Quan Yeomans (born 12 December 1972) is an Australian musician best known as the frontman of the band
Regurgitator
Regurgitator are an Australian rock band from Brisbane, Queensland, formed in late 1993 by Quan Yeomans on lead vocals, guitar and keyboards; Ben Ely on bass guitar, keyboards and vocals; and Martin Lee on drums. Their debut studio album, ''Tu ...
.
Early years
Yeomans was born in Sydney to a fifth-generation
Australian
Australian(s) may refer to:
Australia
* Australia, a country
* Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia
** European Australians
** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists
** Aboriginal Au ...
father, Neville, and his mother Lien, a well-known
Vietnamese Australian
}) are Australians of Vietnamese ancestry. Vietnamese Australians are one of the largest groups within the global Vietnamese diaspora. At the 2021 census, 334,781 people stated that they had Vietnamese ancestry (whether alone or in combination wi ...
chef and author. His parents divorced during his childhood, during which he recalls listening to various
Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac are a British-American rock band, formed in London in 1967. Fleetwood Mac were founded by guitarist Peter Green, drummer Mick Fleetwood and guitarist Jeremy Spencer, before bassist John McVie joined the line-up for their epony ...
albums. At an early age Lien arranged for family friend and
Channel Seven newsreader Peter Waltham to give music lessons for Quan in exchange for cooking lessons. In 1984, his family relocated to
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 ...
and he attended Bardon Primary School before attending
Kelvin Grove State High School until graduation in 1989. Yeomans travelled with his father in 1991 to
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...
to the
World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-governmental and lobbying organisation based in Cologny, canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German engineer and economist Klaus Schwab. The foundation, ...
, where he heard Indian scientist and author
Vandana Shiva
Vandana Shiva (born 5 November 1952) is an Indian scholar, environmental activist, food sovereignty advocate, ecofeminist and anti-globalisation author. Based in Delhi, Shiva has written more than 20 books. She is often referred to as "Gandhi ...
speak about the crippling, cyclic effects of debt on the Third World. He has stated, "To find out about that was a critical moment for me and inspired a lot of work that I did in the band
egurgitator.
Regurgitator
In 1993, Yeomans was a drummer for Brisbane
punk
Punk or punks may refer to:
Genres, subculture, and related aspects
* Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres
* Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...
band Zooerastia. After meeting
Pangaea
Pangaea or Pangea () was a supercontinent that existed during the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic eras. It assembled from the earlier continental units of Gondwana, Euramerica and Siberia during the Carboniferous approximately 335 million y ...
bassist/vocalist
Ben Ely
Benjamin Ely (born 13 September 1970) is an Australian musician and artist best known for his work with alternative rock band Regurgitator.
Early life
Born in Brisbane, Ely's family moved to the outer suburb of Cleveland. During his high sc ...
on a bus, they would form
Regurgitator
Regurgitator are an Australian rock band from Brisbane, Queensland, formed in late 1993 by Quan Yeomans on lead vocals, guitar and keyboards; Ben Ely on bass guitar, keyboards and vocals; and Martin Lee on drums. Their debut studio album, ''Tu ...
with Yeomans on guitar/vocals and Martin Lee on drums. He has stated that he felt like a hypocrite signing to major label
Warner Music
Warner Music Group Corp. ( d.b.a. Warner Music Group, commonly abbreviated as WMG) is an American multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the " big three" recording companies and t ...
because of his views on the music industry as the mouthpiece of global capitalism.
Yeomans is the dominant composer in the group, owning the writing credits to over half the songs on each album. The majority of songs chosen for single releases are also his. Regurgitator's shift towards synth-driven 80s pop on their second album ''
Unit
Unit may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* UNIT, a fictional military organization in the science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''
* Unit of action, a discrete piece of action (or beat) in a theatrical presentation
Music
* ''Unit'' (alb ...
'', which contrasted greatly to their earlier rock/
hip hop orientated works, is largely due to Yeomans' frustration with their male-dominant audience who embraced their heavier sound. Manager Paul Curtis recalls that he had once stated "thank god
Grinspoon
Grinspoon are an Australian Rock music, rock band from Lismore, New South Wales, formed in 1995 and fronted by Phil Jamieson on vocals and guitar with Pat Davern on guitar, Joe Hansen on bass guitar and Kristian Hopes on drums. Also in 1995, G ...
came along because they took all the male angst away from our shows".
Yeomans is also an animator and has animated several of Regurgitator's music videos, including that of the band's most popular song,
Polyester Girl
"Polyester Girl" is a song by Australian rock band Regurgitator. The song was released in May 1998 as the third single from the band's second studio album ''Unit''. "Polyester Girl" peaked at No. 14 in Australia and No. 16 in New Zealand and it ...
