Bad Dreems (stylised as Bad//Dreems) are an Australian rock band from Adelaide, South Australia. The band comprises Ben Marwe (lead vocals, acoustic guitar), Alex Cameron (lead guitar, backing vocals), Alistair Wells (rhythm guitar, backing vocals) and Miles Wilson (drums). The band first formed in 2011, releasing their debut EP in 2013. They have released four studio albums to date, with all reaching the top 40 on the ARIA charts. The group have also performed alongside the likes of Midnight Oil, DMA's, the Scientists and the Chats, and have toured internationally on numerous occasions.
History
2011–2013: Origins and Badlands
Bad//Dreems were formed in the middle of 2011, after guitarist Alex Cameron had moved back to Adelaide following a stint in Melbourne as a member of indie-rock band Dardanelles.[1] While playing at a local football club, Cameron crossed paths with Ben Marwe, with whom he began writing songs. Soon, the pair were joined by drummer Miles Wilson and bassist James Bartold, who had both played with Marwe's brother Wolfgang in the now-defunct band The Shiny Brights.
Originally adopting the name Young'n, the group officially solidified their original lineup in August 2011, playing a small handful of shows around their native Adelaide and honing their skills in a warehouse next to the West End Brewery.[2] Influenced by an array of Australian artists from the '70s and '80s, including The Saints, Paul Kelly, and The Go-Betweens, as well New Zealand artists from the Flying Nun Records label, and similarly styled groups from the US, including the Wipers and The Replacements, Bad//Dreems' musical style was initially dubbed "outsider rock" by the press, though the group have since distanced themselves from this classification.[3]
Working with Johnny Mackay of Children Collide, Bad//Dreems recorded their first songs towards the end of 2011, releasing debut single "Chills" (paired with B-side, "Close2God") on January 3, 2012.[4]
In July 2012, Bad//Dreems released their next single, "Too Old".[5] The following month, the group embarked on their first large-scale tour of the country, performing across Australia with Dune Rats as the main support acts for Children Collide during their Monument album tour.[6]
Throughout the end of 2012 and the start of 2013, Bad//Dreems began working with Paul "Woody" Annison to record their debut EP, Badlands. Released in July 2013[7] via independent label Mirador Records, Badlands featured a re-recorded version of debut single "Chills", along with a handful of other singles, including "Tomorrow Mountain" and "Caroline", which were issued as singles.[7][8]
The following month, the band announced the release of new single "Dumb Ideas" and their subsequent signing to Ivy League Records.[10] The single was recorded in Melbourne with producer Mark Opitz, best known for his work with Australian acts such as INXS, Cold Chisel, and The Angels, and was issued as a double A-side 7" single with "My Only Friend" in August 2014.[11]
In October 2014, Bad//Dreems embarked on their first US tour, performing eight shows between Los Angeles and New York City, and playing alongside bands such as Tkay Maidza, Dune Rats and Cloud Nothings. For these US shows, guitarist Ali Wells played in Alex Cameron's stead due to his commitments as a surgeon. Wells would later repeat this in May 2015 during the group's debut UK tour, and would later occasionally step in at live shows for several years to play rhythm guitar – in turn, freeing up Marwe to focus solely on vocals.
In August 2015, the group released their debut album, Dogs at Bay. The record, recorded with both Opitz and Colin Wynne, debuted at #33 on the ARIA charts, and in 2021, was named in the "Honourable Mentions" section of Rolling Stone Australia's list of the 'Greatest Australian Albums of All Time'.[12]
In September 2015, the group played a headline show at Adelaide venue Fowler's Live which was recorded and released by local record label Rad Jams Exchange.[13] The following month, the group made their debut as part of triple j's Like a Version series, performing a cover of The Weeknd's "Can't Feel My Face" with guest vocals from Isabella Manfredi from Sydney outfit The Preatures.[14]
In November 2015, The Go-Betweens' Robert Forster guest-programmed an episode of Australian music programme Rage, broadcasting Bad//Dreems' "My Only Friend" and describing the track as "a masterpiece of Australian rock".[15] Two years later, Forster would join the band during their performance at the Splendour in the Grass festival, playing the song with the band, along with a version of The Go-Betweens' "Spring Rain".[16]
2016–2017: Gutful
In 2016, Bad//Dreems returned to the studio with Opitz and Wynne to record their second album, Gutful. The band gave fans their first taste of the new album in October 2016, sharing lead single "Mob Rule". The track was critical of racist attitudes throughout Australia, and was described as "painting a disturbing picture of dystopic Australia with pure pub rock perfection".[17]
In February 2017, the band shared their next single, "Feeling Remains". The single was also accompanied by a video which saw Bad//Dreems joined by former Recovery host Dylan Lewis as they performed a set in the style of the long-defunct programme.
Bad//Dreems released Gutful in April 2017, with the record debuting at #23 on the ARIA charts. In an interview released alongside the record, guitarist Alex Cameron explained that Gutful saw the band trying to push towards more of '70s-influenced post-punk sound, with the focus being that of capturing the group in their live element with little additional production.[18]
Later in 2017, Bad//Dreems were chosen as one of the support acts for the Adelaide leg of Midnight Oil's Great Circle tour, with the band opening Midnight Oil's first South Australian performance in 15 years alongside Spiderbait.[19] Also in 2017, Wells was inducted as a full-time member of Bad//Dreems, expanding the line-up officially to a five-piece.
2018–2019: Doomsday Ballet
2018 served as an uncharacteristically quiet year for Bad//Dreems, with the group performing less than ten public shows throughout the year. Towards the end of the year, the group entered Adelaide's Twin Earth Recording with Burke Reid and Jack Ladder to begin the recording of their third album.
