Cherub Mafia

ORIGINS: Cranebrook, NSW

GENRE: Nu-Metal, Metal

YEARS ACTIVE: 2000-2002

 

MEMBERS:

• Patrick Orriss (Vocals)
• Aaron Schliepper (Guitar)
• Scott Belshaw (Bass)
  
• Kurt Reichel (Drums)
• Ryan Marsden (Guitar) [2000-2002]
• James Gatt (Guitar) [2002]
  
• Chris McMahon (Backup Vocals)
  

SUMMARY: Cherub Mafia were a metal band that came out of Cranebrook High School. They began playing shows after transitioning from playing covers to their own original songs. Internal tensions within the band led to a new name, Hardkore Pawn (HKP for short), before things eventually fizzled out. They did not do any recordings.

 

SHOWS: 

• Skatefest, St Clair - November, 2000
• Monkeyfest, Lower Blue Mountains Neighbourhood Centre, Blaxland - 16th December, 2000
• Top Deck, Judge's Carpark, Penrith - 7th April, 2001
  
• Gearin Hotel, Katoomba - 14th July, 2001
  
• Youth Centre, Erskine Park - 8th September, 2001
• Kelts Bar, Blaxland - 18th October, 2001
• Battle of the Bands Grand Final, Great Western Bar, Penrith - 31st October, 2001
• Channel Cafe, Penrith - 17th November, 2001 (as Hardkore Pawn)
  

 

ORAL HISTORY:

KURT: Ryan, Aaron and myself went to the same high school and in our mid teens we started hanging out at the Backyard Cafe and socialising with the old Mondo crew. Scott and Patrick came around to my place one day where we were jamming in my garage. They were listening to us play and asked us if they could join and complete a five piece band. We were totally up for it, jamming together on Metallica, Slipknot, Korn, and Sepultura covers. One day we decided to write our own songs... we all had our input and then the songs were born.

Kurt Reichel (Drums), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

 

SCOTT: Pat, Kurt, myself, and Ryan used to hang out at the Backyard Cafe with everyone else. I think Pat and Ryan were keen to start a band... We just started fucking around and one night at Pablo's (Save Some For Daddy) joint we were all pretty soused and I pointed at a Christmas decoration his mum had in the house of all these little cherubs pointing violins downwards. I said, "It's a cherub mafia". 

Scott Belshaw, Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

KURT: My earliest memory of a show was a gig in Blaxland Community Hall. Small venue, only a crowd of maybe 30 people, and 3 bands - all local. A lot of hairspray went into my hair, to try and make it stand up straight like an '80s mohawk!

Kurt Reichel (Drums), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

 

REVIEW: Cherub Mafia was an assault. I found their influences a little too obvious, but no doubt with time these guys will have a lot more to say for themselves.

Review of Monkeyfest, Obzine Issue 18, February 2001

 

 

SCOTT: It was great times. I was like 16 and going to the Great Western Bar for the open mic night where we'd scam jugs and then win the case of beer and hammer it afterwards. 

Scott Belshaw, Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

KURT: Chris McMahon from Thy Art is Murder was a groupie and wanted so badly to be a part of the band. We didn't know where he would fit in, so we just had him as a stage performer doing whatever he wanted to get the crowd going, and he would help out Patrick with growling vocals. 

Kurt Reichel (Drums), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

REVIEW: Then there was the circus bonanza that was Cherub Mafia. It was somewhat strange that the most hyped and successful band of the day was only fourth in a lineup of seven bands. Sprinkling their set of brand spanking new originals with one or two covers (including a great version of Coal Chamber's 'Loco'), dressed in an assortment of bright colours and bizarre costumes, and throwing out free slices of cheese to the punters, they managed to pull an astoundingly huge crowd. One of their original songs, 'Serenity Suffering', really impressed me too.

Review of Judge's Carpark show, Obzine Issue 20, June 2001

KURT: It was just a bunch of fun hanging out with the best of mates all the time, having a reasonably large following, being recognised by people around town. We even put a colour theme together... I was Blue, Ryan was Red, Scott was Purple, Pat was Green, and Aaron was Orange. We wore those colours on stage and Ryan loved Slipknot so much that he wore a red jumpsuit on stage.

Kurt Reichel (Drums), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

RELATED BANDS: Thy Art is Murder, Vanity Star, Dyasphere, Tocata, The Black Arts Movement, Laura Mosa, Evolvar, The Arbitrary Method, Casa Del Disco, Notion