Not Drowning, Waving

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Not Drowning, Waving were a musical group formed in Melbourne, Australia in 1983 (though they first performed as a group in 1984) by David Bridie and John Phillips. Their music combined elements of rock, ambient music and world music; their lyrics dealt with characteristically Australian topics: word-pictures of landscapes and people, the seasons, and some political issues (such as Indonesia's invasion of East Timor). Their name is derived from Stevie Smith's poem "Not Waving but Drowning".

The band typically consisted of David Bridie (vocals and keyboards), John Phillips (guitars), Helen Mountfort (cello and vocals), Rowan McKinnon (bass and guitars), James Southall (percussion) and Russel Bradley (drums and percussion). Other members included Penny Hewson and Andrew Carswell. Sound engineer Tim Cole is also sometimes considered a member of the group.

In the 1980s, Not Drowning, Waving visited Papua New Guinea playing several concerts and meeting George Telek with whom they would record the Tabaran album.

Not Drowning, Waving were the support band for Peter Gabriel on his first and only tour of Australia in 1994.

The group disbanded in 1994 but Bridie and Mountfort continued to perform with their successful offshoot venture My Friend The Chocolate Cake which they had formed in 1989.

November 4 2001 saw a short reunion of Not Drowning, Waving at the Corner Hotel in the Melbourne suburb of Richmond for the launch for the book 'Blunt: A Biased History of Australian Rock'.

On February 28 2003, they reunited again for The Morning Star Concert For West Papua at the Melbourne Concert Hall.

The reunion was rekindled in earnest for several months starting in March 2005 when the band, together with George Telek, performed twice at the 2005 WOMADelaide festival. Several other performances followed - at the 10th Fest'Napuan in Port Vila, Vanuatu; the Corner Hotel in Richmond, Australia; and the Northcote Social Club, Northcote, Australia.

The band's final show with the full lineup (as listed above) took place at Festival Melbourne2006 in the Alexandra Gardens, a free concert for Melbourne's Commonwealth Games celebrations on March 25 2006.

[edit] Discography

Moving Around (EP) (1984)
Another Pond (1984; re-released in 1986, 1991 and 2007)
Hunting for Nuggets (EP) (1984)
Mr. Pooh (Do Be a Don't Be) (EP) (1985)
The Little Desert (1985; re-released in 1991 and 2007)
The Sing Sing (EP) (1986)
Cold and the Crackle (1987; re-released in 1991 and 2006)
I Did (EP) (1987 With Robby Douglas Turner)
Claim (1989)
Willow Tree (Single) (1990)
Fishing Trawler (Single) (1990)
Tabaran (1990; re-released in 2005)
Kiap Song (Single) (1991)
Pila Pila (Promo Single) (1991)
Proof (1991 soundtrack to Proof)
Follow the Geography (1993 compilation; though both with the same name, the tracks on the US release differ from those on the Australian release)
Circus (1993)
Spark (EP) (1993)
Penmon (EP) (1993)
Hammers (1994 soundtrack to Hammers Over The Anvil)
Through the One Last Door (2005 reunion/compilation album)
Maps For Sonic Adventurers (2006 remix/compilation album)
Live (At The Butchers' Picnic) (2007 30-track compilation of previously unreleased live recordings 1986-2005 - limited to 50 copies)