The Herd (Australian band)
{{Short description|Australian hip hop group}}
{{more citations needed|date=October 2012}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{Use Australian English|date=June 2011}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = The Herd
| image = The Herd onstage Metro Theatre 22 October 2005.jpg
| caption = The Herd performing live on stage at the Metro Theatre in October 2005
| image_size =
| landscape = yes
| background = group_or_band
| alias =
| origin = Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| genre = Australian hip hop
| years_active = 2001–2013
(Reunions: 2018, 2019)
| label = Elefant Traks
| associated_acts = Blades of Hades
| website = [http://www.theherd.com.au/ Official site]
| current_members = Traksewt (Kenny Sabir)
Rok Poshtya (Dale Harrison)
Ozi Batla (Shannon Kennedy)
Urthboy (Tim Levinson)
Unkle Ho (Kaho Cheung)
Toe-Fu (Byron Williams)
Sulo (Richard Tamplenizza)
Jane Tyrrell
| past_members = Bezerkatron (Simon Fellows)
Alejandro (Alex Swarbrick)
Flatmax (Matt Flax)
}}
The Herd were an Australian hip hop group formed in Sydney 2001. The group employs a "full band" format and is recognised for its live shows. The Herd is composed of Ozi Batla, Urthboy, Berzerkatron (MCs), Unkle Ho (beats), Traksewt (piano accordion, clarinet and beats), Sulo (beats and guitar), Toe-Fu (guitar), Rok Poshtya (bass) and singer Jane Tyrrell. The band's songs often feature politically oriented lyrics.{{cite web|title=Urthboy & Ozi Batla |url=http://www.localnoise.net.au/site-directory/interviews/urthboy-ozi-batla/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121231090040/http://www.localnoise.net.au/site-directory/interviews/urthboy-ozi-batla/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=31 December 2012 |work=Local Noise |publisher=Local Noise |accessdate=4 October 2012 |author=Tony Mitchell |date=13 October 2004 }} The group has been largely inactive since 2013, reuniting for select performances.
History
=2001–2004: ''The Herd'' & ''An Elefant Never Forgets''=
The Herd released their debut single "Scallops" in 2001. The song attracted radio airplay on Australian station Triple J. The song combines hip hop culture with Australian "fast food" descriptions including "Like a $3.40 bag of fresh hip hop, From your local fish n' chip shop, Ah Scallops! With dollops of flavour on top, When we do what we do we give heads the bops"{{cite web|title=The Herd - Scallops lyrics|url=http://rapgenius.com/The-herd-scallops-lyrics|work=rapgenius|publisher=Genius Media Group Inc|accessdate=24 September 2012|year=2012}}
The band's second album, An Elefant Never Forgets was released in 2003. The first single "Burn Down the Parliament", was released the same week as the Canberra bushfires of 2003, despite the unfortunate coincidence, the song's lyrical content was completely unrelated to the natural disaster.{{cite web|author1=Bianca, Adair |title=Aussie Hip Hop – The Next Generation with The Tongue |url=http://www.icrates.org/aussie-hip-hop-the-next-generation-with-the-tongue/ |website=iCrates |publisher=iCrates |accessdate=21 October 2014 |date=15 February 2012 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141022013342/http://www.icrates.org/aussie-hip-hop-the-next-generation-with-the-tongue/ |archivedate=22 October 2014 }} The second single "77%", became a prominent song featuring the line: "77% of Aussies are racist"—the lyric is a reference to 2001 Australian survey results regarding the response of the Australian Federal Government, led by then-prime minister John Howard, to the Tampa affair. "77%" was voted into position 46 of the Triple J Hottest 100 of 2003 and, as of October 2004, the album remained in the Australian alternative charts for over 80 weeks.
