Silverchair: reviews, quotes and essential works on DeBaser

The Profile

Silverchair are an Australian rock band formed in Newcastle in 1992 by Daniel Johns, Ben Gillies and Chris Joannou. They broke through as teens with Tomorrow and the debut album Frogstomp, later expanding their sound on Neon Ballroom and Diorama before going on hiatus in 2011.

Members: Daniel Johns (vocals, guitar), Ben Gillies (drums), Chris Joannou (bass). Breakthrough single: Tomorrow. Notable singles include Freak, Ana's Song (Open Fire), The Greatest View and Straight Lines.

Three DeBaser reviews sketch Silverchair from teenage post-grunge upstarts to a band flirting with orchestral textures. Frogstomp wins praise for impact and youthful punch, while Freak Show takes heavy flak for derivative grunge formulas. Neon Ballroom earns respect for a darker, orchestrated breadth. Expect Nirvana/Soundgarden comparisons, but also note the band’s evolution.

Notable Quotes

❝ Sycophants, brazen robbers, wave-riding surfers of stolen currents, yet still likable, these Australians at their debut, dated 1995.

❝ that’s not just grunge; it’s beyond, it’s an imitation of grunge, it’s grunge to the nth degree, it’s grunge like a record executive would want grunge to be: verse chorus chorus chorus chorus.

❝ 12 tracks, 12 moods, the storm and the ensuing calm; the atmosphere that combines hard guitar arrangements with classical orchestrations of strings and piano makes the listening experience unique in its genre; a consistently personal concentration where we find moments of psychological anger, but also catchy moments of sweetness...