Formed in 1993, the irreverent Australian punk outfit Frenzal Rhomb featured vocalist Jason Whalley alongside guitarist Lindsay McDougal, who stepped in for founding six-stringer Benjamin Costello, bassist Lex Feltham, and drummer Gordy Foreman, himself the third behind earlier sticksmen Karl and Nat. Early support slots alongside visiting American acts Offspring, Bad Religion, and blink-182 paved the way for the quartet’s debut full-length, Coughing Up a Storm, which surfaced in 1995 and reached U.S. stores two years later under the retitled handle Once a Jolly Swagman Always a Jolly Swagman via the Liberation imprint.
NOFX’s Fat Mike helped generate early buzz that propelled the follow-up, Not So Tough Now, turning Frenzal Rhomb into one of Australia’s premier independent acts. After topping the Australian portion of the 1998 Vans Warped Tour and earning an invitation to its American dates, the band delivered its third album, Meet the Family. A Man’s Not a Camel arrived in 1999, followed by Shut Your Mouth in 2001. The 2003 release Sans Souci appeared on Fat Wreck Chords and introduced new bassist Tom Crease.
Extensive international routing afterward took the group to Taiwan, South Africa, Israel, the U.K., and Japan. Their 2006 album Forever Malcolm Young entered the Australian charts at number three. For the 2011 effort Smoko at the Pet Food Factory, the band journeyed to the United States to work with producer Bill Stevenson, also the drummer for Descendents. Health setbacks later struck Jason Whalley when a tapeworm egg reached his brain and Gordy Foreman when a stage dive resulted in a broken arm, yet the group rebounded with the 2017 album Hi-Vis High Tea.
