Youth Group

Last updated

Youth Group
Youth Group 2005.jpg
Youth Group-concert in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in 2005
Background information
Origin Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Genres Alternative rock, indie rock
Years active1996–2009, 2014–present
Labels Ivy League Records
Epitaph Records
ANTI-
World's Fair
Members Toby Martin
Danny Lee Allen
Cameron Emerson-Elliott
Patrick Matthews
Past membersAndy Cassell
Paul Murphy
Website Official website

Youth Group is an Australian rock band based in Newtown, New South Wales. Built around the vocals of singer Toby Martin and production of Wayne Connolly, the sound of Youth Group is reminiscent of indie rock artists such as Teenage Fanclub, Pavement and Death Cab for Cutie.

Contents

The band formed in Sydney in the late 1990s and has released four albums, three of which have gained worldwide release. They achieved major success in 2006 when their cover of Alphaville's "Forever Young", which had been recorded for the soundtrack of the US TV drama The O.C. , was released as a single and reached No. 1 in Australia, attaining platinum status.

As of 2015, the band is signed to Ivy League Records. [1]

History

The band's founding members were Toby Martin on rhythm guitar and vocals, Danny Lee Allen on drums, Andy Cassell on bass guitar, and Paul Murphy on lead guitar. The band's first show was in November 1997 at the Warren View Hotel in the inner Sydney suburb of Enmore. [2] At this stage, Allen had played drums for approximately two months. Current lead guitarist, Cameron Emerson-Elliott, and bassist, Patrick Matthews, joined in 2004. Martin, the main songwriter, is the grandson of Hungarian-born Australian poet, David Martin. Founding bass player Cassell retired from bass duties in 2003 to concentrate on being one of three partners in the Ivy League Records label and the Winterman & Goldstein band management agency (Youth Group's Australian record label and management, respectively). Cassell is a relative of Australian Test cricketer Geoff Dymock. Founding guitarist Paul Murphy left the band in 2003 due to creative differences. Cameron Emerson-Elliott played guitar with Sydney punk band John Reed Club in the late 1990s and has known Martin since their school days in Canberra, Australia, at Narrabundah College; at the college, the pair wrote songs together as The Morris Brothers. Patrick Matthews played bass in The Vines before joining Youth Group. Johnno Lattin (also of La Huva) played bass in the band during the Skeleton Jar period around 2003.

Toby Martin of Youth Group Youthgroup by kk.jpg
Toby Martin of Youth Group

The band met success when a series of chance happenings led Epitaph Records boss Brett Gurewitz to hear their second album, Skeleton Jar in 2004 and release it in the US in 2005. Despite sounding nothing like the California punk that Epitaph is widely known for, the support of a US label was the crucial break that Youth Group needed to find a wider audience. [3] In 2003 the band played at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas and performed on four dates with The Vines and The Music on a US West Coast tour. But it was a chance to support Death Cab for Cutie in 2005 on a coast to coast US tour that saw their profile rise most quickly internationally. [2]

Their single "Forever Young", a cover of the 1984 song by Alphaville, was used in the television show The O.C. and heavily featured in promos for Australian TV station Channel Ten at the beginning of 2006. The song debuted on the Australian charts at No. 2 in March 2006, and eventually peaked at No. 1. It was also No. 1 in the first ever digital download chart. During 2006, they supported Coldplay in their sold-out tour of Australia; in 2008 they supported Kings of Leon and Interpol on their tours of Australia.

Youth Group won the ARIA Award for Breakthrough Artist - Single for "Forever Young".

