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Magic Dirt is an Australian rock band, which formed in 1991 in
Geelong Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung language, Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in Victoria, Australia, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River (Victo ...
, 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 The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...
are '' Friends in Danger'' (1996), '' What Are Rock Stars Doing Today'' (2000), '' Tough Love'' (2003) and ''
Snow White "Snow White" is a German fairy tale, first written down in the early 19th century. The Brothers Grimm published it in 1812 in the first edition of their collection ''Grimms' Fairy Tales'', numbered as Tale 53. The original title was ''Sneewittch ...
'' (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 Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP) is a rare locally aggressive malignant cutaneous soft-tissue sarcoma. DFSP develops in the connective tissue cells in the middle layer of the skin (dermis). Estimates of the overall occurrence of DFSP in the U ...
(a soft tissue cancer). From 2010 to November 2018, the band were on hiatus.


History


Early days (1991–1993)

Magic Dirt formed as Deer Bubbles in 1991 in
Geelong Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung language, Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in Victoria, Australia, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River (Victo ...
, Victoria with Adalita Srsen on vocals and guitar, and Dean Turner on bass guitar. Within the same year, they started a new band, with transitory names such as "Detroit", "Brad" and "The Jim Jims", with guitarist Daniel Herring. Using the transitory name, "The Jim Jims", the band recorded a cover version of The Velvet Underground's "Heroin" for a Geelong compilation called ''Check This Action ... Let the Fun Begin'', released in 1992. After the addition of drummer Adam Robertson, they became known as Magic Dirt. Srsen told a fanzine in 1996, "...we used to be in a band before Magic Dirt called Deer Bubbles. Dean knew Daniel from skating, and then he moved in with us, and we'd play like one song for forty minutes, we just loved it. Then we wanted to find a drummer, and we went through about five, then we found Adam through a mutual friend and that was it. We only used to have three songs we used to play for an hour". Early in 1993, the band supported
Sonic Youth Sonic Youth were an American rock band formed in New York City in 1981. Founding members Kim Gordon (bass, vocals, guitar), Thurston Moore (lead guitar, vocals) and Lee Ranaldo (rhythm guitar, vocals) remained together for the entire history of ...
and Pavement on their Australian tours. Later in the year, the band issued its debut single, "Supertear", for Fellaheen Records. By the time of its release in July, the band had broken up. However, they soon regrouped and signed with
Au Go Go Records Au Go Go Records is a Melbourne, Australia based independent record label. It was founded by Bruce Milne and Philip Morland from a house in Brunswick Street, Fitzroy in 1979 and was later operated by Greta Moon. The label started releasing ...
in November. Their first extended play, '' Signs of Satanic Youth'' appeared in December, with the track "Redhead" receiving airplay on
Triple J Triple J is an Australian government-funded national radio station founded in 1975 as a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). It aims to appeal to young listeners of alternative music, and plays far more Australian conten ...
radio.


The Au Go Go years (1994–1999)


