Gerling

Gerling, an Australian outfit, alternated throughout their existence between garage rock and electronic pop. Early performances on stage and television, featuring the young members in backpacks and school uniforms, established their image as mischievous pop tricksters. The group originated in Sydney during 1992 with Darren Cross and Brad Herdson handling guitar and vocals alongside drummer Paul "Presser" Towner. Their initial work centered on guitar-driven pop, yielding the single "Sedatives for Dead Radars" and the 1996 mini-album A Day of Research on Fellaheen Records. Herdson departed in 1997 to launch Sonic Emotion Explosion, prompting Australia's self-described "pop hobbit," Ben Lee, to fill in temporarily for Gerling's Big Day Out set. Canadian Burke Reid soon joined permanently. The band then signed with Reliant Records, Festival's independent imprint, and issued their debut full-length album, Children of Telepathic Experiences, in 1998. This release represented their initial move into electronic territory, and the single "Enter Space Capsule" received airplay in Britain, where expatriate pop star Kylie Minogue encountered it. She liked the track sufficiently to contribute vocals to a number the band cut during their U.K. tour.

That track, "G-House Project," appeared on the follow-up album When Young Terrorists Chase the Sun. Released in 2001, the record faced postponement after the September 11 attacks rendered its title sensitive. Certain Australian retailers stocked it with blank covers to conceal the title on shelves, while international editions appeared under the alternate name Head2Cleaner. Additional contributors included Solex and experimental rapper Kool Keith. Their third album, Bad Blood!!!, arrived in 2003 after sessions at the band's own GERLOG studios. The material shifted toward a rock emphasis, prompting critics to liken several songs to the Strokes. Their fourth studio effort, issued in 2006 and titled Gerling 4 in deliberate nod to Led Zeppelin's album-naming practice, sustained the guitar-focused direction with a garage-rock orientation. Following the tour supporting Gerling 4, the members declared an indefinite hiatus. Darren Cross separately revealed plans for his solo endeavor as the E.L.F., a DJ and experimental hip-hop project.