Youth Group toured the US twice in 2009 before moving into an extended break. Though the band remained on good terms, they began focusing on other projects. Martin released a solo album, Love's Shadow, in July 2012 on Ivy League Records, while Danny relocated to New York, toured with We Are Scientists and with Brooklyn band, The Drums until 2017. Matthews played in several bands - including Betty Airs and The Jewel & The Falcon - before joining Community Radio alongside fellow Youth Group bandmate Emerson-Elliot. In 2011, Skeleton Jar made No. 98 on Australian radio station Triple J's Hottest 100 Australian Albums of All Time (Industry List). [4]

In November 2014, the band announced a show at the Newtown Social Club in Sydney for January 2015, in which they played Skeleton Jar in its entirety. The show sold out within a week of going on sale. The band later announced additional headlining shows in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane for June and July 2015; as well as a vinyl release of Skeleton Jar. The band returned again in late 2016, with their album Australian Halloween being released in October 2019. [5]

Discography

Studio albums

List of studio albums, with selected chart positions and certifications
TitleAlbum detailsPeak chart positions
AUS
[6]
NZ
[7]
US
Heat

[8]
Urban & Eastern
Skeleton Jar
  • Released: 22 March 2004
  • Label: Ivy League (IVLCD025)
  • Format: CD, digital download
[upper-alpha 1]
Casino Twilight Dogs
  • Released: 15 July 2006
  • Label: Ivy League (IVY042)
  • Format: CD, digital download
103248
The Night Is Ours
  • Released: 30 June 2008
  • Label: Ivy League (IVY064)
  • Format: CD, digital download
66
Australian Halloween [5]
  • Released: 11 October 2019
  • Label: Ivy League
  • Format: CD, digital download

Singles

List of singles, with selected chart positions
TitleYearPeak chart positions Certifications Album
AUS
[6]
ITA
[10]
NZ
[7]
SPA
[11]
US
Bub.

[8]
US
Pop

[8]
"Weekender"1998Non-album singles
"Country Tour"1999
"We Are Mean"
"Interface"
"Happiness' Border"2000Urban & Eastern
"Guilty"2001
"Shadowland"2003Skeleton Jar
"Baby Body"2004
"Forever Young"20061377441076Casino Twilight Dogs
"Catching & Killing"44
"Daisychains"2007
"Sorry"
"Two Sides"2008The Night Is Ours
"All This Will Pass"
"In My Dreams"
"Cusp" [5] 2019Australian Halloween
"—" denotes items which were not released in that country or failed to chart.

Compilation appearances

Notes

  1. Skeleton Jar did not enter the Australian ARIA Singles Chart but peaked at number 12 on the ARIA Hitseekers Chart. [9]

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.

YearNominee / workAwardResultRef.
2006 "Forever Young" Breakthrough Artist - Single Won [13]
Single of the Year Nominated
Highest Selling Single Nominated
Andy Cassell – Youth Group – "Forever Young" Best Video Nominated
Wayne Connolly – Youth Group – Casino Twilight Dogs Producer of the Year Nominated

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Air Supply</span> Australian soft rock group

Air Supply is a soft rock duo formed in Melbourne, Australia, in 1975, consisting of Englishman Graham Russell and Australian Russell Hitchcock (vocals). With record sales of 100 million worldwide, they had a succession of hits worldwide, including eight top-five hits on the US Billboard Hot 100, "Lost in Love" (1979), "All Out of Love", "Every Woman in the World", "The One That You Love", "Here I Am", "Sweet Dreams", "Even the Nights Are Better" and "Making Love Out of Nothing at All" (1983). In Australia, they had four top ten placements with "Love and Other Bruises" (1976), "All Out of Love", "Every Woman in the World" and "The One That You Love". Their highest charting studio album, The One That You Love (1981) reached number ten in both Australia and the US. The group, which relocated to Los Angeles in the late 1970s, has included many members, with Hitchcock and Russell at the core. The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) inducted Air Supply into their Hall of Fame on 1 December 2013, at the annual ARIA Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alphaville (band)</span> German synth-pop band

Alphaville is a German synth-pop band formed in Münster in 1982. They gained popularity in the 1980s. The group was founded by singers Marian Gold, Bernhard Lloyd, and Frank Mertens. They achieved chart success with the singles "Forever Young", "Big in Japan", "Sounds Like a Melody", "The Jet Set", and "Dance with Me". Gold remains the only continuous member of Alphaville. They took their name from Jean-Luc Godard's film of the same name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spiderbait</span> Australian rock band

