Biography
Despite their youth, the members of New Zealand alt-pop outfit Betchadupa already possessed considerable knowledge of the music industry. Singer and guitarist Liam Finn and drummer Matt Eccles experienced both advantages and drawbacks as offspring of prominent performers, with Liam’s father being Neil Finn from Split Enz and Crowded House and Matt’s father, Brent Eccles, having served as drummer and manager for Australian hard-rock act the Angels. The pair’s professional paths began with an unexpected encounter in the summer of 1997, when the twelve-year-old Eccles and Finn met while their families vacationed together; they initially took a dislike to one another yet soon realized a shared passion for music and devoted the remainder of the holiday to composing and capturing songs. Liam’s neighbor Chris Garland was later brought in on guitar, and schoolmate Joe Bramley joined on bass, rounding out the group. Their debut performance occurred at age sixteen, initially under the name Lazy Boy before a recliner-manufacturer’s objections prompted a switch to Betchadupa, a word drawn from the first line of an eye chart that Liam Finn once read.
In early 2000 the band issued its self-titled debut EP on Flying Nun, a collection of tracks assembled by Liam and Eccles since their initial meeting, after which demand surged and touring commenced at once. During 2001 Joe followed the others in leaving school; the group then delivered its second EP, 3DEP—New Zealand copies of which included a pair of 3-D glasses—and appeared alongside several widely admired artists. That April, Neil Finn marked the release of his latest solo album with five sold-out nights at Auckland’s St. James Theatre, joined by guests that included Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder, Radiohead’s Ed O’Brien and Phil Selway, the Smiths’ Johnny Marr, Neil’s brother Tim Finn, and Betchadupa, who joined Vedder and Tim Finn for a rendition of Split Enz’s “I See Red.” Eccles simultaneously handled crew duties across the run while continuing to drum. Australian dates tied to 3DEP followed. In June 2001 the band paused live activity to begin work on its first full-length album, Alphabetchadupa. Having outgrown their teenage years and settled on a shared musical direction, they produced songs that echo the celebrated pop sensibility of the Finn family while retaining the drive, sharp edge, and youthful irreverence of their own generation.
In early 2000 the band issued its self-titled debut EP on Flying Nun, a collection of tracks assembled by Liam and Eccles since their initial meeting, after which demand surged and touring commenced at once. During 2001 Joe followed the others in leaving school; the group then delivered its second EP, 3DEP—New Zealand copies of which included a pair of 3-D glasses—and appeared alongside several widely admired artists. That April, Neil Finn marked the release of his latest solo album with five sold-out nights at Auckland’s St. James Theatre, joined by guests that included Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder, Radiohead’s Ed O’Brien and Phil Selway, the Smiths’ Johnny Marr, Neil’s brother Tim Finn, and Betchadupa, who joined Vedder and Tim Finn for a rendition of Split Enz’s “I See Red.” Eccles simultaneously handled crew duties across the run while continuing to drum. Australian dates tied to 3DEP followed. In June 2001 the band paused live activity to begin work on its first full-length album, Alphabetchadupa. Having outgrown their teenage years and settled on a shared musical direction, they produced songs that echo the celebrated pop sensibility of the Finn family while retaining the drive, sharp edge, and youthful irreverence of their own generation.