Not from There
Also known asThe Rubber Dolls
OriginLondon, England
Genres
Years active1991 (1991)–2001 (2001)
Labels
Past members

Not from There were an Australian indie rock trio, which formed in 1991 in London, England by Anthony Hills on bass guitar, Simon Lambert on drums and Heinz Riegler on lead guitar and vocals. They relocated to Brisbane in 1992. Their 1998 single, "Sich Öffnen", was listed on radio station Triple J's Hottest 100. Their debut album, Sand on Seven (September 1998), won the Best Alternative Release category at the ARIA Music Awards in 1999.[1] Not from There's sound was characterised by grinding bass lines, fuzzed-out guitar riffs and occasional usage of dubs or samples.

History

1991–1997: Early history

Not from There was founded in 1991 by Austrian-born guitarist and vocalist, Heinz Riegler, who had met two Australian expat musicians in London, drummer Simon Lambert and bass guitarist Anthony Hills and together they formed a trio.[2][3][4] Initially working as the Rubber Dolls, they recorded material in London.[2] According to Riegler their first gig was in February 1991, "at the Mean Fiddler in London, it was a Tuesday night. Nobody was there. I took acid and forgot how to play. It went down a treat. Possibly the best show we have ever done."[5]

The name, Not from There, relates to all three members as immigrants who have been deported to their home countries at one time or another.[3][6] They have issued four extended plays; two early ones were a six-track CD, Conned, released in 1991 on Trinity in the United Kingdom, and an eight-track cassette, Wooden Polished Floors released in 1992 on the same label.[7] At this time both Australians, Hills and Lambert, were deported from UK, with Riegler following, to Brisbane.[3][6]

A seven-track CD was released in September 1994, Valid to 06/95, on Malignant Records, an independent record label.[7] In 1995 Riegler was deported from Australia to Austria but returned in the following year.[3][6] Not from There, a self-titled five-track EP, followed in October 1997 on Infectious Records.[7] It had been recorded at Brisbane's Sunshine Studios in July, with Magoo (Regurgitator, Automatic, Custard) producing for Mushroom Records.[8]

1998–1999: Sand on Seven

A three-track single, "What Is Better?", was released by Not from There in May 1998 via Infectious/Mushroom, which Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, felt showed, "jarring rock, with slabs of guitar and industrial strength samples" and "was certainly the dark and dangerous flipside to the radio-friendly sounds."[2] It was followed by a second single, "Sich Öffnen" (English: "Open Yourself"), in August, which is mostly sung in Riegler's native Austrian German.[2][6] The track was broadcast on indie-based radio stations and received heavy rotation on national radio broadcaster, Triple J. It was listed on the Triple J Hottest 100, 1998.[2][9] Their Infectious Records releases were later distributed by Sony.[7]

Their debut album, Sand on Seven, was released in September and was produced by Magoo, again.[7][2] It received critical success and moderate commercial success.[10] AllMusic's Tom Schulte rated it as three-out-of-five stars and explained, "[they] landed upon a relentlessly stable form of noisy indie pop that instrumentally is all about rhythm. Any melody is understated, even vocally. Maybe it is just overcompensation on their part."[11] Alex Steininger of In Music We Trust rated it as an A, he observed, "[their] sound is best described as out-of-this-world rock music that is original and noisy, which is what you should be looking for in your so-called 'rock' music today."[12]

Sand on Seven won the ARIA Award for Best Adult Alternative Album in 1999.[1][10] The group were also nominated for Breakthrough Artist – Album, Breakthrough Artist – Single and Magoo was nominated for Producer of the Year for his work on the album.[1][10] A follow-up single, "Juanita's Cocktail Party", was released in January 1999, and despite having a music video, it failed to achieve the chart success of its predecessor.

2000–2001: Latvian Lovers

Not from There provided a cover version of Supernaut's "I Like It Both Ways" for the soundtrack of Australian feature film, Sample People (May 2000).[2][13] McFarlane opined that it is, " a brooding cover" of the original's 1976 "glam rock apotheosis."[2] They released their second album, Latvian Lovers, on 12 September 2000, which was produced by Magoo for Festival Mushroom Records. It provided a more disco or funk-oriented feel than their earlier material and managed to sound more accessible, however it failed to gain the critical success of the previous album. It evolved on the electronic side of the first album throughout. Adam Gould of Woroni opined, "[it is] a big departure from earlier Not from There material. Gone are the layers of distortion and feedback, in their place are sequencers and synthesiser. Despite the change in approach and instrument the band have generally kept the same feel to their music."[14]

Mediasearch's Peter Peterson felt, "[it] has a melancholy, almost desperate feel. Built on mostly slow-middle tempo beats, it has definite European influences."[15] Australian music journalist, Ed Nimmervoll, declared it his Album of the Week in February 2001 and explained, "a diverse collection of music which evokes the pop groove of Regurgitator or Max Q, the irreverence of TISM, the rock/dance balance of a New Order, and the technology generated focus of an Aphex Twin."[16]