Spiderbait is an Australian alternative rock band from Finley, New South Wales, formed in 1989 by bass guitarist and singer Janet English, drummer and singer Kram, and guitarist Damian Whitty. In 2004 the group's cover version of the 1930s Lead Belly song "Black Betty" reached number one on the ARIA Singles Chart. They have five top 20 albums: The Unfinished Spanish Galleon of Finley Lake (1995), Ivy and the Big Apples (1996), Grand Slam (1999), Tonight Alright (2004), and Greatest Hits (2005). The group have won two ARIA Music Awards with the first in 1997 as 'Best Alternative Release' for Ivy and the Big Apples and the second in 2000 as 'Best Cover-Art' for their single "Glockenpop". In November 2013 the band released its first studio album in nine years, Spiderbait.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ian Moss</span> Australian blues rock musician

Ian Richard Moss is an Australian rock musician from Alice Springs. He is the founding mainstay guitarist and occasional singer of Cold Chisel. In that group's initial eleven year phase from 1973 to 1984, Moss was recorded on all five studio albums, three of which reached number one on the national Kent Music Report Albums Chart. In August 1989 he released his debut solo album, Matchbook, which peaked at number one on the ARIA Albums Chart. It was preceded by his debut single, "Tucker's Daughter", which reached number two on the related ARIA Singles Chart in March. The track was co-written by Moss with Don Walker, also from Cold Chisel. Moss had another top ten hit with "Telephone Booth" in June 1989.

The Screaming Jets are an Australian hard rock band formed in Newcastle, Australia, in 1989 by frontman Dave Gleeson (vocals), Paul Woseen, Grant Walmsley (guitar), Richard Lara (guitar), and Brad Heaney (drums). The band has three albums that peaked in the top five on the Australian ARIA Charts: All for One (1991), Tear of Thought (1992), The Screaming Jets (1995), and Professional Misconduct (2023). Their 1991 single "Better" reached No. 4 on the related singles chart. Walmsley left in 2007 and formed his own band. In 2013, bassist Paul Woseen released an acoustic solo album, Bombido.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magic Dirt</span> Australian rock band

Magic Dirt is an Australian rock band, which formed in 1991 in Geelong, Victoria, with Daniel Herring on guitar, Adam Robertson on drums, Adalita Srsen on vocals and guitar, and Dean Turner on bass guitar. Initially forming an alternative underground band called Deer Bubbles which split and formed into the much heavier, rock based group called The Jim Jims, they were renamed as Magic Dirt. Their top 40 releases on the ARIA Albums Chart are Friends in Danger (1996), What Are Rock Stars Doing Today (2000), Tough Love (2003) and Snow White (2005). They have received nine ARIA Music Award nominations including four at the ARIA Music Awards of 1995 for Life Was Better – their second extended play. Turner died in August 2009 of dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans. From 2010 to November 2018, the band were on hiatus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Sleepy Jackson</span> Australian alternative rock band

The Sleepy Jackson are an Australian alternative rock band formed in Perth, Western Australia. The band's name was inspired by a former drummer who was narcoleptic. The band revolves around the distinctive vocal style of multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Luke Steele. Stemming from a musical family, Luke's father Rick Steele is a local blues musician, and two of Luke's siblings are also musicians, with brother Jesse a former member of The Sleepy Jackson, and sister Katy, who fronts another Perth rock band, Little Birdy. While a series of acclaimed EPs brought The Sleepy Jackson to a broader musical attention of Australia, it was the release of their 2003 album Lovers and 2006 second album Personality – One Was a Spider, One Was a Bird that directed significant international focus upon the band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ratcat</span> Australian indie rock band