In a 2004 interview with Dr Tony Mitchell from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), Ozi Batla explained:
I think the big challenge for Australian hip-hop is for it to expand on those 3000 people who will always buy the CD. The question people have to ask themselves is, who are the other 35000 odd people who bought the Hilltop Hoods album? It's such a small insular and at times disturbingly ignorant little slice of Australia that I think we'd just be banging our heads against the wall trying to get through to those 15-year-old kids. Yeah, I don't know. There's always that responsibility of just trying to keep it true, even though we don't focus on that as much as a lot of acts do, I think it's always in the back of everyone's mind – probably whatever art form it is – that if they really love the art form that they're attempting or drawing influences from then, you know, everyone is always really quite sensitive about other people's perceptions in that culture or community. I think that's the only responsibility, and obviously not to sell out is the other one. But that is pretty unlikely. And I'd say to hopefully bring more people in and that'll change the culture of it, or it'll make that more ignorant style of the culture a bit more isolated. I don't know, to tell you the truth, sometimes I don't feel like we're part of the community that's there at all. And neither are a lot of the artists we know, and even the artists that are respected in that community just throw their hands up and go 'Look, I stopped trying to deal on that level with those fans a long time'".
=2005–2007: ''The Sun Never Sets''=
The Herd released their third album The Sun Never Sets in 2005, featuring the single "We Can't Hear You". Their subjects ranged from their well-known anti-war stance and anti-corporatism to more personal topics like divorce and the slow death of the Australian outback/country.
In October 2005, The Herd featured live on Triple J's 'Like a Version' (acoustic covers) segment. They performed their own version of the famous Australian 1983 song "I Was Only Nineteen (A Walk in the Light Green)" by Redgum. The song was so well received by fans that it received regular Triple J airplay and was voted #18 in the 2005 Triple J Hottest 100 countdown. They have since recorded a studio version which was included on the 2006 re-release of The Sun Never Sets, and they have also created a video clip for the song. The Herd performed at The Big Day Out 2007. Simon Fellows (Bezerkatron) left the group in late 2006.
In February 2008 the group performed a song about recycled water on the ABC's Sleek Geeks programme.{{cite web|title=Sleek Geeks - Water|url=http://www.abc.net.au/tv/guide/netw/200802/programs/ZY8971A006D7022008T200000.htm|work=Sleek Geeks|publisher=ABC|accessdate=1 September 2012|author=ABC 1|date=7 February 2008}}
=2008–2010: ''Summerland''=
In May 2008, The Herd released its fourth studio album, Summerland.{{cite web |url=http://elevenmagazine.com.au/2008/03/17/new-album-for-the-herd/ |title=New album for the Herd |publisher=Eleven magazine |date=17 March 2008 |accessdate=2008-03-19 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080720170507/http://elevenmagazine.com.au/2008/03/17/new-album-for-the-herd/ |archivedate=20 July 2008}}{{cite web |url=http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/musicnews/s2156017.htm |title=The Herd promise new album soon |publisher=Triple J |date=6 February 2008 |accessdate=2008-03-19}} The first single from the album, "The King Is Dead", is a celebration of Australia's change in government with John Howard being replaced after 11 years as prime minister by Kevin Rudd.
The album debuted at number 7 on the ARIA Albums Chart,{{cite web|url=http://www.ariacharts.com.au/pages/charts_display_urban.asp?chart=1Q40RB&chart2=1R40RB |title=Top 40 Urban Albums chart |publisher=ARIA |accessdate=2008-10-20 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080711045442/http://www.ariacharts.com.au/pages/charts_display_urban.asp?chart=1Q40RB&chart2=1R40RB |archivedate=11 July 2008}} and is the first album by The Herd to feature singer Jane Tyrell as full-time member of the group. Previously, Tyrell had provided vocals for a few songs on The Herd's previous album, The Sun Never Sets.
=2011–present: ''Future Shade, Soul of my Soul''=
In celebration of 10 years since the group debuted, the band performed its first live shows in two years in April 2011.{{Cite web|url=http://www.elefanttraks.com/ |title=The Herd marks 10 years with new single & tour|publisher=Elefant Traks|date=March 2011|accessdate=23 March 2011}} The Herd released "The Sum of it All", the first single from the band's fifth album, Future Shade, on 21 March 2011,{{Cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/musicnews/s3157294.htm |title=The Herd premiere "The Sum of it All"|publisher=Triple J|date=7 March 2011|accessdate=23 March 2011}} The album was released in August 2011.
Better Live EP, a follow-up to Future Shade, was released the following year in March 2012.
