| Rogue Traders | |
|---|---|
Rogue Traders performing live on the Fifa Fan Fest in Sydney 2010. |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Australia |
| Genres | Electro rock, pop rock, New Wave, dance-pop, electropop |
| Years active | 2002–present |
| Labels | Vicious Grooves, Formerly Sony BMG (U.K and AUS) / Universal Records (U.S) |
| Website | www.roguetraders.net |
| Members | |
| James Ash (2002 – present) Mindi Jackson (2009 – present) Tim Henwood (2006 – 2007, 2009 – present) Peter Marin (2009 – present) |
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| Past members | |
| Steve Davis (2002 – 2006) We Know What You're Up To & Here Come the Drums Natalie Bassingthwaighte (2005 – 2008) Here Come the Drums & Better in the Dark Cameron McGlinchey (2005 – 2008) Here Come the Drums & Better in the Dark Danny Spencer (2007 – 2008) Better in the Dark |
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Rogue Traders are an Australian electronic pop rock band fronted by Melinda "Mindi" Jackson with James Ash on keyboards, Tim Henwood on guitars and Peter Marin on drums. The group's original members (James Ash and Steve Davis) met in London in 1989. Before forming Rogue Traders, Ash and Davis worked together on many projects, most notably as dance act Union State. Davis still contributes to the band and is still an active part of the songwriting process. The band's name comes from the film Rogue Trader.
The Rogue Traders have enjoyed major success, with over a dozen internationally recognised hit singles, including "Voodoo Child", "In Love Again" and "Watching You". The group's third studio album Better in the Dark was released in Australia on 13 October 2007.
To date, Rogue Traders have been nominated for 10 ARIA Awards, three MTV AVMA Award, one The Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, one Inside Film Award and five APRA Awards[1]
On 25 June 2008, it was announced that lead singer Natalie Bassingthwaighte had quit the band to focus on acting and a solo career. [2] In July 2008 it was reported that Bassingthwaighte's bandmate and boyfriend Cameron McGlinchey had also left the band.[3]
On 13 August 2009, Ash revealed that Tim Henwood had returned to the band and Danny Spencer had left the band.
On 14 November 2009, Mindi Jackson was revealed as the new lead singer to replace Natalie Bassingthwaighte.[2]
Contents |
On 11 April 2002, Rogue Traders released their debut single, "Need You to Show Me", under the Vicious Grooves label, which failed to chart in the top 100; however, it did reach #16 in the Top 50 Club Chart. It was originally intended to be the lead single from their debut album, however it was cut from the track listing shortly after its release.
Half a year later, the proper first single from their debut album, "Give in to Me", was released on 14 October 2002. The song performed significantly better, peaking at #67 on the top 100.[3] The band's first real success came in 2003 when "One of My Kind", a cover of INXS's "Need You Tonight", was released on 23 February 2003, and peaked at #10 on the Top 100, and spent 9 weeks inside the top 50.[4] The single brought proper recognition for the band, and was nominated for two 2003 ARIAs, "Breakthrough Artist – Single" and "Best Video", and actually won "Best Dance Release".
Their debut album, We Know What You're Up To, was finally released on 5 May 2003, and disappointingly failed to chart in the top 100. It also received generally positive reception from critics who reviewed it. The third and final single from the album, "Stay?", was released on 2 June 2003, and performed somewhat mediocre, peaking at #60.
The Rogue Traders performed at the 2005 NRL Grand Final shortly before the release of new album album Here Come the Drums, signing a new record contract with Sony BMG and sporting new band member Natalie Bassingthwaighte. The first single "Voodoo Child", reached number four in Australia, number seven in New Zealand and number three in the UK. The second single from the album, "Way to Go!" reached number seven in Australia, while "Watching You", which was their second single to reach the top five, peaked at number five in Australia. Like many other modern mainstream music acts, the Rogue Traders use elements of old songs in their music. However, rather than sampling the original songs, they re-record the relevant parts. "Voodoo Child" contains a re-recorded riff from "Pump It Up" by Elvis Costello, "Watching You" contains re-recorded elements of "My Sharona" by The Knack and "In Love Again" contains re-recorded elements of "Head over Heels" by Tears for Fears.