''Life Was Better'' EP

In April 1994, Magic Dirt split however, the group again reformed and released a second EP, '' Life Was Better'' in November. The EP included the tracks "Ice" and "Amoxycillin" and debuted at No. 1 on the Australian
alternative music Alternative music may refer to the following types of music: *Independent music *Alternative rock *Alternative pop *Alternative R&B *Neo soul, sometimes known as alternative soul *Alternative reggaeton *Alternative hip hop *Alternative dance *Alter ...
chart. It remained on that chart for 75 weeks, eventually selling 20,000 copies. ''Life Was Better'' went on to receive four nominations at the ARIA Music Awards of 1995. In early 1995, the band performed on the
Big Day Out The Big Day Out (BDO) was an annual music festival that was held in five Australian cities: Sydney, Melbourne, Gold Coast, Queensland, Gold Coast, Adelaide, and Perth, as well as Auckland, New Zealand. The festival was held during summer, typi ...
festival tour across Australia, with
Hole A hole is an opening in or through a particular medium, usually a solid Body (physics), body. Holes occur through natural and artificial processes, and may be useful for various purposes, or may represent a problem needing to be addressed in m ...
(Magic Dirt also supported their other Australian shows) and
Silverchair Silverchair was an Australian Rock music, rock band, which formed in 1992 as Innocent Criminals in Newcastle, New South Wales, with Daniel Johns on vocals and guitars, Ben Gillies on drums, and Chris Joannou on bass guitar. The group got thei ...
. The success of ''Life Was Better'' had attracted international attention and Geoffrey Weiss, of Warner Music in the United States, traveled to Australia to see the band perform at the Big Day Out. Weiss negotiated a deal with their manager, Gavan Purdy and the band signed a two-album deal with Warner. In August 1995, Daniel Herring left the band. His final recording with the group was the 10" vinyl single, "I Was Cruel", which featured the words "Thankyou, Daniel. Goodbye" etched onto the vinyl. Dave Thomas, of fellow Geelong band
Bored! Bored (stylised as Bored!) were an Australian punk band formed in Geelong in 1987. The original line-up was Grant Gardner on bass guitar, Adrian Hann on keyboards, Justin Munday on drums, John Nolan on guitar (ex-Behind the Magnolia Curtain) and ...
, who had managed Magic Dirt at the early stages of their career, was recruited as Herring's replacement on guitar.


''Friends in Danger''

In late 1995, Dirt Records released the band's debut album in the US. The album was a compilation of their first two EPs, along with the track "Goofy Gumb", and titled simply '' Magic Dirt''. In March, Magic Dirt began recording their debut album proper, '' Friends in Danger'', in Sydney with Paul McKercher (
You Am I You Am I are an Australian power pop band, fronted by its lead singer-songwriter and guitarist, Tim Rogers. They formed in December 1989 and are the first Australian band to have released three successive albums that have each debuted at the ...
) producing.McFarlane
'Magic Dirt'
entry. Archived fro
the original
on 13 August 2004. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
The music style was a reaction to the accessibility of their earlier material. While Warner had expected more songs in the vein of "Ice", the band offered tracks like the 8-minute "Bodysnatcher". Warner were less than impressed, and went so far as to offer the band additional time and money to re-record the album. The band refused, and when ''Friends in Danger'' was released in September, the label put little effort into promoting it. According to rock music historian,
Ian McFarlane Ian McFarlane (born 1959) is an Australian music journalist, music historian and author, whose best known publication is the ''Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop'' (1999), which was updated for a second edition in 2017. As a journalist ...
, " tmatched the band's fearless experimentation with a dark, unhinged sound that went from moments of eerie near-silence to full-tilt guitar noise". ''Friends in Danger'' peaked at No. 25 on the
ARIA Albums Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...
, and went on to sell 10,000 copies in Australia, helped along by "Sparrow", the album's most accessible track. The group toured North America supporting
Archers of Loaf Archers of Loaf is an American indie rock band originally formed in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, in 1991. The group toured extensively and released four studio albums, one compilation, numerous singles and EPs, and a live album which was release ...
and promoting ''Friends in Danger'' later in 1996. Warner still refused to promote the album and they were dropped by the label. Since the band had a two-album deal, Warner paid them for the second album, despite the fact that they did not release it.


''Young & Full of the Devil''

