode the Billy Bragg wave of socialist advocacy (all in the name of tolerance). Time after time, we were not left disappointed. Religiously we were lifted up telescope to a higher state of consciousness. The comfort of chairs in the "three weeds", the sounds of the sea and revving monaros doing donuts and fishtails in the bondi seagull room, the "welcome to the cheap seats" of the Uni Bars and lawns, the architectual awkwardness and charm of the Sando, the infamous accoustics of the Annandale (akin to The Black Hole gone electric) , and Byron Bay..... ah, Byron Arts and Music fest......awaking in a tent with an unidentifiable mound of stirfry noodles, glued firmly to ones neck. Nasal contents: Low flying, everpresent smell of marijuana, stomach contents: vegie burgers and spearmint leaves, forehead contents : bindi (joke). Sorted for hash for cash. Opening third eye progress was good. High point: Fleavil Knievil on the wall of death in the Byron Mad Alex's Flea circus.

Then the black clouds hovered.....

The announcement of the band break-up. At first we went into denial, blaming it on the great ventriloquist : Tooheys Old (that we had been drinking at the time of the announcement) Then the acceptance of the info brought with it enough angst to butter a depressives toast.

Some predicted that when Cheyne no longer quoted Marx who was quoting Jesus who was quoting Brad Cheers, things would evolve in an anti-Darwinian fashion (the fittest leaving the band) . However, now Cheyne and the new Simpletons have even more treats to offer. Not only a new catchy sound, but the gigs now often come accompanied by a personal Cheyne Gelagin garage sale, at no extra charge (please refer to Annandale gig of September 1998). First item purchased (and looks a treat on the mantle piece): small brown plastic cyclops with fur neatly shaved off.

For more information please see: "The Simpletons: the amazing map of their minds and other parts" now available from all good branches of their imagination.

Sentimental moments at the gigs: classified.
Time to run the credits:
Somewhat short : Me - Everything.

Rinky Tinky Too
Love
ANON

Top 5 Simpleton Songs
As voted by fans:
1. Danielle (from ‘Light A Candle’ EP)
2. I Do (from ‘Nod’ EP and ‘Matter’ Album)
3. Cooking Claret (from ‘Nod’ EP)
4. Crave (from ‘Smother’ EP)
5. Nice (from ‘Matter’ Album)