Biography
Billboard magazine singled out Brisbane among the planet’s five leading music destinations in 2007, a distinction partly traceable to tireless local acts such as Iron On. The band’s indie power pop, built on buoyant handclaps and intricately layered vocal harmonies, quickly turned them into fixtures of the city’s live rock circuit.
Kate Cooper and Ross Hope first crossed paths during their final undergraduate year in 2002 and now split lead vocal and guitar responsibilities. They recruited bassist Ian Rogers, then employed as a property evaluator, and drummer Nicola Phoenix after discovering shared affinities for 1990s recordings. Taking their name from a Superchunk track, the quartet launched an intensive schedule of performances.
Following several self-released EPs on their Ruth Street imprint, Iron On entered Black Box Studios—a deconsecrated church—to lay down their debut album, Oh the Romance, issued by Plus One Records in 2005. Magoo, whose prior credits include work with Midnight Oil and Regurgitator and who would later collaborate with Cooper’s subsequent project An Horse, handled production. Once the album appeared, Nicola Phoenix stepped aside and Marieca Page assumed the drum chair.
Nominated for Best International Band at the Canadian Indie Awards, the group embarked on a Canadian tour in 2006 even though they had never performed in the country or issued any recordings there beforehand. While shaping material for their follow-up LP, they completed the new-song EP The Verse, which surfaced in 2007.
Kate Cooper and Ross Hope first crossed paths during their final undergraduate year in 2002 and now split lead vocal and guitar responsibilities. They recruited bassist Ian Rogers, then employed as a property evaluator, and drummer Nicola Phoenix after discovering shared affinities for 1990s recordings. Taking their name from a Superchunk track, the quartet launched an intensive schedule of performances.
Following several self-released EPs on their Ruth Street imprint, Iron On entered Black Box Studios—a deconsecrated church—to lay down their debut album, Oh the Romance, issued by Plus One Records in 2005. Magoo, whose prior credits include work with Midnight Oil and Regurgitator and who would later collaborate with Cooper’s subsequent project An Horse, handled production. Once the album appeared, Nicola Phoenix stepped aside and Marieca Page assumed the drum chair.
Nominated for Best International Band at the Canadian Indie Awards, the group embarked on a Canadian tour in 2006 even though they had never performed in the country or issued any recordings there beforehand. While shaping material for their follow-up LP, they completed the new-song EP The Verse, which surfaced in 2007.
Albums