In January 1997, Magic Dirt again performed on the Big Day Out tour. In July, Thomas left and his replacement on guitar was Spanish-born Raúl Sánchez – former front man of Melbourne band, Muffcake. The group began recording its second full-length record, '' Young & Full of the Devil'', at Birdland Studios with producer Lindsay Gravina. They followed with a three-week tour of the United Kingdom (where they appeared on
John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), better known as John Peel, was an English radio presenter and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original disc jockeys on BBC Radio 1, broadcasting regularly from ...
's BBC radio show) and continental Europe in the later half of the year. Subway Records in Germany released an updated version of the band's US debut, with new artwork and two additional tracks. The group ended 1997 with a new single, "Rabbit with Fangs", and a national tour supporting Silverchair, playing large arenas around Australia. April 1998 saw the release of '' Young & Full of the Devil'', which peaked at No. 100. The album continued the unsettling, fuzzy sound of the debut, and sold 10,000 copies in Australia. Another single, "She-Riff" was released – in a new and more polished recording – with a video depicting Srsen re-enacting a scene from the 1975 Australian film '' Picnic at Hanging Rock''. ''Young & Full of the Devil'' was the last release by the band on Au Go Go Records. Turner and Srsen undertook two side projects. The first was Seaville - a project with Mérida Sussex from The Paradise Motel, which issued the ''Swan Song'' EP in 1998. The second project was with Ronin System, which resulted in the single, "Expectations" in 1999. Without a label, the band supported themselves by touring throughout much of 1999.


The East West years (2000–2006)


''What Are Rockstars Doing Today''

In 2000, Magic Dirt signed a recording contract with
East West Records East West Records (stylized as east''west'') is a record label formed in 1955, distributed and owned by Warner Music Group, headquartered in New York City. History After its creation in 1955 by Atlantic Records, the label had its first hit wit ...
, and began recording their third album, '' What Are Rock Stars Doing Today'' with Phil Vinall (
Placebo A placebo ( ) can be roughly defined as a sham medical treatment. Common placebos include inert tablets (like sugar pills), inert injections (like saline), sham surgery, and other procedures. Placebos are used in randomized clinical trials ...
) producing. Released in October, '' What Are Rock Stars Doing Today'' reached the top 40. It signalled a dramatic shift in the band's sound. Gone were the fuzzy guitars and feedback. In its place was slick production and poppy hooks. Longtime fans of the band weren't sure what to make of lead single, " Dirty Jeans", with its hand claps and sing-a-long chorus. Tracks such as "Pace It" and "City Trash" proved that the band could still rock, however they did receive some backlash, with some fans labelling them "sell-outs". Triple J put " Dirty Jeans" on high rotation and it reached No. 12 in the year's
Hottest 100 The Triple J Hottest 100 is an annual music poll presented by the publicly-funded Australian youth radio station Triple J. Members of the public are invited to vote for their favourite Music of Australia, Australian and alternative music of th ...
. The year ended with a national tour supporting
Powderfinger Powderfinger were an Australian Rock music, rock band formed in Brisbane in 1989. From 1992 until their break-up in 2010, the line-up consisted of vocalist Bernard Fanning, guitarists Darren Middleton and Ian Haug, bass guitarist John Collins ...
and
Jebediah Jebediah are an Australian alternative rock band formed in 1994 in Perth, Western Australia. They were formed by Chris Daymond on lead guitar, Bob Evans (musician), Kevin Mitchell (aka Bob Evans) on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, and Vanessa T ...
. 2001 and 2002 saw the band touring in the wake of ''What Are Rock Stars Doing Today''. They launched their Love Ya & Leave Ya Tour - the largest the group had done up until that point – which saw them on their first trip to New Zealand. The City Trash Tour with The Nation Blue and
Girls Against Boys Girls Against Boys is a post-hardcore band which formed in Washington, D.C., and subsequently relocated to New York City shortly after their formation in 1989. The band released albums on the labels Adult Swim, Touch and Go Records, Geffen Rec ...
followed in June–July 2002. They started recording demos for a fourth album early in the year – tracks such as "Love Me" and "Sarah May" from these sessions were later released as B-sides. Later that year, the band made its second trip to the UK, where '' What Are Rockstars Doing Today'' had been released on Sweet Nothing Records. In 2002, Magic Dirt appeared on the "World of Instruments" segment of ''
John Safran's Music Jamboree ''John Safran's Music Jamboree'' (or just ''Music Jamboree'') was a light-hearted Australian music documentary television series, hosted by John Safran for SBS television. The program was produced by Richard Lowenstein, Selin Yaman and Ghost P ...
'', where they played " Dirty Jeans" using Indonesian gamelans – struck instruments including
metallophone A metallophone is any musical instrument in which the sound-producing body is a piece of metal (other than a metal string), such as tuned metal bars, tubes, rods, bowls, or plates. Most frequently the metal body is struck to produce sound, usual ...
s and xylophones.


