The Hampdens
| The Hampdens | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Perth, Western Australia, Australia |
| Genres | Indie pop |
| Years active | 2002–2010 |
| Labels | |
| Website | Official website |
| Past members |
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The Hampdens were an Australian indie pop band formed in Perth in 2002. They issued a studio album, The Last Party, in May 2008 before disbanding in 2010. During their career they performed in Australia and in London.
The Hampdens were formed in Perth in 2002 with a line-up of Gavin Crawcour on bass guitar, guitar, percussion and clarinet and Julian "Jules" Hewitt on piano, electric piano [Rhodes], bass guitar, Hammond organ, synthesiser, saxophone and percussion. Their name is from the fictitious, Hampden College, in Donna Tartt's 1992 novel, The Secret History, which describes a group of college kids embroiled in a pagan cult. Crawcour and Hewitt were soon joined by Susannah Legge on lead vocals and Andrew McDonald on lead guitar and backing vocals.
During 2002 they lived in a beach house where "they wrote, recorded and rehearsed for three months." Their debut independent extended play, Brightness Falls, was released in August 2003. The EP's six tracks were produced by Dave Parkin (Red Jezebel), at Blackbird Sound Studios, who also provided electric guitar and percussion. For the recording they were joined by Jordy Hewitt on backing vocals, Justin Smith on violin and session drummers, Mark Milentis and Tim Stacey, who replaced by Jon Elder on drums for live performances.
K. P. from Forte reviewed their debut EP and opined that, "[their] music often masks some dark lyrics, but whether it's funk, drums 'n' bass, or folk pop, every time Legge's voice appears its magic time!"The Sunday Telegraph's reviewer declared "this music sends tingles up your spine... [they] defy the nu-rock trend with their lush electronica and superb songs... Intelligent music with intelligent lyrics." The first run sold out within two weeks – a second run was pressed and subsequently sold out.
The group toured Australia with gigs in Perth, Sydney and Melbourne. They appeared on Francis Leach's programme, The Deep End, on ABC Radio National in October 2003. After a month-long residency at Melbourne's Duke of Windsor Hotel the band travelled to London to perform at the Barfly and the Metro in November. The Hampdens have played with Ben Lee, Evermore, John Mayer, Ray LaMontagne, Thirsty Merc, Sarah Harmer, george, Rob Thomas, and Missy Higgins.
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