.
Happyland
In 1996, Yeomans became acquainted with Janet English, bassist/vocalist for
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
-based band
Spiderbait
Spiderbait is an Australian alternative rock band from Finley, New South Wales, formed in 1991 by bass guitarist and singer Janet English, drummer and singer Kram (musician), Kram, and guitarist Damian Whitty. In 2004 the group's cover version o ...
. The two started dating and the relationship lasted several years. The pair formed
Happyland,
[Happyland Discography on spakatak.com](_blank)
/ref> an art pop
Art pop (also typeset art-pop or artpop) is a loosely defined style of pop music influenced by art theories as well as ideas from other art mediums, such as fashion, fine art, cinema, and avant-garde literature. The genre draws on pop art's ...
band and released ''Welcome to Happyland'' in 1998, which spawned a few hits that received airplay on 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 ...
. The project has been inactive since 2000.
2000 onward
Yeomans formed a solo project entitled "BLOX" and Quan the Amateur, releasing a '' self-titled album'' in December 2008 under the latter moniker. ''Quan: The Amateur'' was recorded in Hong Kong, where he resided at the time of recording, and Yeomans then performed the album on the 2009 Big Day Out tour.
Yeomans' hip-hop project Disaster!, featuring former girlfriend Emilie Goegan, played shows in Japan and Australia. Disaster! has ceased due to the couple ending their relationship.
From late 2013 to well into 2015 Regurgitator was on a period of indefinite hiatus due to personal matters and the geographical locations of Ely and Yeomans (the former resides in Melbourne, Australia, while the latter resides in Hong Kong). They started touring again in 2015 before recording ''Headroxx'' in 2018 and a children's album ''The Really Really Really Really Boring Album'' in 2019.
Musical and lyrical style
Yeomans' lyrical style has been described as a trademark postmodern lyricism and sceptical cynicism.[Musicfeeds.com.au drops in on Quan in Hong Kong](_blank)
/ref> He is known for the explicit lyrical content that appeared on Regurgitator's earlier releases. Songs such as "I Like It Like That", "Pop Porn" and "The World of Sleaze" deals with issues of sexism. Yeomans has acknowledged feminist performance artist and friend Kiley Gaffney
Kiley Joy Gaffney is an Australian rock musician and performance artist. Before signing to Warner (WEA) in 1995, she worked in theatre (acting and singing) and the art world (performance).
She released two albums with Warner, ''Bitter Fluff'' ...
as a major influence. He has also credited his father, a psychiatrist, as his 'greatest intellectual and emotional influence. It is through his insights that I discovered the true nature of subversion, subtlety and brutality.' Their attendance at the 1991 World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-governmental and lobbying organisation based in Cologny, canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German engineer and economist Klaus Schwab. The foundation, ...
directly influenced the lyrics for the song 'G7 Dick Electro Boogie'. Another reoccurring theme in Yeomans' lyrics is about musicians dealing with fame, which is possibly influenced by his own career. Regurgitator bassist/co-vocalist Ben Ely noted that 'Quan was really playing around hardcore topics with cute pop songs' when asked about the controversial track 'I Sucked A Lot of Cock To Get Where I Am'.
Personal life
Yeomans had lived in Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
with his partner and their first child was born in late 2013. As of 2019, he was residing in Melbourne. He has two children.["Regurgitator still getting their roxx off" SMH https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/regurgitator-still-getting-their-roxx-off-20180731-p4zund.html]
Awards and nominations
ARIA Music Awards
The ARIA Music Awards
The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austr ...
is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music
The music of Australia has an extensive history made of music societies. Indigenous Australian music forms a significant part of the unique heritage of a 40,000- to 60,000-year history which produced the iconic didgeridoo. Contemporary fusions of ...
. They commenced in 1987.
!
, -
, rowspan="2", 1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...
, " Black Bugs"
, Best Video
,
, [ARIA Award previous winners. ]
, -
, Quan Yeomans and Janet English for Happyland – ''Welcome to Happyland''
, ARIA Award for Best Cover Art
The ARIA Music Award for Best Cover Art, is an award presented within the Artisan Awards at the annual ARIA Music Awards. The ARIA Awards recognise "the many achievements of Aussie artists across all music genres", and have been given by the Aus ...
,
,
, -
References
External links
*
Regurgitator's official website
Website for "Quan: the Amateur" solo project
spakatak.com Extensive Quan Yeomans/Regurgitator Discography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yeomans, Quan
Australian rock guitarists
Australian rock singers
Australian people of Vietnamese descent
Musicians of Vietnamese descent
Living people
1972 births
Musicians from Sydney
Musicians from Brisbane
21st-century Australian singers
21st-century guitarists