The Preatures

In 2010 the Preatures came together in Sydney as an Australian rock band. High-school friends guitarist Jack Moffitt and bassist Tom Champion first connected with singer Isabella Manfredi while the three studied at the Australian Institute of Music. The trio launched a cover band that built experience performing Rolling Stones material and other rock staples around local venues before singer/guitarist Gideon Bensen and drummer Luke Davison joined to complete the Preatures lineup. Drawing on gothic soul fused with classic rock, the group’s style has been compared with iconic acts such as Fleetwood Mac and the Pretenders as well as garage-revival band the Strokes and retro-focused sister duo HAIM. After sharpening their live show for a couple of years, the Preatures signed with Mercury Records and issued their debut EP, Shaking Hands, in 2012. The next year brought a second EP titled Is This How You Feel? Its title track earned the $50,000 Vanda & Young prize, placed inside Triple J’s Top Ten, and received an ARIA Award nomination. Bolstered by that single’s traction and a packed international touring calendar, the band landed sets at festivals including Bonnaroo, Coachella, and Glastonbury. The Preatures traveled to the United States to record their first album in Austin, Texas, with Spoon drummer and producer Jim Eno. Blue Planet Eyes appeared in fall 2014 and reached the Top Five of the ARIA albums chart. Bensen left the group on amicable terms in 2016, after which the Preatures continued as a quartet. They resurfaced the following year with the singles “I Know a Girl” and “Girlhood.”