2006 saw the Rogue Traders' continuing success in Australia as their second album and its singles continued to do well in the Australian charts. Amongst rumours of Natalie Bassingthwaighte planning to leave her role as Izzy Hoyland in Neighbours, the band revealed a deal with the UK arm of Sony BMG, intending to release music in the country in the summer of 2006. They also won the 2006 MTV Australian Video Music Award for Best Dance Video for "Voodoo Child".
In June 2006 the Rogue Traders won their first APRA Award, with "Way to Go!" taking out the "Most Performed Dance Work" category. They had previously been nominated for two APRA awards in the same category, in 2003 for their single "Give in to Me" and in 2004 for "One of My Kind", which also won an ARIA award. Also in June 2006, the Rogue Traders announced they were releasing their second album Here Come the Drums again, as a Limited Edition two-CD remix set. The second CD contained remixes of all their hit singles and the album included new artwork. It was released on 10 June, the same day as their fourth single "We're Coming Home". On 18 June 2006, Natalie Bassingthwaighte and James Ash announced on Video Hits that the band were currently in the process of writing their third studio recorded album.
The Rogue Traders announced in early 2006 that they had signed with the European division of Sony BMG and were to be releasing their second album Here Come the Drums and singles from the album later in the year. It was later announced that "Voodoo Child" was to be again the first single in the UK as it was in Australia. "Voodoo Child" was then given a UK release of 10 July and the album 24 July. A gig was also announced for the UK at Shepherds Bush Empire in London for 11 July—one day after the release of "Voodoo Child", intending to make "Voodoo Child" debut high in the charts. Many radio stations across the UK started to play "Voodoo Child" six weeks before its release.
The video clip for "Voodoo Child" began to receive airplay on programs across UK such as The Box, The Hits and MTV Dance. The clip stayed the same as the Australian version. It reached top 5 positions on programs and number-one on some radio stations as well. The song received numerous positive reviews from radio stations, TV programs and music critics. Some called it a 'Summer anthem for 2006' and some named it either 'Record of the Week/Month'. The video and single was then put onto iTunes UK for purchase. The video reached number two on the iTunes Video Chart and stayed in the top five for several days, while the single was selling itself into the top ten and days later into the top five.
"Voodoo Child" was released on 10 July in the UK but debuted in the chart the week before at number eighteen due to download sales. After its official release, "Voodoo Child" rocketed into the top ten at number three with sales of over 21,000. Due to its success, "Voodoo Child" was then released in several European countries including the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. "Watching You" was released in the UK as the band's second single from the album on 16 October 2006 and peaked at number thirty-three on the singles chart. A new video clip was filmed, along with a new remix track, and the third single to be released in the UK from Here Come the Drums was "Way to Go!". At the last minute it was decided that it would only be released as a digital download track.
Rogue Traders were also a surprise inclusion to the 2006 season of Big Brother Australia, entering the house and playing a "concert" for housemates. The event was also streamed to Big Brother audiences from the program's website.
The Rogue Traders' song, "Fashion" was also used as the theme tune to Gok Wan's Channel 4 television programme called Gok's Fashion Fix.
In 2006, Rogue Traders went on a national tour around Australia, playing in various cities around the country. They performed songs from Here Come the Drums, kicking off each show with "Believer" and ending with an encore of "Voodoo Child". The band also previewed songs, including "Better in the Dark", "What You're On" and "Shout Out" which would be included on their then-upcoming third album, Better in the Dark (2007).
In January 2007, Rogue Traders performed at the opening of the Australian Jamboree at Elmore, Victoria in front of a crowd of over 10,000.
Rogue Traders announced on 11 February 2007 that they would support British girl group Girls Aloud on their The Sound of Girls Aloud: The Greatest Hits Tour in May 2007.[5] The Sunday Telegraph reported that "The group's management confirmed the band had been in discussions with a major US label." The Rogue Traders flew to the US in July 2007 where they launched their first single into the American music scene. The group then signed with major US label Universal Music. Unfortuantely, the song failed to gain much attention in the US.
Rogue Traders performed at the Melbourne Crown Casino in April, previewing some of their new songs.