The Herd performed at the WOMADelaide Festival, held at Botanic Park in Adelaide, Australia, in March 2013{{cite news|title=WOMADelaide festival 2013 – review|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/mar/11/womadelaide-festival-2013|accessdate=13 March 2013|newspaper=The Guardian|date=11 March 2013|author=Caspar Llewellyn Smith}} and at the tenth anniversary of the Australian hip hop festival Come Together in June 2013.{{cite web|title=Artists |url=http://cometogether.com.au/artists.html |work=Come Together |publisher=Come Together |accessdate=5 June 2013 |date=June 2013 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130428035736/http://www.cometogether.com.au/artists.html |archivedate=28 April 2013 }}
In June 2024, after nearly 12 years of inactivity as a group, (outside the few reunions they did) The Herd released "Soul of my Soul", a protest song against the Israel-Palestine war which features vocal contributions from Palestinian artists Sereen, Mo and Big Rigs. All proceeds from the song go towards [https://olivekids.org.au/ Olive Kids], an Australian foundation dedicated to funding support for Palestinian youth.
Activism
In September 2009, The Herd was involved in a controversy regarding the act's inclusion in the line-up for Coal to Coast, a regional youth festival held in Mackay, Queensland, with the local coal industry acting as the event's primary funding source. Concerned fans brought the issue of the Herd's involvement in the festival to the group's attention and the story received national coverage in the mainstream media and debate occurred on Hack, a popular program on national radio station Triple J. As a response, Urthboy released a statement of apology and declared the urgency of global warming; he explained that the group's booking agent, in addition to the Mackay Regional Council, failed to inform the band of the complete nature of the festival. The band proceeded to donate profits from the performance to Greenpeace, as part of the apology.
Twenty-nine hours before the band was due to perform, The Herd pulled out of the festival entirely, as the band members had discovered information—in multiple sources—that the festival was conceived of by Andrew Garratt, the Community Relations Officer at the Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal. Ozi Batla appeared on 'Hack' to discuss the band's decision to withdraw from the festival, alongside the Queensland Young Liberals leader, who disagreed with the group's decision, and the organiser of the festival.{{cite news|title=The Herd boycott concert - and coal|url=http://www.coffscoastadvocate.com.au/story/2009/09/18/headline-act-the-herd-bolts-from-festival-herd-bol/|accessdate=13 March 2013|newspaper=The Coffs Coast Advocate|date=18 September 2009|author=Bianca Clare}}{{cite web|title=The Herd boycott coal festival|url=http://www.sixdegrees.org.au/content/herd-boycott-coal-festival|work=Six Degrees Coal & Climate Campaign|publisher=Friends of the Earth Brisbane|accessdate=13 March 2013|date=18 September 2009|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130420075814/http://sixdegrees.org.au/content/herd-boycott-coal-festival|archivedate=20 April 2013}}{{cite news|title=The Herd puts green ban on coal festival |url=http://www.greenleft.org.au/2009/812/41768 |accessdate=13 March 2013 |newspaper=Green Left Weekly |date=26 September 2009 |author=Zane Alcorn |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20091211102403/http://www.greenleft.org.au/2009/812/41768 |archivedate=11 December 2009 }}{{cite news|title=Launching Coal to Coast Festival|url=http://www.dailymercury.com.au/story/2009/05/08/launching-coal-to-coast-festival/|accessdate=13 March 2013|newspaper=Daily Mercury|date=8 May 2009|author=Fallon Hudson}}
