Dallas Crane emerged as an Australian rock outfit whose sound evokes an enduring image of faded denim, worn footwear, and ringing guitars. The quartet first assembled in Melbourne, Victoria, in 1996 under the moniker Tempered Kin, with Dave Larkin handling vocals and guitar, Shan Vanderwert on drums, Pete Satchell on guitar, and Chris Brodie on bass. Their initial practice sessions occurred after closing time inside the depot yard of a local trucking firm, where the lease was settled through cases of beer. They later adopted the name Dallas Crane after the same transport company. Following a two-year stretch of regular live dates, the group self-funded and tracked their first album, Lent. Touring alongside You Am I on the strength of that release led to a lasting connection with the headliner’s vocalist, Tim Rogers, who persuaded the band to contribute a version of the Missing Links’ “Wild About You” to the Dirty Deeds film soundtrack.
Wider notice arrived only with the 2000 follow-up, Twenty Four Seven, which earned Album of the Week honors from Beat Magazine and Rock Record of the Summer from In-Press. Chris Brodie exited around the time the group joined Albert Productions, with Pat Bourke stepping in on bass. Under that label they issued a self-titled set in 2004 that earned three ARIA award nominations; the same year they received an Australian Live Music Award as Best Live Band. Complications arising from the sale of distributor Festival Mushroom to Warner, followed by reassignment to Sony BMG within twelve months, pushed back the next record, Factory Girls, until 2006. The postponement allowed six additional tracks to be captured, all of which appeared on the final release. The album garnered favorable reviews and marked the band’s initial appearance on the charts.
