Not From There

The band Not from There originated while its members were living in London, even though the group's name signaled that none held English citizenship. Austrian guitarist Heinz Riegler had already launched the Rubber Dolls alongside Australian bassist Anthony Hills in 1986, yet that project yielded little by the time Hills faced visa expiration. The pair then connected with Australian drummer Simon Lambert, who was traveling through Europe, and together they established Not from There in 1991. Shortly afterward both Hills and Lambert lost their right to remain and were sent back to Australia, prompting Riegler to follow them so the band could continue. After issuing several EPs, completing a European tour, and testing a relocation to Bratislava, Riegler himself was deported to Austria in 1995. He returned to Australia the following year on a permanent legal basis. With immigration concerns finally resolved, the trio recorded its debut album, Sand on Seven, which appeared in 1998. The record earned widespread Australian radio play despite the fact that Riegler delivered the lead single “Sich Offnen” entirely in German. The band received multiple ARIA nominations and took the prize for Best Alternative Release. Their acceptance speech and a subsequent press conference drew criticism when the members pointed out that the sudden attention would not alter their need to collect unemployment benefits the next day. In 2001 they issued a second album, Latvian Lovers. Although the group had long incorporated a sampler both on record and onstage, the new release blended electro and industrial styles with a disco inflection. It met with less enthusiasm than its predecessor, and the band dissolved soon afterward. Lambert later moved to Japan and joined Zoobombs, while Riegler made brief appearances with Nightstick and I/O3 before pursuing solo work.