Ratcat
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Ratcat were an Australian indie rock band of the late 1980s and early 1990s fronted by vocalist Simon Day. Their combination of indie pop songwriting and energetic punk-style guitar won them fans from both the indie and skate-punk communities.
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[edit] Waterfront
Ratcat formed in 1986 in Sydney, and were a mainstay of that city's live music scene until they were eventually signed to Waterfront Records, where they released a self-titled EP, several singles ("I Think I Love You", "Baby's Got A Gun"), and their debut album, This Nightmare in 1989. Another EP, Killing Joke, and another single, "Saying Goodbye" followed.
[edit] Success
In 1990, the band signed to the rooArt label. Their first release for their new label was a 6-track EP called Tingles. A combination of budget pricing and catchy A-side "That Aint Bad" saw the Tingles EP reach #1 on ARIA's alternative charts, and shortly afterwards, the top of the Australian national chart. The band's subsequent album, Blind Love, and the singles "Don't Go Now" both reached #1. Their next single "Baby Baby", and a follow-up album Insideout sold well, but not to the extent of their previous successes. The band sporadically played live shows over the next few years, and released another album Easyrider in 1997.
Ratcat reformed in 1998 to play at the Homebake Festival with new bassist Nic Dalton (Plunderers, Sneeze amongst others), and again in 2006 to play a support slot on the Psychedelic Furs Australian tour. They did a further gig at The Jack Daniels music awards and played in early June 2006 at a long weekend festival at Luna Park.
Much of the artwork for the band was done by the singer himself.
[edit] Line-up
- Simon Day - vocals, guitar, bass, main songwriter (1986-present)
- Trevor Wintle - drums (1986-1987)
- Andrew Polin - drums (1987-present)
- Victor Levi - bass (1986-1988)
- Cathy Webb - bass (1988)
- John McAteer - bass (1988-1989)
- Amr Zaid - bass (1989-1992)
- Marc Scully - bass (1992-1996)
- Nic Dalton - bass (1998-present)
[edit] References
- Where are they now? - Ratcat, bmusic news, 21 December 2002
- Fansite? - Ratcat, Fan, 1 January 2004