Big Pig
| Big Pig | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Melbourne, Australia |
| Genres | Funk, rock, pop |
| Years active | 1985–1991 |
| Labels | White/Mushroom, Festival, A&M |
| Associated acts | Scratch Record Scratch, Bang |
| Past members |
|
Big Pig were an Australian funk, rock and pop band that existed from 1985 to 1991. An early line-up was Sherine on lead vocals and percussion (ex-Editions, Bang); Tony Antonaides on vocals and harmonica; Neil Baker on drums; Nick Disbray on vocals and percussion; Tim Rosewarne on vocals and keyboards (ex-Bang); Adrian Scaglione on drums; and Oleh Witer on vocals and percussion (ex-Bang). They issued two albums, Bonk (March 1988) and You Lucky People (15 November 1990), on the White Records Label imprint of Mushroom Records.
Bonk reached No. 8 on the ARIA Albums Chart in June 1988 and No. 4 on the Kent Music Report. In New Zealand it peaked at No. 2. On the Kent Music Report they had three top 50 singles with "Hungry Town" (May 1986) which peaked at No. 18, "Breakaway" (February 1988) at No. 8, and "Big Hotel" (July) at No. 40. In New Zealand "Breakaway" was a number-one hit while "Hungry Town" and "Big Hotel" both reached the top 30. At the ARIA Music Awards of 1987 Big Pig were nominated for Best New Talent and Best Video for "Hungry Town" by Julie Stone Productions, and they won Best Cover Artist for their debut self-titled extended play (May 1986) by Witer.
In 1984 Big Pig were formed in London by visiting Australian drummer, Oleh Witer (ex-Scratch Record Scratch, Bang), with a variable line-up of eight or nine drummers. In 1983 Witer had relocated from Melbourne to London.
I'd been in four bands and nothing had really come of it. I put loads of effort into each group, and at the end we'd have nothing to show for it, except a lousy demo or something. And I thought, 'Well, right, if I'm gonna do it again, I'm gonna do it on my own terms completely. I'm going to write all the songs, I'm going to create something that's very different and I'm not going to compromise at all on my ideas.' And that's really what sparked it off.
Inspired by a performance of Japanese taiko drummers Witer formed Big Pig: "When I saw them, the key to it was orchestration – that each guy had his own part. There was no improvisation at all. So from that point on, I knew how to do it. It was just a matter of getting the right people". The initial incarnation involved eight or nine drummers, with Witer trying to sing over the poly-rhythmic din; while members of the band came and went. At an early gig Witer's former band mate, Sherine, attended and subsequently joined the ensemble. As a vocalist, she had been a member of various groups: Grand Wazoo, The Editions, Bang, Big Choir, Bob Starkie Shape Up, Gospel Truth, Jo Jo Zep Band, Black Coffee, Dianna Boss and The Extremes, and The Rock Party. In 1988 Sherine recalled "I started joining bands eight years ago, as long as the music was high-energy, really strong, that was the criterion". She had also toured with INXS as a backing vocalist. Another early member was Nick Disbray on vocals and percussion.
...
Wikipedia