Ratcat are an Australian indie rock band from Sydney who formed in 1985. The band is fronted by mainstay vocalist and guitarist, Simon Day. Their combination of indie pop song writing and energetic punk-style guitar rock won them fans from both the indie and skate-punk communities. They found mainstream success with their extended play, Tingles, album Blind Love and the single, "Don't Go Now" (April), which all reached No. 1 on the ARIA Charts during 1991. The band released two subsequent albums that did not match their earlier chart success. Ratcat ceased performing live regularly in the late 1990s; however, they continue to perform sporadically. During their career, much of Ratcat's albums and singles artwork was created by Simon Day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Clouds (Australian band)</span>

The Clouds are an indie rock band from Sydney, Australia formed in December 1989. The core of the group consisted of frontwomen Jodi Phillis and Patricia "Trish" Young. The line-up of The Clouds has changed several times with different drummers and lead guitarists. The Clouds' music is distinguished by rapid and unusual chord changes, creative bass guitar, and Phillis and Young's vocal harmonies. They released 4 albums and numerous EPs and singles before breaking up in 1997. They reformed in 2011.

Tumbleweed are an Australian rock group formed in 1990 in Tarrawanna. Three of their studio albums appeared on the ARIA top 50: Tumbleweed (1992), Galactaphonic (1995), and Return to Earth (1996).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Noiseworks</span> Australian rock band

Noiseworks are an Australian hard rock band formed in Sydney in 1986 with bass guitarist Steve Balbi, guitarist Stuart Fraser, drummer Kevin Nicol, keyboardist Justin Stanley and lead vocalist Jon Stevens. They had four Australian Top 10 albums, Noiseworks (1987), Touch (1988), Love Versus Money (1991) and Greatest Hits (1992). They produced three Top 10 singles, "Take Me Back", "Touch" and "Hot Chilli Woman" before disbanding in 1992. Reunion tours occurred in 1999, 2004, 2007–2008, 2011, 2013. The band later reformed in 2016 and in August 2022, released "Heart & Soul"; their first new song in 30 years. Noiseworks' fourth studio album, Evolution was released in November 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mi-Sex</span> New Zealand new wave band

Mi-Sex is a New Zealand new wave band originally active from 1978 to 1986, and led for much of its existence by Steve Gilpin as vocalist, Kevin Stanton as guitarist and songwriter, Murray Burns as keyboardist and songwriter, and Don Martin as bassist. The group's manager for much of its career was Bob Yates. Mi-Sex achieved two top 10 hit singles in 1979-80: "Computer Games" in October 1979 and "People" in 1980. Their first two albums both reached the New Zealand top 10, Graffiti Crimes and Space Race. They were known for their cutting edge production and dynamic live shows. Gilpin died in January 1992, two months after a serious car accident from which he never recovered. Mi-Sex have periodically reformed, including in 2011 with Steve Balbi (ex-Noiseworks) on lead vocals. Stanton died on 17 May 2017, Martin on 10 August 2020.

<i>Skeleton Jar</i> 2004 studio album by Youth Group

Skeleton Jar is the second album by Australian rock band Youth Group. It was first released in Australia on 22 March 2004, and on 24 May 2005 on Epitaph Records in the United States with a re-arranged track listing and one new song. The US version was released in Australia as a "repackaged" album in July 2004. In 2011 the album was voted #98 on Australian radio station Triple J's Hottest 100 Australian Albums of All Time.

<i>Black Fingernails, Red Wine</i> 2006 studio album by Eskimo Joe

Black Fingernails, Red Wine is the third studio album by Eskimo Joe, released on 10 June 2006. The album became their first number one on the Australian ARIA Albums Chart, debuting atop the chart in the week of 19 June 2006. The album was certified 4× Platinum in Australia. It is their best selling album to date. It was released as the band's debut album in the United States on 25 September 2007.