In May 2019, the group were announced as the latest signing to Wollongong label Farmer And The Owl ahead of the release of their new album,[20] with lead single "Double Dreaming" released just weeks later.[21] The release of the single coincided with the band's second UK tour, which also featured two support performances for Midnight Oil during the band's appearances at the O2 Apollo in Manchester and the O2 Academy in Brixton.[22]
In October 2019, the group released their third album, Doomsday Ballet, with the record hitting #38 on the ARIA charts, and becoming their third consecutive release to chart within the top 40. In an interview conducted in support of the album, guitarist Alex Cameron explained that the record had emerged from roughly 100 different demos.[23] Meanwhile, a separate interview saw drummer Miles Wilson allude to a stylistic shift within the record's sound, explaining that the band's motto within the studio had been "less pub, more art", indicating a concerted effort to avoid being pigeonholed within the pub rock genre.[24]
In late December, the group's touring prospects were halted as a result of the 2019–20 Australian bushfire season. After the band's appearance at the Lorne edition of Falls Festival was cancelled,[27] the band took part in a fundraising concert alongside These New South Whales, Totally Unicorn, and Eaglemont. In February 2020, the group hosted their own Fire Aid benefit concert, featuring appearances from Pond, Children Collide, The Mark of Cain and West Thebarton. The concert would eventually raise more than $200,000 for the likes of BlazeAid, the CFS, and SAVEM.[28]
2020–2021: Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic
In early 2020, Bad//Dreems were one of the many artists affected by the sudden onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. In March 2020, the group were in the midst of another UK tour when the pandemic's impact necessitated a cancellation of all remaining dates and a return to Australia.[29] Frontman Ben Marwe later released a satirical song titled "I Wanna Self-Isolate With You", jokingly dubbing it "lyrically the best work we've done".[30]
In May, the group shared new single "Desert Television".[31] The track had been recorded with Rory Attwell during their time in London, and was released in the aftermath of being forced to cancel a number of regional tour dates[32] due to restrictions imposed as a result of the pandemic.
Bad//Dreems were forced to cancel a total of 22 tour dates throughout 2020, including numerous festival appearances and a full regional tour. The group took part in a number of livestreams during this time, including the Isol-Aid Festival, while Marwe also launched a semi-regular "Sunday Morning Songbook" series.[33] The group made their return to the live stage in November 2020 before embarking on the Small Town Big Sound tour in April 2021.[34]
In September 2021, Marwe announced the launch of his solo project, Wedding Motel.[35] His debut EP, Childhood Beach, was released in November, with the title track also featuring lyrics by Alex Cameron.[36]
2022–present: Hoo Ha!
In January 2022, Bad//Dreems revealed that they were in the process of writing and recording their fourth studio album, working with producer Dan Luscombe at Melbourne's Soundpark Studios[37] In August 2022, the band released the first single from their new album, with "Mansfield 6.0" receiving its debut airing on triple j's Home & Hosed on 3 August 2022.[38] That same month saw the band tour through the Northern Territory as part of the regional touring initiative Guts.[39] A second single, "Jack", followed in October ahead of a national tour in support of the band's two newly released tracks.[40]
In December 2022, bassist James Bartold announced that he was leaving the band in order to spend more time with his family.[41] Split System bassist Deon Salviero has since taken Bartold's place on the live stage, while Children Collide drummer Ryan Caesar briefly replaced Wilson during shows in early 2023.
On 3 March 2023, the group released "See You Tomorrow" and announced their fourth studio album Hoo Ha!, which was released on 19 May 2023[42]
Music style and influences
The band have cited a number of Australian and North American rock and punk bands of the 1970s and 1980s as their influences, with the likes of post-punk outfits the Wipers, Devo, Joy Division, Wire, and Television specifically informing their own self-described "rough and tumble brand of jangling rock and roll".[43][44] Likewise, their music itself has seen the band explore ideas of Australian dystopia and isolation, suburban ennui, and male identity, while their earlier work was said by guitarist Alex Cameron to have been inspired by the bizarre and darker side of Adelaide history such as the Beaumont children disappearance, The Family Murders, and the Adelaide Bikie Wars.[45]
As the group have continued, their musical influences and lyrical focuses have also expanded. A review for second album Gutful specifically noted that the band "can go from sounding like AC/DC to Nirvana and even Billy Joel", while also pointing out that the record saw the group "transcend" their earlier post-punk influences.[46]
In an interview surrounding the release of Doomsday Ballet, Cameron cited the likes of Brexit, the resurgence of Pauline Hanson, and the Presidency of Donald Trump as having influenced the political focuses on their third album, though he similarly denied the notion that Bad//Dreems had become a "political band".[44][47] Meanwhile, a contemporary review of the album saw the band's sound described as "new wave-cum-rock ‘n’ roll".[48]
The group have also been somewhat vocal against the idea of their music being pigeonholed under the all-encompassing genre of pub-rock. In 2017, Cameron explained to Vice that it "certainly isn't a term [they] ever felt comfortable with", while also stating the belief that "if people are going to judge you by an all-encompassing genre term then they can piss off".[49] In 2020, frontman Ben Marwe echoed Cameron's statement, explaining that Doomsday Ballet was composed with the idea of sounding "less pub, more sort of avant-garde art rock".[50]
Members
Current members
Alex Cameron – lead guitar, backing vocals (2011–present)
Ben Marwe – lead vocals, occasional acoustic guitar (2011–present), rhythm guitar (2011–2017)
The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as AIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector.
The National Live Music Awards (NLMAs) are a broad recognition of Australia's diverse live industry, celebrating the success of the Australian live scene. The awards commenced in 2016.
The South Australian Music Awards (previously known as the Fowler's Live Music Awards) are annual awards that exist to recognise, promote and celebrate excellence in the South Australian contemporary music industry. They commenced in 2012.[75]
