Biography
Originating in Sydney toward the close of 1984, the Cannanes first assembled as Australian indie pop stalwarts featuring vocalists and guitarists Stephen O'Neil and Annabel Bleach alongside bassist Michelle Cannane and drummer David Nichols. Michelle Cannane exited the loosely organized outfit early in 1985, inaugurating an unbroken chain of personnel shifts that came to stand alongside the group's steadfast independent ethos and raw pop minimalism as defining traits. With Frances Gibson assuming bass duties, the Cannanes shifted to more consistent songwriting and practice sessions, issuing their debut single "Life"/"It's Hardly Worth It" in a run limited to twelve cassettes, followed later that year by the cassette The Cannanes Came Across with the Goods. The ensemble entered a studio for its inaugural official session in April 1986, yielding the EP Bored Angry & Jealous, which NME hailed as "Single of the Year!"
During Nichols' extended studies in the U.K., Foxy stepped in on drums; upon Nichols' return the Cannanes scheduled time to track their first full-length album, 1987's The African Man's Tomato, yet Bleach elected to skip the date owing to pleasant weather, prompting O'Neil's acquaintance Randall Lee to take lead vocals. The simultaneous appearance of the singles "Cardboard" and "Weather" accompanied the band's initial shows beyond Sydney, after which the lineup briefly dissolved before reconvening without Lee—who subsequently formed Nice—to produce 1989's A Love Affair with Nature. Discouraged by persistent domestic indifference despite devoted audiences in the U.S. and Europe, the Cannanes resolved to abandon live work and concentrate on recordings; plans for a third album foundered when the tapes vanished, compelling the group to begin Caveat Emptor anew with French horn player Nick Kidd.
Finished in early 1991 and slated to mark the Cannanes' debut U.S. tour, Caveat Emptor remained unreleased until mid-1993; bassist Gavin Roy Butler had joined by then and appeared on the widely praised 1994 album Short Poppy Syndrome. Nichols departed shortly afterward to record as Blairmailer with his brother Michael, triggering a nine-month pause during which Butler also exited. O'Neil and Gibson operated briefly as a duo before enlisting bassist Francesca and drummer Ivor Moulds for a self-titled 1996 release. Arty Barbecue, a project long in development that actually predated Short Poppy Syndrome, surfaced later that year; after a short American tour Francesca withdrew to start a family, and Andrew Coffey on bass plus violinist Sally Cameron joined soon thereafter.
Entering the new century, the band delivered Communicating at an Unknown Rate in autumn 2000. Occasional performances continued through the ensuing decade with limited new material, while concerts and tours across Australia, Japan, Mexico, and the U.S. occupied much of the interval until renewed studio activity in 2013 produced both the Small Batch EP in March and the full-length Howling at All Hours in July. Subsequent years brought further touring with bassist Nick Ketley aboard, ongoing work on fresh songs, and preparation of a deluxe reissue of A Love Affair with Nature issued by Chapter Music in late 2016.
During Nichols' extended studies in the U.K., Foxy stepped in on drums; upon Nichols' return the Cannanes scheduled time to track their first full-length album, 1987's The African Man's Tomato, yet Bleach elected to skip the date owing to pleasant weather, prompting O'Neil's acquaintance Randall Lee to take lead vocals. The simultaneous appearance of the singles "Cardboard" and "Weather" accompanied the band's initial shows beyond Sydney, after which the lineup briefly dissolved before reconvening without Lee—who subsequently formed Nice—to produce 1989's A Love Affair with Nature. Discouraged by persistent domestic indifference despite devoted audiences in the U.S. and Europe, the Cannanes resolved to abandon live work and concentrate on recordings; plans for a third album foundered when the tapes vanished, compelling the group to begin Caveat Emptor anew with French horn player Nick Kidd.
Finished in early 1991 and slated to mark the Cannanes' debut U.S. tour, Caveat Emptor remained unreleased until mid-1993; bassist Gavin Roy Butler had joined by then and appeared on the widely praised 1994 album Short Poppy Syndrome. Nichols departed shortly afterward to record as Blairmailer with his brother Michael, triggering a nine-month pause during which Butler also exited. O'Neil and Gibson operated briefly as a duo before enlisting bassist Francesca and drummer Ivor Moulds for a self-titled 1996 release. Arty Barbecue, a project long in development that actually predated Short Poppy Syndrome, surfaced later that year; after a short American tour Francesca withdrew to start a family, and Andrew Coffey on bass plus violinist Sally Cameron joined soon thereafter.
Entering the new century, the band delivered Communicating at an Unknown Rate in autumn 2000. Occasional performances continued through the ensuing decade with limited new material, while concerts and tours across Australia, Japan, Mexico, and the U.S. occupied much of the interval until renewed studio activity in 2013 produced both the Small Batch EP in March and the full-length Howling at All Hours in July. Subsequent years brought further touring with bassist Nick Ketley aboard, ongoing work on fresh songs, and preparation of a deluxe reissue of A Love Affair with Nature issued by Chapter Music in late 2016.
Albums
Singles
