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| Name |
Instrument(s) |
Past/Current Member |
| Sarah McLeod |
guitar, vocals |
Current |
| Paul Berryman |
drums |
Current |
| Stuart Rudd |
bass |
Current |
| Tim Henwood |
guitar, vocals |
Past |
| Chris Tennent |
guitar |
Past |
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The Superjesus were born in 1994. Guitarist Chris Tennent befriended bass guitarist Stuart Rudd, and they spent a year or so playing guitar in Tennent's loungeroom. Then Rudd became involved with one of singer Sarah McLeod's bands. When her latest project needed a guitarist, Tennent agreed to come on board temporarily. They auditioned for a drummer. Paul Berryman was chosen, and the band was formed.
They rehearsed for eighteen months before even playing a gig. When they finally decided to perform, under the name they had been using for their loungeroom sessions - Hell's Kitchen. That name didn't last long, however, and by the end of 1995, they had become The Superjesus. Tennent had picked the name as a joke, out of what he considered the two most popular words in band names at the time "super" and "jesus".
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A demo tape was produced, and this came to the attention of executives at Warner Music. Suddenly they had a record deal. Their success continued to grow, and they played the 1996 Adelaide leg of the Big Day Out.
The first result of this was their debut EP, "Eight Step Rail". The five-song recording got to #2 on the national alternative chart, and sold 4000 copies. The lead track from this, "Shut My Eyes", got to #81 on the Triple J Hottest 100 for 1996. They toured supporting several internation acts throughout the later part of the year, and played the full 1997 Big Day Out tour.
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In April 1997, The Superjesus travelled to the United States to record their first full-length album.
Tennent and McLeod were writing the songs, and as well as their musical collaboration, were also romantically involved. This ended on the eve of the album's release.
As a band, The Superjesus had considerable success with this first full album. It won ARIA awards for Best Rock Album and Best Debut Single (for 'Shut My Eyes'). Two CD singles were released before the album. 'Down Again' was released in October, and got to #30 on the national charts. It was followed by 'Saturation' in November. The album itself went platinum, selling over 70,000 units, and reached #2 on the national charts. 'Now and Then', the third single, spent a week at #40, and was followed by a fourth single, 'Ashes'.
This was also reflected in their success on the Triple J Hottest 100. In 1997, 'Down Again' got to #14. In 1998, 'Now and Then' came in at #83, and 'Saturation' at #99.
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In July 1998, 'Sumo' was released in the United States, and The Superjesus briefly set up base in Los Angeles. They toured with the Big Day Out again in 1999, then returned to Adelaide for a break.
This was where The Superjesus parted ways with Chris Tennent. He had never intended to stay permanently, and had not intended to tour with them. This was exacerbated by the collapse of his relationship with McLeod. By November 1999, they had relocated to Melbourne, and Tim Henwood had taken over Tennent's role. In October 2000, their second album, 'Jet Age' followed. Though the band would have preferred 'Secret Agent Man' as a first single, the record company overruled them, and 'Gravity' was released first. 'Secret Agent Man' followed, and then 'Enough To Know. 'Jet Age' reached the top 10 nationally, and several singles had success in the Hottest 100 that year.
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During their next break, after the release of 'Jet Age', the band was once again hit with internal tension. Tim Henwood left to form his own band - The Androids, and the remaining three considered calling it a day. However, after a period away from the music industry, they decided to continue on, and pulled together. Henwood was not replaced, with McLeod taking over central guitar. It seemed that Henwood's departure had allowed them to follow a different path, and 'Rock Music' was the result. Along with 'Stick Together', the first single, it has achieved similar success to 'Jet Age'.
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Band
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Place of Origin: 1994
Founded: South Australia
Founded as: Rock
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