28 Days

Originating as Australia's foremost rap-metal act, 28 Days converted that standing into a profitable decade-long run that yielded two gold albums, one of which debuted at the summit of the charts. The group came together in Frankston during 1997 when a circle of skaters connected at the neighborhood skate park. Frontman Jay Dunne and guitarist Simon Hepburn had already collaborated on graffiti projects and earlier punk and hardcore outfits such as Self Reliance, while bassist Damian Gardiner and drummer Adam Bomber shared the same Melbourne skate-punk circles. Dunne's admiration for the Beastie Boys surfaced once 28 Days formed, prompting him to deliver most vocals in rap style on the band's self-titled debut, which appeared independently in 1998 through the Stubble label. Within twelve months Festival Mushroom selected them as flagship artists for its fledgling Sputnik imprint aimed at emerging talent. The lineup then swapped Adam Bomber for drummer Scott Murray and recruited turntablist Jay Howard, known as DJ Jedi Master Jay, to intensify the hip-hop dimension. Their single "Rip It Up," reminiscent of Limp Bizkit, along with footage of the group performing before a moshing festival audience, rotated regularly on both radio and television; by the release of the follow-up album Upstyle Down, popularity had crested and the record entered the charts in first position.

In November 2001 Scott Murray was struck and killed by a vehicle while walking home from rehearsal. The remaining members persisted, bringing in Vinnie Jukic on a temporary basis to record the 2002 album Stealing Chairs, which honored one of Murray's preferred pastimes. Shortly afterward 28 Days and their supporters drew national press attention for negative reasons after being blamed for $4,500 in damage at a show by Sydney rivals the Drugs. The Drugs' vocalist Ian Baddley had earlier published an open letter to Jay Dunne charging him with homophobic and misogynistic remarks directed at the crowd during a shared Big Day Out appearance and with wrongly labeling the German band Rammstein "Nazis."

Seeking to overhaul their public image, 28 Days auditioned multiple drummers before enlisting Adrian Griffin and cutting the 2004 album Extremist Makeover. By then rap-metal's moment had faded, and the record failed to connect commercially. The band soon departed Sputnik and mounted a return attempt with the 2006 EP Bring Em Back, issued on their own imprint. That effort proved their final statement; following a farewell tour and the 2007 greatest-hits collection Ten Years of Cheap Fame, the group disbanded.