Leader Cheetah

Leader Cheetah were an Australian indie rock band from Adelaide, South Australia, formed in 2007 by members of defunct Adelaide bands Pharaohs and Bad Girls of the Bible. The band have toured nationally and appeared at festivals such as Splendour in the Grass, Big Day Out, St Jerome's Laneway Festival[1] and Come Together. The group released its debut studio album, The Sunspot Letters, in 2009, followed by their second album, Lotus Skies, in 2011. The group have also toured alongside such high-profile international acts as Interpol, Dinosaur Jr. and Dan Auerbach, Blitzen Trapper and Elbow. They disbanded in January 2016.

Leader Cheetah
OriginAdelaide, South Australia, Australia
Genres
Years active2007 (2007)–2016 (2016)
LabelsSpunk
Associated actsthe Pharaohs
Past members
  • Daniel Crannitch
  • Joel Crannitch
  • Mark Harding
  • Dan Pash
  • Tom Spall

History

Leader Cheetah were formed in Adelaide in 2007 by Daniel Crannitch on lead vocals and guitar, his brother, Joel Crannitch, on drums, Mark Harding on bass guitar and Dan Pash on lead guitar and harmonies.[2] The Crannitch brothers were members of the Pharaohs, a dance-rock band;[2] while Pash was a member of Bad Girls of the Bible.

Pash later recalled "We knew each other from playing around in bands, but I think we started really bonding over drunken musical chats and just discovered we had a shared love of all this classic '70s stuff. Classic songwriting and everything from Link Wray to Lee Hazlewood and all that '70s west-coast stuff. And of course the big one was Neil Young and Crazy Horse."[3]

In March 2009 the group independently released their debut album, The Sunspot Letters, which peaked at No. 64 on the ARIA Albums Chart.[2] It was preceded by promotional single,"Bloodlines", for which they were cited as one of Triple J's 'Next Crop' artist.[4] In the wake of the album's release Leader Cheetah embarked on a series of national tours alongside Cloud Control. Also in 2009 front man, Dan Crannitch, was a contestant on SBS music program, RocKwiz, alongside Sarah Blasko.[5]

The group released their second album, Lotus Skies, in July 2011, which debuted at No. 98.[6][7] One of its tracks, "Our Love", has feature vocals by Holly Throsby.[6]

In September 2011 they described Pash's hearing loss, "[a] combination of hearing damage and a congenital defect has eroded his hearing so badly he must wear earplugs and earmuffs whenever he performs or rehearses to protect what hearing he has left."[3] By December of that year they were performing acoustics sets with Pash replaced by Tom Spall on violin.[8]

They announced their disbandment in January 2016, "[it] feels like a good time to finally take the time and thank those involved with Leader Cheetah during its four and a half-year existence and say farewell. It was a hell of a ride and many amazing experiences were had."[9]

In mid 2016 Joel and Dan Crannitch reunited in Adelaide to form "The San Sebastian".[10] In May 2018 "The San Sebastian" released their first album, Alive on the Black Sea[11], produced by Phil Ek.

Members
  • Daniel Crannitch – vocals, guitar
  • Joel Crannitch – drums
  • Mark Harding – bass
  • Dan Pash – lead guitar, harmonies
  • Tom Spall – violin

References
  1. http://www.fasterlouder.com.au/news/local/11043/St-Jeromes-Laneway-Festival-locks-in-lineup.htm
  2. Wallace, Ian (23 March 2009). "Week Commencing ~ 23rd March 2009 ~ Issue #995" (PDF). The ARIA Report. Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) (995): 2, 6, 10, 13, 15, 21. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 March 2009. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  3. Roberts, Jo (2 September 2011). "Well ahead of the pack | Leader Cheetah". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  4. http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/events/ausmusicmonth_08/next_crop/leader_cheetah.htm
  5. http://www.sbs.com.au/rockwiz/past/757/Dan-Crannitch
  6. Wallace, Ian (25 July 2011). "Week Commencing ~ 25th July 2011 ~ Issue #1117" (PDF). The ARIA Report. Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) (1117): 2, 6, 8, 13, 15, 20. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 July 2011. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  7. "Chartifacts - Week Commencing: 25th July 2011". ARIA. Archived from the original on 22 February 2011. Retrieved 31 July 2011.
  8. Fuamoli, Sosefina (13 December 2011). "the AU interview: Dan Crannitch of Leader Cheetah (Adelaide)". the AU review. Heath Media. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  9. Staff Writer (12 January 2016). "Leader Cheetah Announce Break-Up". theMusic.com.au. Street Press. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  10. "The San Sebastian". triple j Unearthed. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
  11. "Alive on the Black Sea – Spunk Records". Retrieved 15 January 2020.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.