''Tough Love''

In early 2003 Magic Dirt started recording its fourth album, '' Tough Love'', at Birdland Studios in Melbourne, again produced by Lindsay Gravina. It was released in August and peaked at No. 15. It carried on the band's new slicker sound, although tracks like the epic "Brat" recalled the band's early days. Originally, no commercial singles were to be released from the album. After the success of the radio-only singles "Vulcanella" and "Watch Out Boys", " Plastic Loveless Letter" was officially released. It became the band's biggest hit to date, reaching No. 34 on the ARIA Singles Chart. ''Tough Love'' was nominated at the ARIA Music Awards of 2003 for Best Rock Album. It was re-issued in 2004 as two disc set containing their ''Live at the Wireless'' session on Triple J in 2003. In 2004, Sánchez issued a solo album, ''Midnight Woolf'', a self-recorded swamp blues instrumental release on his own Crossbone Recording Company. Sánchez formed the Midnight Woolf band and performed several gigs in Melbourne. In August, Turner produced the debut album, ''Peapod'', for Sydney-based group, theredsunband.


''Snow White''

In September 2005, Magic Dirt released their fifth studio album, ''
Snow White "Snow White" is a German fairy tale, first written down in the early 19th century. The Brothers Grimm published it in 1812 in the first edition of their collection ''Grimms' Fairy Tales'', numbered as Tale 53. The original title was ''Sneewittch ...
'', which peaked into the top 30. Australian (ARIA) chart peaks: *Top 50 peaks: *Top 100 peaks to December 2010: *"Life Was Better": *''Young & Full of the Devil'': It received critical acclaim, as a combination of the band's pop sound, their noisy early material, and new elements such as acoustic guitars. Lead single "Locket" made an impact on radio and music video channels, but its exposure was limited due to the explicit language in the song's chorus. "I Love the Rain" followed as the second single from the album. Neither single charted into the top 50. Speaking about the album, ''
Snow White "Snow White" is a German fairy tale, first written down in the early 19th century. The Brothers Grimm published it in 1812 in the first edition of their collection ''Grimms' Fairy Tales'', numbered as Tale 53. The original title was ''Sneewittch ...
'' is far more mellow and less angst-ridden than 2003's ''Tough Love''. Adalita Srsen told
The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria (Australia), Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Austral ...
"We're growing up more and you let go of those feelings, you're over and done with certain things and you don't go back there. So there's a lot of intense, deep feeling on the new record but it's not necessarily coming from an angry viewpoint. A lot of the album's about beauty and that's what I wanted to do, make a beautiful album." Aside from joining the Big Day Out tour again in January and February, 2006 was a quiet year for the band. Sánchez continued his work with Midnight Woolf. He re-assembled the band in Spain for a series of gigs, and they released a second album, ''Electric Deluxe Graveyard Blues''. Later in the year, two Magic Dirt tracks, "Sucker Love" (B-side to "Locket") and "Daddy" (from ''Life Was Better'') appeared on the soundtrack for the Australian film '' Suburban Mayhem'', plus a track from theredsunband, which had been produced by Turner. Also included were two solo contributions from Srsen, covers of "Sex Beat" and "Double Dare". "Double Dare" was released as a single in October. The tracks, produced by
Mick Harvey Michael John Harvey (born 29 August 1958) is an Australian musician, singer-songwriter, composer, arranger and record producer. A multi-instrumentalist, he is best known for his long-term collaborations with Nick Cave, with whom he formed The ...
(member of
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds are a Rock music, rock band formed in Melbourne in 1983 by lead vocalist Nick Cave, multi-instrumentalist Mick Harvey and German guitarist-vocalist Blixa Bargeld. The band has featured international personnel throug ...
, producer for
PJ Harvey Polly Jean Harvey (born 9 October 1969) is an English singer-songwriter. Primarily known as a vocalist and guitarist, she is also proficient with a wide range of instruments. Harvey began her career in 1988 when she joined local band Automat ...
), were the first solo material to appear from Srsen. Turner, Harvey and
Rowland S. Howard Rowland Stuart Howard (24 October 1959 – 30 December 2009) was an Australian rock musician, guitarist and songwriter, best known for his work with the post-punk group The Birthday Party (band), The Birthday Party and his subsequent solo career ...
also played on the tracks.


