Thursday, February 22, 2024

Heifer

 
ORIGINS: Lower Blue Mountains, NSW
GENRE: Alternative Rock / Metal
YEARS ACTIVE: 1992-2009
 
MEMBERS:
  • Matt Lyon (Bass) 
  • Andy Love (Guitar) [1992-2008]
  • Reuben Love (Drums) [1992-2008]
  • Mick Kemp (Vocals) [1993-1997]
  • Scott Floyd (Guitar) [1993-1996]
  • Rob Smith (Vocals) [1998-2009]
  • Cliff Newman (Guitar) [1996-2007]
  • Angie (Guitar) [2007-2009]
  • Adam Breakspear (Drums) [2008-2009]
  • Matt Sorrenson (Guitar) [2007-2009]
RELEASES: 
  • Mark Mark (2000)
    • 1. Mark Mark
    • 2. Stalker
    • 3. 2 Stroke Motor Hero
    • 4. Medication
    • 5. Reap
    • 6. Nancy Boy Surprise
    • 7. Prick

  • Go! (2001)
    • 1. Go!
    • 2. Shaken to the Core
    • 3. Go! [Radio Edit]
    • 4. Prick [Live]

  •  Black Skies Blue (2003)
    • 1. Black Skies Blue
    • 2. Drive Me Away
    • 3. Never Give Up
    • 4. Smiler
    • 5. Go

  • The Judas Belt (2006)
    • 1. Waiting for the Judas Belt
    • 2. Drowning in Lies
    • 3. Sit On the Fence
    • 4. Take It All
    • 5. Slippin' Away
    • 6. I Just Wanna Kill You
    • 7. Animosity
    • 8. One-Lane Brain
    • 9. Burning Time
    • 10. Sick of Your Shit
SUMMARY: Heifer was a fast-paced metal/rock band started by Reuben and Andy Love from Casino, the beef capital of NSW. After relocating to the Blue Mountains and joining forces with Matt Lyon, the band really hit its stride with a line-up shuffle in 1996/97 and then later the release of their first EP Mark Mark, in 2000, a CD recorded after the band won 10 hours of free recording time in a band comp at the Epping Hotel. The title track of this first EP received a lot of airplay on Triple J. Heifer signed a distribution deal with MGM for their first two releases and then picked up some other distribution deals with the release of their album in 2006. They toured Europe extensively around this time and also played Singapore. They called it a day just one year after another lineup shuffle in 2008
 
 
SHOWS: 

ORAL HISTORY:
MATT: We got a singer from another band I'd played in and that was the line-up for a year or two before we replaced the guitarist and singer with Cliff Newman and Rob Smith, all through Drum Media ads. Cliff was from Padstow and Rob was from the Central Coast. Rob was very committed, travelling to Sydney for our regular rehearsals!
Matt Lyon (Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 
ROB: I auditioned after responding to an ad in Drum Media in mid-1998. I had fronted an original band on the Central Coast called Malakye Grind until '96 and was sick of singing covers. Heifer gave me two original songs to learn and one song to write lyrics and melody for. I guess I did okay and got the gig.
Rob Smith (Vocals), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 
MATT: We won a bad comp... the 96.1 Band Comp at the Epping Hotel. We were pretty happy about that as we were up against some great bands like You Blabbed About Mars. We won 10 hours free recording time plus some airplay on 96.1.
Matt Lyon (Bass), Obzine Issue 6, 1999
 
ROB: The song Mark Mark... Three Hours of Power (Triple J Metal Show) played it first. Costa Zouliou played it and I was at home because he let us know beforehand. So stoked.
Rob Smith (Vocals), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 
MATT: A favourite memory is supporting Grinspoon at Evan Theatre, just when our song Mark Mark had been on high rotation on Triple J. All the crowd knew the song and it went off. Another memory is our second European tour... Cliff had left the band we had a female guitarist, Angie. The prisoners at the Supermax we played were all calling out from their cells, 'Leave the girl'! We had a ball in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. We built a little following in Berlin in just a couple of weeks and made some life-long friends in Germany.
Matt Lyon (Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 
REUBEN: One of the many highlights was three headline gigs in maximum security prisons in Hamburg, Dusseldorf and Stuttgart.
Reuben Love (Drums), Noise Levels discussion, 2024

RELATED BANDS: HorrorHead, Age of Menace, Malakye Grind, Desert Preacher Band, Lock Jaw Hardcore. 

FILM CLIPS:

 Mark Mark (2000)

  Go (2001)

Waiting for the Judas Belt (2006)

I Just Wanna Kill You (2006)
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