Rhubarb was an Australian rock band formed in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

in 1996. They are best known for their song "Exerciser", released in 1999.

Biography

Rhubarb were formed in

in 1996 by brothers Steve and David Drinkall with their Brazilian cousin Paul Harvey playing bass and Ian Buchanan on drums. The group were discovered when they won the

Triple J Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian Radio in Australia, radio station intended to appeal to listeners of alternative music, which began broadcasting in January 1975. The station also places a greate ...

Unearthed competition for

with their song, "Zero", in 1999. The band's leap to prominence however came with their surprise 1999 hit "Exerciser", which placed at No. 20 on the 1999

Triple J's Hottest 100 The Triple J Hottest 100 is an annual music listener poll hosted by the publicly-funded, national Australian youth radio station, Triple J. Members of the public are invited to vote for their favourite Australian and alternative music of the y ...

. Steve often joked that the success of Exerciser was mostly due to the song's short length and Triple J announcers often having to fill 2 minutes before the news was broadcast at a regular interval. The band's debut album, ''Kamikaze'', released on the band's own independent label Toupee Records, achieved over 15,000 sales. ''Kamikaze'' was voted 'Album of the Year' at Queensland's 14th annual Sunnie Awards (1999), and the group also won 'Best New Band of 1999'. Songs from ''Kamikaze'' that aired on Triple J included "Zero", "Pennywise" and the title track. Rhubarb played live at

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, Offshore,

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and the

Falls Festival Falls Music & Arts Festival (commonly known as Falls) is a multi-day music festival held annually in Lorne (Victoria), Marion Bay (Tasmania), Byron Bay (New South Wales) and Fremantle (Western Australia), Australia over the New Year's Eve ...

. Their second album ''Slow Motion'' was greeted with critical acclaim in 2002, with radio hits like "Light on Your Shoulder", "New York". A string of national tours followed, where they played alongside bands including

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, The Cruel Sea,

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and

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. ''

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'' and ''

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'' both listed ''Slow Motion'' in their Top 10 Albums For 2002, while ''Rolling Stone'' Australia claimed it "totally irresistible". Completing the ''Slow Motion'' period in late 2003 with another successful national tour, Rhubarb went to ground, writing, rehearsing and testing out material live for their third album. With Caleb James once again filling the producer's shoes, ''Start Again'', was created throughout 2004, and released in 2005. In September 2006 the band announced their break up on their official website, citing that they lacked the "enthusiasm to keep spending our time and money on what is essentially a pretty self-serving venture." They also stated that the members would continue to make music individually. Rhubarb played their last gig at

nightclub ''The Zoo'' to a sold out audience. Long time touring partners

Grand Atlantic Grand Atlantic were a Brisbane-based indie rock band, active from 2005 to 2013. They released three albums, ''This Is Grand Atlantic'' (May 2007), ''How We Survive'' (2009) and ''Constellations'' (2011). History In October 2005 Grand Atlanti ...

as well as

Hunz Hunz is an electronic pop music group from Brisbane, Australia. The name Hunz can refer to either the group or its composer, keyboardist and vocalist, Hans van Vliet. The group was formed in 2005 by Johannes (Hans) van Vliet (born 15 December ...

supported.

Discography

Albums

Singles

* "Zero" (1999) * "Exerciser" (1999) * "Pennywise" (2000) * "Nice Girls" (2000) * "Light on Your Shoulder" (2001) * "Slow Motion" (2002) * "New York" (2002) * "Start Again" (2005)

References

External links

Official Rhubarb website

MySpace website

Rhubarb profile at Toupee Records
{{Authority control Musical groups established in 1996 Musical groups disestablished in 2006 Musical groups from Brisbane Australian alternative rock groups