Emergency Music (2006–2009)

After leaving East West, Magic Dirt created their own label, Emergency Music in 2006. In October, Srsen announced the band's future activities, in an interview on Triple J's breakfast show. The band would release an EP, a mini-album, and then an album. A report in Sydney street press ''Drum Media'', indicated that the EP would be given away at shows and sold in selected independent music stores. The EP featured covers of
The Scientists The Scientists are a post-punk band from Perth, Western Australia, led by Kim Salmon, initially known as the Exterminators and then the Invaders. The band had two primary incarnations: the Perth-based punk rock, punk band of the late 1970s and ...
' "We Had Love" and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' "Stagger Lee", as well as a live re-recording of "Mother's Latest Fear" from ''
Snow White "Snow White" is a German fairy tale, first written down in the early 19th century. The Brothers Grimm published it in 1812 in the first edition of their collection ''Grimms' Fairy Tales'', numbered as Tale 53. The original title was ''Sneewittch ...
''. In 2007, the band embarked on two separate projects; an experimental all noise album ''Roky's Room'' EP and a heavier dark rock mini album, '' Beast''. Both were released on the band's own label Emergency Music in mid-2007. ''Beast'' harked back to the band's earlier, rawer material and featured original guitarist Herring on two tracks ("Horror Me" and a re-recording of "Sucker Love"). The single, "Bring Me the Head Of...", made little impact on radio, including Triple J, which had previously supported the band. The group spent the remainder of 2007 touring in support of ''Beast'', including an East Coast tour with The Beasts Of Bourbon – who were often joined on stage by Srsen – and Rowland S. Howard. In November 2007, the band began recording their sixth full-length album, ''
Girl A girl is a young female human, usually a child or an adolescent. While the term ''girl'' has other meanings, including ''young woman'',Dictionary.com, "Girl"'' Retrieved January 2, 2008. '' daughter'' or '' girlfriend'' regardless of age ...
'', which was released in July 2008. The album debuted at No. 7 on the Australian Independent Music chart. However, it did not reach the ARIA Albums Chart top 50. "Romy", lead single from the album, also failed to reach the related singles chart top 50. In support of the album, the group embarked on the No Sleep Til Christmas Tour, starting in July and ending in December 2008. The tour included dates in all major Australian cities, and a number of shows in regional centres. Playing bass on this tour was Melbourne musician Matt Sonic, as Turner was too ill to tour. To coincide with the tour, the band released a limited edition tour EP, available only at the shows. The second in a series of tour EPs (the first being the giveaway EP from 2006), the disc featured a cover of
Hard-Ons The Hard-Ons are an Australian punk rock band, that formed in 1982 in Punchbowl, New South Wales. Its founding members were Keish de Silva on lead vocals and drums, Peter "Blackie" Black on guitar and backing vocals, and Ray Ahn on bass guita ...
' "Suck N Swallow", a collaboration with Gareth Liddiard of The Drones, two outtakes left over from ''Girl'' and a track recorded at Birdland Studios in 2003.


