Biography
FourPlay String Quartet deliberately appended the phrase to their name so as not to be confused with the American jazz ensemble Fourplay, yet the Australian group operates as a genuine rock band in every practical respect. Their violinist and violist perform upright rather than seated, which liberates them from the rigid posture traditionally associated with classical ensembles and lets them leap and sway across the stage; only the cellist remains seated, occasionally treating the instrument like an upright bass. Without guitars, bass, or a drum kit, the quartet still structures its shows around the rock template and regularly includes well-known rock songs in its sets.
All four founding members met in 1995 as students at the University of New South Wales, where they shared a taste for alternative rock while playing classical instruments. Once they learned they could attach pickups and distortion pedals to their strings, they began rehearsing outside class and performed versions of whatever Jeff Buckley, Metallica, or current radio tracks their friends requested. On impulse they entered the university’s band competition with a program of these covers and, to their astonishment, won; the victory immediately led to an offer to open for Max Sharam. At that stage the lineup consisted of Tim Hollo on viola and vocals, Peter Hollo on cello and vocals, Chris Emerson on viola, and Philippa Allan on violin. The presence of two violas rather than the usual pair of violins gave their sound extra weight and simplified the transfer of rock rhythms to bowed instruments. Allan soon departed to concentrate on classical violin and was succeeded by Lara Goodridge, whose violin work, singing, and original songs helped steer the group beyond a strictly cover-oriented repertoire.
The sheer novelty of their approach quickly secured radio and television exposure. Their independently released debut album, Catgut Ya’ Tongue, sold out within three weeks of its 1998 appearance, prompting a European tour. At the end of that tour, viola player Emerson exited to pursue classical work and was replaced by Veren Grigorov, whose enthusiasm for composing original Gypsy-flavored pieces further expanded the quartet’s developing identity. In 2000 they issued their second album, The Joy of FourPlay, containing five original tracks alongside covers of material by the Clouds and Pop Will Eat Itself. Cellist Peter Hollo, who also worked as the DJ known as Raven, then assembled the remix collection Digital Manipulation, which featured reworkings by Australian electronic artists B(if)tek, Machine Translations, Traksewt, and Pimmon.
Grigorov departed in 2004 and was replaced by Shenton Gregorio, a member of Shenzo’s Electric Stunt Orchestra, whose performances involve hanging from wires and flying inverted above audiences. Until then, original material had been written individually and later presented to the group; Gregorio encouraged collective jamming in the manner of a conventional rock band. The results appeared on the 2006 album Now to the Future, produced by Magoo and featuring more than half original compositions alongside covers of songs by Radiohead and the Strokes.
All four founding members met in 1995 as students at the University of New South Wales, where they shared a taste for alternative rock while playing classical instruments. Once they learned they could attach pickups and distortion pedals to their strings, they began rehearsing outside class and performed versions of whatever Jeff Buckley, Metallica, or current radio tracks their friends requested. On impulse they entered the university’s band competition with a program of these covers and, to their astonishment, won; the victory immediately led to an offer to open for Max Sharam. At that stage the lineup consisted of Tim Hollo on viola and vocals, Peter Hollo on cello and vocals, Chris Emerson on viola, and Philippa Allan on violin. The presence of two violas rather than the usual pair of violins gave their sound extra weight and simplified the transfer of rock rhythms to bowed instruments. Allan soon departed to concentrate on classical violin and was succeeded by Lara Goodridge, whose violin work, singing, and original songs helped steer the group beyond a strictly cover-oriented repertoire.
The sheer novelty of their approach quickly secured radio and television exposure. Their independently released debut album, Catgut Ya’ Tongue, sold out within three weeks of its 1998 appearance, prompting a European tour. At the end of that tour, viola player Emerson exited to pursue classical work and was replaced by Veren Grigorov, whose enthusiasm for composing original Gypsy-flavored pieces further expanded the quartet’s developing identity. In 2000 they issued their second album, The Joy of FourPlay, containing five original tracks alongside covers of material by the Clouds and Pop Will Eat Itself. Cellist Peter Hollo, who also worked as the DJ known as Raven, then assembled the remix collection Digital Manipulation, which featured reworkings by Australian electronic artists B(if)tek, Machine Translations, Traksewt, and Pimmon.
Grigorov departed in 2004 and was replaced by Shenton Gregorio, a member of Shenzo’s Electric Stunt Orchestra, whose performances involve hanging from wires and flying inverted above audiences. Until then, original material had been written individually and later presented to the group; Gregorio encouraged collective jamming in the manner of a conventional rock band. The results appeared on the 2006 album Now to the Future, produced by Magoo and featuring more than half original compositions alongside covers of songs by Radiohead and the Strokes.
Albums
Singles
