Van She

Formed during 2005 in Bankstown, a suburb of Sydney, the Australian dance-rock outfit Van She came together when Michael Di Francesco on synths, Tomek Archer on drums, Nick Routledge handling vocals and guitar, and Matt Van Schie on bass each answered a Drum Media advertisement in Sydney that called for a vocalist to front a doom metal project drawing from Sepultura, Entombed, Black Skull, and Phil Collins. The notice turned out to be fabricated, yet the four quickly bonded and rearranged Van Schie’s surname to christen the new group. After only a single performance they secured a contract with Modular Recordings, which led to 2006 concerts alongside the Presets, Wolf & Cub, Annie, and Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Buoyed by the reception of their debut single “Kelly” together with the self-titled EP, Van She received In the Mix magazine’s Live Act of the Year honor and a Best Debut Artist nod at Australia’s Dance Music Awards. Their first full-length album, V, appeared in 2008. In the following years the band concentrated on remixes for Ladyhawke and Empire of the Sun while also issuing their take on Blue Öyster Cult’s “Don’t Fear the Reaper” in 2009. Early 2012 brought the return single “Idea of Happiness,” which preceded the album of the same title issued that summer.