In response to the proposed dumping of around 3 million cubic metres of dredged seabed onto the Great Barrier Reef,{{cite news|title=Dredge dumping: just because you can doesn't mean you should|url=http://www.abc.net.au/environment/articles/2014/01/31/3935720.htm|accessdate=1 February 2014|newspaper=ABC News|date=31 January 2014|author=Dermot O'Gorman}} a legal team was formed by World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)-Australia and the Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) in late 2013/early 2014.{{cite web|title=Home|url=http://fightforthereef.org.au/|work=Fight for the Reef|publisher=Australian Marine Conservation Society|accessdate=3 March 2014|date=3 March 2014}} The legal team received further support in April 2014, following the release of the "Sounds for the Reef" musical fundraising project. Produced by Straightup, the digital album features The Herd, in addition to artists such as John Butler, Sietta, Missy Higgins, The Cat Empire, Fat Freddys Drop, The Bamboos (featuring Kylie Auldist) and Resin Dogs. Released on 7 April, the album's 21 songs were sold on the Bandcamp website.{{cite web|title=Artists United for the Great Barrier Reef|url=http://pbsfm.org.au/node/34381|work=PBS|publisher=Progressive Broadcasting Service Cooperative Ltd|accessdate=15 April 2014|date=7 April 2014}}{{cite web|title=Sounds for the Reef|url=http://soundsforthereef.bandcamp.com/releases|work=Sounds for the Reef on Bandcamp|publisher=Bandcamp|accessdate=15 April 2014|date=7 April 2014}}
Side projects
In April 2005, Unkle Ho released his debut solo album Roads to Roma.[http://www.unkleho.com/unkleho/?section=music Unkle Ho] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070829085133/http://www.unkleho.com/unkleho/?section=music |date=29 August 2007 }} The album samples music from a wide variety of international musical genres, such as tango, mariachi, dixieland and blues rock.{{cite web|title=downunder underground|url=http://wayneandwax.blogspot.com/2005/12/downunder-underground.html|work=wayne&wax|publisher=Google, Inc|accessdate=13 March 2013|author=wayne&wax|date=29 December 2005}} According to the Elefant Traks website, "[Unkle Ho's] strategy for world peace is to write a song that has every culture in the world represented, so people will drop their guns and dance 'till they can't dance no more."{{cite web|title=Unkle Ho|url=http://www.elefanttraks.com/unkleho|work=Elefant Traks|publisher=Elefant Traks|accessdate=13 March 2013|year=2013}} Roads to Roma was acclaimed as "bewitchingly beautiful" by Rolling Stone magazine.[http://www.elefanttraks.com/chooser.cfm?view=releases&releaseId=52 Circus Maximus - Releases - Elefant Traks] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080719035914/http://www.elefanttraks.com/chooser.cfm?view=releases |date=19 July 2008 }} Unkle Ho's second album Circus Maximus was released in May 2007.{{cite web|title=Unkle Ho – Circus Maximus|url=http://www.discogs.com/Unkle-Ho-Circus-Maximus/release/979201|work=Discogs|publisher=Discogs|accessdate=13 March 2013|year=2013}}
In 2004, Urthboy released his first solo album, Distant Sense of Random Menace,{{cite web|title=Urthboy – Distant Sense of Random Menace|url=http://www.discogs.com/Urthboy-Distant-Sense-Of-Random-Menace/release/4579277|website=Urthboy on Discogs|publisher=Discogs|accessdate=2 August 2014|year=2014}} followed by The Signal (2007),{{cite web|title=Urthboy – The Signal|url=http://www.discogs.com/Urthboy-The-Signal/master/221969|website=Urthboy on Discogs|publisher=Discogs|accessdate=2 August 2014|year=2014}} Spitshine (2009),{{cite web|title=Urthboy – Spitshine|url=http://www.discogs.com/Urthboy-Spitshine/release/2119545|website=Urthboy on Discogs|publisher=Discogs|accessdate=2 August 2014|year=2014}} Smokey's Haunt (2012),{{cite web|title=Urthboy – Smokey's Haunt|url=http://www.discogs.com/Urthboy-Smokeys-Haunt/master/615939|website=Urthboy on Discogs|publisher=Discogs|accessdate=2 August 2014|year=2014}} Smokey's Homies Remix EP (2013){{cite web|title=Smokey's Homies Remix EP Urthboy|url=https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/smokeys-homies-remix-ep/id636325423|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140819082629/https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/smokeys-homies-remix-ep/id636325423|url-status=dead|archive-date=19 August 2014|website=iTunes Preview|publisher=Apple Inc|accessdate=2 August 2014|date=3 May 2013}} Live at the City Recital Hall Angel Place (2013),{{cite web|title=Live at the City Recital Hall Angel Place Urthboy|url=https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/live-at-city-recital-hall/id749498561|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140819082608/https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/live-at-city-recital-hall/id749498561|url-status=dead|archive-date=19 August 2014|website=iTunes Preview|publisher=Apple Inc|accessdate=2 August 2014|date=29 November 2013}} The Past Beats Inside Me Like a Second Heartbeat (2016) and Savour (2023).