In May 2007, Old Navy, a division of Gap, Inc. in North America, featured "Believer", "Watching You", and later, "World Go 'Round" in their Summerland commercials.
In the 24 June edition of The Sunday Telegraph, it was said that the Rogue Traders had just completed touring the UK and were now back in Australia finishing up their new album, with a new single out in September 2007, with the album due to be released in October 2007.
During mid-2007, the band's song "Voodoo Child" was featured in the Doctor Who episode, "The Sound of Drums". The song was preceded by the episode's villain, The Master, proclaiming "Here come the drums!" The song's lyrics echo the title of the episode, which refers to the drumming the Master hears in his head.
It was announced on 2 August that the lead single from the new album would be "Don't You Wanna Feel" and would be released on 29 September. On 8 August, it was revealed that their third studio album would be called Better in the Dark and would be released on 13 October.[6] It was released in two forms; the standard form and a limited CD/DVD edition.
"Don't You Wanna Feel" premiered at 7am on Friday, 7 September, on Nova radio station. Following that, on 13 September, "Don't You Wanna Feel" reached a peak of number 2 on the Hot 30 Countdown less than a week after its debut on radio. The following week, it reached number 1 on the Hot 30 Countdown. One week after the single's release, it debuted on the ARIA singles chart at number 10, and on the ARIA dance chart at number 1.
The corresponding album, Better in the Dark, was released in Australia on 13 October, with international imports available later the following week.
With the release of Better in the Dark, Here Come the Drums re-entered the charts at #40, two years after its initial release. Better in the Dark made its debut into the charts at number 63, just hours after its release.
Better in the Dark made it to number 4 in the Australian ARIA Albums Chart, and number 1 in the Australian Artists chart in the week after its release.
On 8 November 2007, James Ash confirmed on the official forum that the next single from Better in the Dark would be "I Never Liked You".[7]
Shortly afterwards James informed the members on the official forum that "Shout Out", a song which was performed on tour but never released on Better in the Dark, was to be a B-side on the single "I Never Liked You" which would be released on 12 January 2008.
"Don't You Wanna Feel" was certified Gold (35,000+ copies sold) by ARIA.[8] It was the group's third single to go Gold. Better in the Dark was also certified Platinum. Their second single, "Voodoo Child", went Platinum (70,000+ copies sold) and their second album, Here Come the Drums, went 4× Platinum (280,000+ copies sold).
On Friday, 1 February 2008, Rogue Traders performed "Don't You Wanna Feel" and "I Never Liked You" at the Melbourne Cricket Ground Twenty/20 Cricket match as part of the half-time entertainment in front of a crowd of over 84,000.
The third single from Better in the Dark became "What You're On". It debuted on radio on 15 March 2008 and was released on 19 April.[9] A fourth single was planned, linked with a competition involving Ford. The competition was to answer in 25 words or less why they should feature in the new Rogue Traders video. The single was confirmed to be "On Your Way to the Disco", but was never officially released as lead singer Natalie Bassingthwaighte left the group.
The Better in the Dark Tour was announced in early March. Rogue Traders toured from 29 April to the beginning of June, playing at many venues around the country.[10] It was the last chance for fans to see them on tour for approximately two years, due to the solo career Natalie Bassingthwaighte focused on in the next year.[11] James Ash dismissed ideas about Bassingthwaighte's departure signalling the end of the band, stating that he has already started working on the next album, the fourth for the band.[11]
"What You're On" debuted in the ARIA Singles Chart on 26 April at number 30.[12] That same week it reached number 18 on the Physical Singles Chart,[13] #9 in the Australian Artists Singles Chart[14] and number 3 in the Dance Chart.[15]
The tour kicked off on 29 April at the Regent Theatre in Yarram, Victoria.[16] The group played songs from all three albums: We Know What You're Up To, Here Come the Drums and Better in the Dark. Rogue Traders surprised many of their fans, playing their first top 10 single "One of My Kind", a re-working of the INXS classic "Need You Tonight", but this time sung live by Natalie Bassingthwaighte.[17] They also perform a cover of Sinéad O'Connor's hit "Nothing Compares 2 U".[18]
On 10 June 2009, Ash stated that the band had found and employed a new lead singer but he did not reveal who it was.[19] On 13 August 2009, Ash revealed that Tim Henwood had returned to the band and Danny Spencer had left.[20] On the night of Saturday, 14 November 2009, Ash revealed via Twitter the name of the new singer, Melinda "Mindi" Jackson and new drummer, Peter Marin.