Death of Dean Turner and hiatus (2009–2011)

Dean Turner died on 21 August 2009 of
dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP) is a rare locally aggressive malignant cutaneous soft-tissue sarcoma. DFSP develops in the connective tissue cells in the middle layer of the skin (dermis). Estimates of the overall occurrence of DFSP in the U ...
, a rare form of tissue cancer. He was 37 years old. Turner had been diagnosed nine years earlier. After Turner died, the band released a statement: Following Turner's death Magic Dirt performed a final tour in honour of his memory, culminating in their appearance at the 2010 Big Day Out festival. They also released a six-track EP, '' White Boy'', in November 2009. Srsen embarked on a successful solo career, while Sánchez formed a new band called River of Snakes.:


Reunion (2018–present)

In February 2018, Magic Dirt played a surprise small set at the end of an Adalita solo show at the Barwon Club in Geelong. In June 2018, the band were announced as a part of the 2019 Hotter Than Hell concert tour alongside
Spiderbait 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 Lea ...
,
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,
Bodyjar Bodyjar are an Australian pop punk band which formed in 1990. They began performing under the name Bodyjar in 1994; their previous names included Damnation (1990–91) and Helium (1992–93). The latter group released an album, ''You Can't Hold ...
and 28 Days. The band played their first official show since 2010 on November 18, 2018, at the River Rocks Rehab festival at the Barwon Club in Geelong. In December
2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
, the band were inducted into the National Live Music Awards Hall of Fame as the inaugural Live Legends. At the event, they told the crowd it was the first award of their career. February 2019 saw the band play alongside
You Am I You Am I are an Australian power pop band, fronted by its lead singer-songwriter and guitarist, Tim Rogers. They formed in December 1989 and are the first Australian band to have released three successive albums that have each debuted at the ...
at Taronga Zoo Sydney, and in March as part of
Golden Plains Festival The Golden Plains Festival is held over three days during the Victorian Labour Day long-weekend on private farmland in Victoria, Australia. The nearest rural town is Meredith, which is between the regional cities of Geelong and Ballarat. The ...
with
The Jesus and Mary Chain The Jesus and Mary Chain are a Scottish alternative rock band formed in East Kilbride in 1983. The band revolves around the songwriting partnership of brothers Jim and William Reid, who are the two founders and only consistent members of the ...
,
Liz Phair Elizabeth Clark Phair (born April 17, 1967) is an American rock singer-songwriter and musician. Born in New Haven, Connecticut, Phair was raised primarily in the Chicago area. After graduating from Oberlin College in 1990, she attempted to sta ...
,
Happy Mondays Happy Mondays are an English rock band formed in Salford in 1980. The original line-up consisted of brothers Shaun Ryder (vocals) and Paul Ryder (bass), Gaz Whelan (drums), Paul Davis (keyboard), and Mark Day (guitar). Mark "Bez" Berry la ...
and
Four Tet Kieran Miles David Hebden (born September 1977), known as Four Tet, is an English electronic musician. He came to prominence as a member of the post-rock band Fridge before establishing himself as a solo artist with charting and critically acc ...
. In late 2019, the band toured as part of the Scene and Heard festival alongside
The Dandy Warhols The Dandy Warhols are an American psychedelic rock, psychedelic/ band, formed in Portland, Oregon, Portland, Oregon, in 1994 by singer-guitarist Courtney Taylor-Taylor and guitarist Peter Holmström. They were later joined by keyboardist Zia Mc ...
,
Jebediah Jebediah are an Australian alternative rock band formed in 1994 in Perth, Western Australia. They were formed by Chris Daymond on lead guitar, Bob Evans (musician), Kevin Mitchell (aka Bob Evans) on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, and Vanessa T ...
,
Wolfmother Wolfmother is an Australian hard rock band from Sydney. Formed in 2004, the group is centred around vocalist and guitarist Andrew Stockdale, who is the only constant member of the line-up. The band has been through many personnel changes since t ...
and
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. The band were scheduled to perform at several festivals across Australia in 2020 and 2021, but many of these were cancelled or rescheduled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. The band later performed at several dates of the 2022 Spring Loaded Festival. With a large portion of their back catalogue out of print, the band also announced in November 2018 that they would be reissuing their ''Signs Of Satanic Youth'' EP, on vinyl, CD and digitally, in January 2019. The reissue campaign continued with ''Life Was Better'' (available on vinyl and streaming services for the first time) in January 2020, a 20th anniversary edition of ''What Are Rocks Stars Doing Today'' in October 2020, and ''Friends In Danger'' in July 2021. The reissue of ''Friends In Danger'' reached number 10 on the
ARIA Albums Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...
, their highest chart entry to date. ''Young And Full Of The Devil'' was reissued for its 25th anniversary in April 2023, reaching 78 on the
ARIA Albums Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...
In July 2022, the band embarked on their On The Road tour, their first headlining tour since reforming in 2018. The tour saw the band play several shows in New South Wales, along with dates in Canberra, Melbourne, Torquay and Adelaide. In June 2023, the band announced a national tour commemorating the 25th anniversary of ''Young and Full of the Devil'', playing the album in full. In September 2023, the band released a cover of The Saints' "
(I'm) Stranded ''(I'm) Stranded'' is the debut album by Australian punk rock group The Saints (Australian band), The Saints which was released by EMI on 21 February 1977. Their debut single, "(I'm) Stranded (song), (I'm) Stranded", was issued ahead of the album ...
", their first new music since 2009, for
Mushroom Records Mushroom Records was an Australian flagship record label, founded in 1972 in Melbourne. It published and distributed many successful Australian artists and expanded internationally, until it was merged with Festival Records in 1998. Festival ...
50th anniversary


