George (stylised as george) were an Australian rock band from

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

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 , establishe ...

. The band's first album, ''

Polyserena ''Polyserena'' is the 2002 debut studio album by Australian band George. ''Polyserena'' debuted atop the national albums chart. George became only the tenth Australian band to do so with a debut album. It achieved gold record status within ten ...

'', reached No. 1 on the Australian charts on 17 March 2002.

Background

For most of george's career, the band consisted of Katie Noonan on vocals and keyboards, her brother

Tyrone Noonan Tyrone ("Ty") Noonan is an Australian musician, best known for his vocals, guitars, keyboards and songwriting in the Brisbane band George. He has also worked as a composer for Australian theatre companies La Boite and Queensland Theatre Company ...

on vocals, guitar and keyboards, Geoff Green on drums and percussion, Paulie Bromley on bass guitar and Nick Stewart on guitar. Geoff Hooton, a bass guitar player, left the band in early 2000 and was replaced by Bromley. The band was originally founded by the Noonans, Stewart and Stewart's twin brother James. The latter would leave the band early on, however, to pursue a career in acting. The Noonans formed the nucleus of the band, doing most of the songwriting and lead vocals. Stewart also contributed to many of the band's tunes. The Noonans grew up with a background in classical music; their mother, Maggie Noonan, is a well-known opera singer. Katie Noonan studied opera and jazz at the Queensland Conservatorium. Stewart grew up listening to and playing rock music. Bromley played in the underground Brisbane rock band

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 ...

with Ben Ely of Regurgitator. Green studied music at the Queensland University of Technology.

History

The band were formed in 1996 to enter a university music competition. They released a series of independent EPs, namely '' George'' in 1998, '' You Can Take What's Mine'' in 1999 and ''

Bastard Son/Holiday ''Bastard Son/Holiday'', is the third extended play from Brisbane band George George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * Georg ...

'' in 2000. ''Bastard Son/Holiday'' peaked at number 74 on the ARIA chart. The EPs did progressively better, earning good airplay on

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

radio and community radio stations across Australia. George were also winning a strong live following throughout Australia. George signed with Festival Mushroom Records in mid-2001. "

Special Ones "Special Ones" is the debut single from Australian alternative rock group, George. It followed the release of three extended plays and was the first single taken from their debut studio album '' Polyserena'' (2002). At the ARIA Music Awards of 2 ...

" was the first single released on Festival Records, followed by "

Run Run(s) or RUN may refer to: Places * Run (island), one of the Banda Islands in Indonesia * Run (stream), a stream in the Dutch province of North Brabant People * Run (rapper), Joseph Simmons, now known as "Reverend Run", from the hip-hop group ...

" in October 2001 and " Breathe in Now" in February 2002. From this time the band toured heavily. The band's first album, ''

'', debuted at No. 1 on the national album charts in its first week; George became only the tenth Australian band to do this with a debut album. ''Polyserena'' was certified double platinum and spent 36 weeks in the top 50. In January 2003, the band joined the

Sydney Symphony Orchestra The Sydney Symphony Orchestra (SSO) is an Australian symphony orchestra that was initially formed in 1908. Since its opening in 1973, the Sydney Opera House has been its home concert hall. Simone Young is the orchestra's chief conductor and f ...

over two nights (23 and 25) to perform ''

Concerto for Group and Orchestra ''Concerto for Group and Orchestra'' is a live album by Deep Purple and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Malcolm Arnold, recorded at the Royal Albert Hall, London, in September 1969. It consists of a concerto composed by Jon Lord, ...

'' by

Jon Lord John Douglas Lord (9 June 194116 July 2012) was an English orchestral and rock composer, pianist, and Hammond organ player known for his pioneering work in fusing rock with classical or baroque forms, especially with the British rock band Deep ...

. The band is the only rock group other than

Deep Purple Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock music, but their musical style has changed over the course of its existence. Originally formed as ...

to perform the piece. It was typical of the band's eclectic approach combining classical, rock, funk, jazz and even electronic music. George released the album ''

Unity Unity may refer to: Buildings * Unity Building, Oregon, Illinois, US; a historic building * Unity Building (Chicago), Illinois, US; a skyscraper * Unity Buildings, Liverpool, UK; two buildings in England * Unity Chapel, Wyoming, Wisconsin, US; a ...

'' in February 2004 and it debuted at No. 5 on the Australian album chart of 1 March 2004. Katie Noonan said on the band's website that the title reflected the band's approach on the album. "That family vibe brings a closeness and honesty that permeates what we do. Collectively and individually, we've been through a great period of change and growth. Knowing we can look to each other for strength brings comfort and solidarity. We have all been through the same thing and there's an incredible sense of union from that experience - that's what being in a band's about." George performed live in

on 22 December 2004. Following this, the band took a break while individual members attended to their own projects. While there were no immediate plans to regroup and perform, or to record new material, the band intended to make a comeback at some stage. The band reformed for a performance on the forecourt of the Sydney Opera House on 27 January 2005. In 2016, the band was announced to perform at Victoria's Queenscliff Music Festival, the band's first performance in 11 years. The band also put on a 20th-anniversary celebration at the Concert Hall, QPAC, during the Brisbane Festival on 9 September 2016. Following their performance at

Taronga Zoo Taronga Zoo is a zoo located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, in the suburb of Mosman, on the shores of Sydney Harbour. The opening hours are between 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Taronga is an Aboriginal word meaning 'beautiful water view'. It ...

in 2017, the group once again folded and returned to their individual careers. In 2021, the band announced a reunion to play a residency at the Brisbane Powerhouse to play ''Polyserena'' in its entirety.

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums

Extended plays

Singles

Awards and nomination

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 ...

are annual awards, which 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 ...

. george have been nominated for 8 awards. , - ,

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a multi-national coalition in an invasion of Afghanist ...

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Album of the Year Album of the Year, often abbreviated to AOTY, may refer to: Awards * ARIA Award for Album of the Year, Australia * Brit Award for British Album of the Year, UK * Grammy Award for Album of the Year, US * Juno Award for Album of the Year, CA * Lati ...

, , , - , Best Group , , , - , Best Pop Release , , , - , Breakthrough Artist – Album , , , - , David Nicholas and george for ''Polyserena'', , Producer of the Year , , , - , Chris Von Sanden for ''Polyserena'', , Best Cover Art , , , - ,

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight ...

, , ''

'' , , Best Adult Contemporary Album , , , -

References

External links

Official websiteOfficial MySpace
{{DEFAULTSORT:George (Band) Australian rock music groups ARIA Award winners Irish-Australian culture Musical groups from Brisbane Musical groups established in 1996 Musical groups disestablished in 2017