Its first single, "Frisco Disco", was released in January 2001 but had limited commercial success although it was used on the soundtrack of Australian TV drama, The Secret Life of Us.[17] Oz Music Project's Nick Coppack described the track, "The fast paced electro insanity of current single 'Frisco Disco' is frighteningly reminiscent of The Bee Gees, especially with Riegler's playful high-pitched vocals."[18]

Not from There broke up in 2001.[6] Riegler, in June 2017, told Dan Condon of Double J, "Much of the friendships and camaraderie had corroded over the last few years of that band."[19]

2002–present: Post-split

Heinz Riegler continued to work on a variety of projects, he collaborated with Lawrence English and Tam Patton in the experimental, ambient, noise outfit I/O3 which issued two recordings on English's Room 40[20] label. Simon Lambert joined Japanese group, Zoobombs;[6][21] he toured and recorded with the group from 2003 to 2004.

In July 2008, Riegler was short-listed for the Grant McLennan Memorial Fellowship,[22] a Queensland Government Initiative created in honour of the late The Go-Betweens founder.[23]

Discography

Albums

List of albums
Title Details
Sand on Seven
Latvian Lovers


Extended plays

List of EPs
Title Details
Conned
  • Released: 1991
  • Label: Trinity (Trinity LP1)
  • Formats: 12"
Polished Wooden Floors
  • Released: 1992
  • Label: Trinity
  • Formats: 12"
Valid to 06/95
  • Released: September 1994
  • Label: Malignant (TUMOR 011)
  • Formats: CD
Not from There
  • Released: October 1997
  • Label: Infectious/Mushroom (DINF012)
  • Formats: CD

Charting singles

List of singles, with selected chart positions and certifications
Title Year Peak positions Album
AUS
[24]
"Frisco Disco" 2000 89 Latvian Lovers

Awards and nominations

ARIA Music Awards

The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music. They commenced in 1987.

Year Nominee / work Award Result Ref.
1999 "Sich Offnen" ARIA Award for Breakthrough Artist - Single Nominated [25]
Sand on Seven ARIA Award for Breakthrough Artist - Album Nominated
ARIA Award for Best Adult Alternative Album Won
Magoo for Sand on Seven ARIA Award for Producer of the Year Nominated

References

  1. 1 2 3 "ARIA Awards 2009 : History: Winners by Artist: Not From There". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved 2 December 2009.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 McFarlane, Ian (1999). "Encyclopedia entry for 'Not from There'". Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop. St Leonards, NSW: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86508-072-1. Archived from the original on 28 August 2004.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Acceturo, Jeanne (12 June 2001). "Not from There". Epitonic. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 2 December 2009.
  4. ↑ Coppack, Nick. "An Interview with Not from There". Oz Music Project. Archived from the original on 26 July 2008. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  5. ↑ Attlee, Matt. "Interview Not from There". Aus Music Scrapbook. Archived from the original on 24 July 2001. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Macgregor, Jody. "Not from There Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Spencer, Chris; McHenry, Paul; Nowara, Zbig (2007) [1989]. "Not from There". The Who's Who of Australian Rock. Moonlight Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86503-891-9.
  8. ↑ Not from There (1997), Not from There, Mushroom Records, retrieved 2 April 2018
  9. ↑ "1998 History Triple J Hottest 100". Triple J. Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). 26 December 2008. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  10. 1 2 3 Shea, Caitlin (13 October 1999). "ARIA Winners Warn of Dying Industry". PM. Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).
  11. ↑ Schulte, Tom. "Sand on Seven – Not from There". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  12. ↑ Steininger, Alex (August 1999). "Not from There: Sand on Seven". In Music We Trust. No. 22. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  13. ↑ I Like It Both Ways at MusicBrainz
  14. ↑ Gould, Adam (1 April 2001). "Not from There, Latvian Lovers". Woroni. Vol. 53, no. 3. p. 22. Retrieved 2 April 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
  15. ↑ Peterson, Peter. "Latvian Lovers". Mediasearch. Archived from the original on 6 September 2012. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  16. ↑ Nimmervoll, Ed. "Album of the Week – 24/2/2001 Not from There – Latvian Lovers". Howlspace. White Room Electronic Publishing Pty Ltd. Archived from the original on 28 September 2001. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  17. ↑ Cashmere, Tim. "Soundtrack: The Secret Life of Us". Undercover News. Paul Cashmere, Ros O'Gorman. Archived from the original on 28 March 2003. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  18. ↑ Coppack, Nick. "Not from There Latvian Lovers". Oz Music Project. Archived from the original on 6 August 2005. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  19. ↑ Condon, Dan (6 June 2017). "Not From There released a classic, won an ARIA and split up: what happened next?". Double J. Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).
  20. ↑ "Room40". Room40.org. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  21. ↑ "The Zoobombs (ズボンズ)". Thezoobombs.com. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  22. ↑ "Halfway duo win Grant McLennan Memorial Fellowship". 24 July 2008. Archived from the original on 7 December 2008.
  23. ↑ "Arts Queensland - Grant McLennan Memorial Fellowship". Archived from the original on 3 July 2009. Retrieved 9 July 2009.
  24. ↑ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 205.
  25. ↑ "1999 ARIA Awards Winners".
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