ORIGINS: Chatswood, NSW
GENRE: Punk
YEARS ACTIVE: 1996-1998
MEMBERS:
- David 'Gus' Gustafson - Bass
- Nick McCauley - Vocals, Guitar
- Luke Hegarty - Drums
RELEASES:
- 1. Divet
- 2. Not My Enemy
- 3. Proof
- 4. Caramel Sundae
SUMMARY: Box 144 were a Chatswood ska-punk band who played pretty regularly in the mid-'90s. Two members of the band went on to form The Mad Dash.
SHOWS:
- Jack's Island Cafe, Hornsby - 16th August, 1998
ORAL HISTORY:
NICK: I knew that I wanted to play in a band and was really into music. I think it was in Year 8 or Year 9 that we started - there was a band comp at school and I'm pretty sure we decided to start before this. We won that band competition and first prize was a day in the Sony Recording Studios with a sound engineer. I remember being there until very late. Our first take we got a dressing down from the engineer, who told us to be more professional. We were probably nervous as fuck.
Nick McCauley (Vocals, Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2025
REVIEW: Box-144 played a funky, punky, ska mix and they were received well by the crowd, who really got into it.
Review of Jack's Island show, Bastard Child website, 1998
NICK: There were a few shows that felt good. I think there was one at Macquarie Uni and one in Hornsby. Playing at school was fun but super nerve-wracking. I mostly remember the bad shows... we had a gig in a nightclub at Newtown. Our mates needed to be smuggled in the back door as we were all underage. The monitor wasn't working that night so I couldn't hear anything, which made it impossible to play.
Nick McCauley (Vocals, Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2025
GUS: We were a three piece punk-ish band influenced by Op Ivy, Slapstick, Less Than Jake, Voodoo Glow Skulls. Loin Groin, Dr Raju, and Madness. We named ourselves after a car parts manual for a Volvo 144 - randomly flicked to a page and chose it because we couldn't agree on a name! We managed to win the school band comp and the prize was recording at Sony Studios. We used to play with bands like Peabody, TUBbH, Odd One Out, and The Shirkers. The band finished around the time we also finished school. The drummer Luke and me went on to start The Mad Dash later but he bailed not long into it while we were still getting everyone together.
David 'Gus' Gustafson (Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2025
NICK: Looking back it was a great experience and a lot of fun. It's nice to listen to the music now without being too judgemental. Thirty years helps with that. It's actually pretty cool that we did this when we were so young - what a great experience. I can totally recognise the influences from the bands we were all listening to at the time.
Nick McCauley (Vocals, Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2025
RELATED BANDS: The Mad Dash, Dr Raju, Odd One Out, Step Too Far
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