"Love Is a War" became the next release by the group, released as a digital download on 25 December 2009 (Christmas Day) and the physical single on 8 January 2010. [21] It performed poorly, peaking at just #90.[22] "Would You Raise Your Hands?" was released as the follow-up single from the album on 12 March 2010, and also performed poorly, peaking at a slightly lower #95.[23][24] "Hearts Beat as One" was released as the third single on 11 June 2011, and was written for the Socceroos as the official national anthem for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. However, despite this, the song completely failed to chart, the Rogue Traders' first single to do so since 2002's "Need You to Show Me".[22]
Night of the Living Drums, the band's fourth studio album, was set for release on 25 June 2010, according to the band's official website. However it was pushed back for unknown reasons. In December 2010 it was revealed the band had left their record label Sony Music, after the label refused to release the album.[25]
On 24 October, the Rogue Traders announced that they will release Night of the Living Drums on 11 November 2011, after they had been re-signed to Sony. [26] On 11 November 2011 The Sound of Drums was released, The Sound of Drums is a double album that includes The Greatest Hits and the fourth studio album Night of the Living Drums.
The band first had two members: James Ash and Steve Davis. During the second album, two new members joined: Natalie Bassingwaigthe and Cameron McGlinchey. Before the UK releases, Steve Davis left the band and was replaced by Tim Henwood. However, he only stayed during the UK releases before he left the band and was replaced by Danny Spencer. After the third album, Natalie and Cameron left the band as well. When James Ash announced Danny Spencer had left he also announced that Tim Henwood was coming back. The current members are Tim Henwood, James Ash, Mindi Jackson and Peter Marin. During the first album, there were recordings by Ash's wife Melinda Richards, including the single "Give in to Me", and recordings by René Kisseih ("Take It Deeper"), although neither were members of the band. Richards also did backing vocals on Here Come the Drums and Better in the Dark.
| Year | Award-giving body | Award | Result |
| 2003 | ARIA Award | Breakthrough Artist - Single (One of My Kind) | Nominated |
| 2003 | ARIA Award | Best Dance Release (One of My Kind) | Won |
| 2003 | ARIA Award | Best Video (One of My Kind) | Nominated |
| 2005 | ARIA Award | Best Dance Release (Voodoo Child) | Nominated |
| 2005 | ARIA Award | Engineer of the Year (Voodoo Child) | Nominated |
| 2005 | ARIA Award | Best Video (Voodoo Child) | Nominated |
| 2006 | MTV AVMA Award | Spankin' New Aussie Artist | Nominated |
| 2006 | MTV AVMA Award | Best Dance Video (Voodoo Child) | Won |
| 2006 | ARIA Award | Breakthrough Artist - Album (Here Come the Drums) | Nominated |
| 2006 | ARIA Award | Best Pop Release (Here Come the Drums) | Nominated |
| 2006 | ARIA Award | Highest Selling Album (Here Come the Drums) | Nominated |
| 2006 | ARIA Award | Best Group (Here Come the Drums) | Nominated |
| 2006 | APRA | Most Performed Dance Work ("Way to Go!")[27] | Won |
| 2007 | MTV AVMA Award | Best Dance Video (In Love Again) | Nominated |
| 2007 | The Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards | Fave Band | Nominated |
| 2007 | The Will Styles Humpty Dumpty Award | Nick Thayer sound-alike | Co-Winner with Rush |
| 2007 | The Hot Hits | Best Homegrown Artist | Nominated |
| 2007 | APRA | Most Performed Dance Work ("Way to Go!")[28] | Nominated |
| 2007 | APRA | Most Performed Dance Work ("We're Coming Home")[29] | Nominated |
| 2008 | Inside Film awards 2008 | Best Music Video (What You're On)[30] | |
| 2008 | APRA | Dance Work of the Year ("In Love Again")[31] | Won |
| 2009 | APRA | Dance Work of the Year ("Don't You Wanna Feel")[32] | Won |
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