<i>Casino Twilight Dogs</i> 2006 studio album by Youth Group

Casino Twilight Dogs is the third studio album from Australian band Youth Group, released in Australia by Ivy League Records on 15 July 2006, then in the United States by ANTI- on 30 January 2007. The album came several months after the Australian chart success of the band's cover of Alphaville's "Forever Young", which had been recorded for the soundtrack of the US TV drama The O.C.. "Forever Young" had received extensive radio airplay and become a platinum-selling, No. 1 single in Australia, its success taking the band by surprise as they mixed Casino Twilight Dogs. The song, although different in style to their self-written material, was added as the album's final track.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forever Young (Alphaville song)</span> 1984 single by Alphaville

"Forever Young" is a song by German synth-pop band Alphaville from their 1984 debut studio album of the same name. The single was successful in Scandinavia and in the European German-speaking countries in the same year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Temper Trap</span> Australian rock band

The Temper Trap are an Australian indie rock band formed in 2005 by Dougy Mandagi, Jonathon Aherne, and Toby Dundas. In 2008, the group relocated from Melbourne to London. The band released their debut album Conditions in June 2009 to favourable reviews and commercial success; it peaked at No. 9 on the ARIA Albums Chart and into the top 30 on the UK Albums Chart. Its lead single, "Sweet Disposition", peaked in the top 10 on the Belgian, Irish and UK Singles Charts and reached No. 14 on the ARIA Singles Chart. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2010 in November, The Temper Trap won Best Group and Most Popular Australian Single for "Sweet Disposition". Their eponymous second album was released in late May/early June 2012 under Liberation Music (AUS), Infectious Records (UK) and Glassnote Records (US). The album won the band Best Rock Album, and they also won Best Group at the 2012 ARIA Awards. In October 2013 guitarist Lorenzo Sillitto left the band, during the recording of the third album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toby Martin</span> Musical artist

William Toby Martin, is an Australian singer-songwriter, musician, academic, and lecturer at University of Huddersfield UK. Martin is the grandson of Hungarian-born Australian poet David Martin and has a PhD in the history of Australian music from the University of Sydney. After fronting Sydney-based band Youth Group from 1996 to 2009, Martin developed his solo career, releasing his first album, Love's Shadow in 2012.

Oh Mercy were an Australian indie rock band formed by Alexander Gow. The band released five studio albums, Privileged Woes (2009), Great Barrier Grief (2011), Deep Heat (2012), When We Talk About Love (2015) and Café Oblivion (2018).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gang of Youths</span> Australian rock band

Gang of Youths are an Australian alternative rock band, which formed in 2012. Since 2020, the group consists of David Le'aupepe on lead vocals, rhythm guitar and piano, Max Dunn on bass guitar, Jung Kim on guitar and keyboards, Donnie Borzestowski on drums and Tom Hobden on violin, rhythm guitar and keyboards. They relocated to England in 2017. Founding member Joji Malani, on lead guitar and backing vocals, left them in 2019 to return to Australia. The band's debut studio album, The Positions (2015), received multiple ARIA Award nominations and peaked at number five on the Australian albums chart. It provided the single "Magnolia", which has been described as their breakthrough hit and was certified platinum in 2018.

References

  1. "Artists: Youth Group". Ivy League Records. 2012. Retrieved 24 September 2012.
  2. 1 2 Noel Mengel, "Young talents' time", The Courier-Mail, 13 July 2006.
  3. Sacha Molitorisz, "Forever young", Sydney Morning Herald, 4 August 2006.
  4. "Industry Results | Hottest 100 Australian Albums of All Time | triple J". Australian Broadcasting Corporation . 25 January 2011.
  5. 1 2 3 "Youth Group reform for first shows and album in 10 years". noise11. 16 August 2019. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  6. 1 2 Peaks in Australia:
    • All except noted: "Discography Youth Group in Australia". australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
    • The Night Is Ours: Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 309.
  7. 1 2 "Discography Youth Group in New Zealand". charts.nz. Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  8. 1 2 3 "Chart Search: Youth Group". Billboard. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  9. "ARIA Report: Issue 837" (PDF). ARIA. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 February 2008. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  10. Peaks in Italy:
  11. "Discography Youth Group in Spain". spanishcharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  12. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2022 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association . Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  13. "ARIA Awards – History: Winners by Year 2006: 20th Annual ARIA Awards". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved 13 June 2012.