In 2010, Ozi Batla released his debut album Wild Colonial,{{cite web|title=Wild Colonial Ozi Batla|url=https://itunes.apple.com/th/album/wild-colonial/id371935101|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140819082700/https://itunes.apple.com/th/album/wild-colonial/id371935101|url-status=dead|archive-date=19 August 2014|website=iTunes Preview|publisher=Apple Inc|accessdate=2 August 2014|date=14 May 2010}} while Tyrrell released her debut album Echoes in the Aviary in the second half of 2014.{{cite web|title=Best New Music - Erlend Øye, Interpol, Jane Tyrrell and more - July 28, 2014|url=http://doublej.net.au/news/features/best-new-music-erlend-ye-interpol-jane-tyrrell-and-more-july-28-2014|website=Double J|publisher=ABC|accessdate=2 August 2014|date=28 July 2014}}
Discography
=Studio albums=
=Live albums=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" border="1"
! scope="col" style="width:11em;"| Title ! scope="col" style="width:17em;"| Details |
| scope="row"| Better Alive
|
|
|---|
=Remix albums=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" border="1"
! scope="col" style="width:11em;"| Title ! scope="col" style="width:17em;"| Details |
| scope="row"| Trampled – The Elefant Traks Remix Album
|
|
|---|
=Single=
Awards and nominations
The song "A Thousand Lives" from "Future Shade" was a finalist in the International Songwriting Competition, where it received an honourable mention.{{cite web|title=International Songwriting Competition Previous Winners 2011|url=http://www.songwritingcompetition.com/previouswinners#2011|accessdate=25 January 2014}}
=AIR Awards=
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.
{{awards table}}
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2006{{cite web|url=https://www.air.org.au/awards/history|title=History Wins|website=Australian Independent Record Labels Association|accessdate=18 August 2020}}
|The Sun Never Sets
| Best Performing Independent Album
| {{nom}}
|-
| themselves
| Independent Artist of the Year
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2008{{cite web|publisher=Billboard.biz|title=Yunupingu Wins AIR Awards Triple|url=http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/content_display/industry/e3iebd6a39896504e50fda355ba222fdf10|date=25 November 2008|accessdate=2008-11-26}}
|Summerland
| Best Independent Urban/Hip Hop Album
| {{won}}
|-
| themselves
| Best Independent Artist
| {{won}}
|-
|Future Shade
| Best Independent Urban/Hip Hop Album
| {{nom}}
|-
{{end}}
=ARIA Music Awards=
The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music.{{cite web|url=http://www.ariaawards.com.au/history-by-artist.php?letter=H&artist=Herd%20%20The|title=ARIA Awards History|accessdate=2008-10-20}}
{{awards table}}
|-
| 2008
| Summerland
| {{nom}}
|-
| 2012
| Future Shade
| Best Urban Album
| {{nom}}
|-
{{end}}
=J Award=
The J Awards are an annual series of Australian music awards that were established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio station Triple J. They commenced in 2005.
{{awards table}}
|-
| 2005{{cite web|title = The J Award 2005|website = Triple J|url = https://www.abc.net.au/triplej/jawards/05/|publisher = Australian Broadcasting Corporation|year = 2005|accessdate =15 August 2020}}
|The Sun Never Sets
| Australian Album of the Year
| {{nom}}
|-
| 2008{{cite web|title = The J Award 2008|website = Triple J|url = https://www.abc.net.au/triplej/jawards/08/|publisher = Australian Broadcasting Corporation|year = 2009|accessdate =15 August 2020}}
|"2020"
| Australian Video of the Year
| {{won}}
{{end}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.elefanttraks.com/ Official site]
- {{musicbrainz artist | id=1f27b38b-eb34-4545-8d8c-f33b9015fa05 | name=The Herd }}
- {{musicbrainz artist | id=9b8c1662-ad83-41ab-8a73-071aad7d49e8 | name=Unkle Ho }}
- {{musicbrainz artist | id=b920f955-4fed-4979-bc69-344da1a1dac0 | name=Flatmax }}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Herd, The}}
Category:Australian hip-hop groups
Category:Musical groups from Sydney