Epicure was an Australian progressive rock band formed in Ballarat in 1996, originally called Pima's Little Finger. Their original line-up was Juan Alban on vocals and guitar, Tim Bignell on bass guitar, Michael Brown on guitar, Luke Cairnes on guitar, and Dom Santamaria on drums. "Armies Against Me" and "Life Sentence", were picked up by national youth radio station Triple J; these songs appeared on The Goodbye Girl (March 2004), their third album. Both tracks were listed on the Triple J Hottest 100, 2003, whilst the title track of their next extended play, Self Destruct in Five (October 2004), made the Triple J Hottest 100, 2004.
In late 2003, they supported United States rock group Live on their Australian tour. They played at the Big Day Out festival in January 2004 and at both Falls Festivals in December. The group disbanded in mid-2010 after a final tour, Quietly into the Night.
History
Epicure started in 1996 as a school rock band, Pima's Little Finger, with its five original members being Juan Alban, Michael 'Brownie' Brown, Tim Bignell, Dom Santamaria and Luke Cairnes. They played their first gig at the Dunnstown Football Club and were booed off stage in favour of Cold Chisel. They released their first recording in 1996, a demo tape entitled The Least of These. Their base in Ballarat's local live music scene was The Rat at the Bridge Mall Inn (now closed). After they released their first extended play, The Means to an End (1997), they were signed to Flugelhorn Records and managed by Mark Eatock, who bought the Bridge Mall Inn in early 1999. Triple J radio helped bring Epicure to the Australian consciousness when they added "Feet from Under Me" and "Johnny Venus" to their playlists in 2000. Both appeared on their debut album, Fold (August 2000).
Shortly after the release of their second EP, Elevator (October 2001), Brown and Cairnes both left and were replaced by Dan Houlihan on lead guitar and Dean Shannon on keyboard. This brought a new feeling to the band, and Shannon became popular with the crowds for his showmanship. In the same month, they issued their second album, Airmail, which is a compilation of their previous EPs. Their third EP, Life Sentence, was independently released with distribution by MGM on 1 September 2003. It peaked at No. 77 on the ARIA Singles Chart. It was recorded by Cam MacKenzie, with tracks mixed by producer Chris Dickie. The band spent 2003–04 touring Australia, particularly in regional areas. They supported shows by Pete Murray, the Beautiful Girls, Xavier Rudd, the Whitlams, and Monique Brumby. In February 2010, the band announced their final tour, Quietly into the Night, before disbanding in May.
Members
- Juan Alban (Vocals/Guitar) 1996–2010
- Tim Bignell (Bass) 1996–2010
- Dom Santamaria (Drums) 1996–2010
- Michael Brown (Guitar / Misc Sounds) 1996–2001
- Luke Cairnes (Guitar) 1996–2001
- Dean Shannon (Keyboard) 2002–2004
- Dan Houlihan (Guitar) 2002–2005
- Heath McCurdy (Keyboard) 2004–2009
- Mick Hubbard (Lead Guitar) 2005–2009
- Josh Murphy (Lead Guitar) 2009–2010
Discography
Studio albums
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" border="1"
|+ List of albums, with Australian chart positions
! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:12em;" | Title
! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:16em;" | Album details
! scope="col" colspan="1" | Peak chart<br />positions
|-
! scope="col" style="text-align:center;" | AUS<br />
|-
! scope="row" | Fold
|
- Released: August 2000
- Format: CD
- Label: Flugelhorn (FH0005)
| align="center" | -
|-
! scope="row" | The Goodbye Girl
|
- Released: March 2004
- Format: CD
- Label: Epicure (EPI 003)
| align="center" | 88
|-
! scope="row" | Main Street
|
- Released: October 2005
- Format: CD
- Label: Epicure (EPI 005)
| align="center" | -
|-
! scope="row" | Postcards from a Ghost
|
- Released: October 2008
- Format: CD
- Label: Epicure (EPI 007)
| align="center" | -
|}
Compilations
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" border="1"
|+ List of compilations albums, with selected details
! Title
! Details
|-
! scope="row" | Airmail
|
- Released: October 2001
|-
! scope="row" | The Means to an End
|
- Released: 1997
- Format: CD
- Label: Flugelhorn
| -
|-
! scope="row" | Elevator
|
- Released: October 2001
- Format: CD
- Label: Flugelhorn
| -
|-
! scope="row" | Armies Against Me
|
- Released: 2002
- Format: CD
- Label: Epicure (EPI 001)
| -
|-
! scope="row" | Life Sentence
|
- Released: September 2003
- Format: CD
- Label: Epicure (EPI 002)
| 77
|-
! scope="row" | Self Destruct in Five
|
- Released: October 2004
- Format: CD
- Label: Epicure (EPI 004)
| -
|-
|}