Members

Current members * Adalita Srsen – vocals, guitar (1991–2011, 2018–present) * Raúl Sánchez – guitar (1997–2011, 2018–present) Current touring musicians *Steve Patrick – bass (2009–2011, 2018–present) *Andre Fazio – drums (2023–present) Former members *Daniel Herring  – guitar (1991–1995) *Dave Thomas  – guitar (1995–1997; d. 23 March 2020) * Dean Turner – bass guitar (1991–2009, d. 21 August 2009) *Dan McKay – drums (2022–2023, touring) *Adam Robertson – drums (1992–2011, 2018–2022)


Discography


Albums


Studio albums


Compilation albums


Extended plays


Singles


Notes


Album appearances


Awards and nominations


AIR Awards

The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as
AIR Awards The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known as AIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector. History The inaugural 2006 awards were held at Blacket Hot ...
) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector. (The commenced in 2006) ! , - ,
2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
, ''Girl'' , Best Independent Hard Rock/Punk Album , ,


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 o ...
. Magic Dirt have been nominated for 9 awards. ! , - , rowspan="4",
1995 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...
, rowspan="4", ''Life Was Better'' , Best New Talent , , rowspan="9", , - , Breakthrough Artist - Single , , - , Best Independent Release , , - , Best Alternative Release , , - ,
2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...
, ''What Are the Rock Stars Doing Today'' , Best Alternative Release , , - , rowspan="3",
2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...
, ''Tough Love'' , Best Rock Album , , - , Adalita and Steven Gorrow for ''Tough Love'' , Best Cover Art , , - , Lindsay Gravina for ''Tough Love'' , Engineer of the Year , , - ,
2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...
, Lindsay Gravina and Magic Dirt for ''Snow White'' , Producer of the Year ,


National Live Music Awards

The National Live Music Awards (NLMAs) are a broad recognition of Australia's diverse live industry, celebrating the success of the Australian live scene. The awards commenced in 2016. ! , - ,
2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
, Magic Dirt , Live Legends (Hall of Fame) , , , -


References

;General * Note: Archived n-linecopy has limited functionality. ;Specific


External links


Official website
*
Magic Dirt page
at Warner Music

J-File {{Authority control Australian indie rock groups Musical groups from Geelong Australian pub rock musical groups Man's Ruin Records artists Au Go Go Records artists Fellaheen Records artists