Frenzal Rhomb are an Australian punk rock band that formed in 1992 in Sydney. The band's current lineup consists of lead vocalist Jason "Jay" Whalley, guitarist Lindsay "The Doctor" McDougall, drummer Gordon "Gordy" Forman, and bassist Michael "Dal" Dallinger. Though the band's mainstream success has been minimal, four of the group's albums have entered the top 20 on the ARIA Albums Chart: A Man's Not a Camel (1999), Smoko at the Pet Food Factory (2011), Hi-Vis High Tea (2017) and The Cup of Pestilence (2023). Hi-Vis High Tea charted the highest of these, peaking at number nine in the charts. The group has also supported Australian tours by American punk bands such as The Offspring, Bad Religion, NOFX, The Lawrence Arms and Blink-182. Frenzal Rhomb have also toured in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, South Africa and Taiwan. The band has undergone several line-up changes, with lead vocalist Jason Whalley serving as the band's sole constant member.

History

1992–1995: Formation to Coughing Up a Storm

Frenzal Rhomb formed in 1992 in the Sydney suburb of Newtown with Alexis 'Lex' Feltham on bass guitar and Jason 'Jay' Whalley on vocals.

By 1993, the group's line-up was Feltham, Whalley, Ben Costello on guitar and Karl Perske on drums. According to the band's website, US gigs were dropped after Whalley suffered a heart attack in late 1999 and the group spent the first few months of 2000 inactive.

thumb|upright|225px|[[Lindsay McDougall on lead guitar at No Sleep Til Festival, December 2010.]]

Lead singer Jay Whalley announced on 26 February 2013 that the group was forced to cancel its recent tour after surgeons discovered and removed a pig tapeworm egg from his brain.

Drummer Gordy Forman broke his arm in multiple places after stage diving during a performance in Perth in 2015 and spent about 18 months recovering. The band continued to play live with Kye Smith (of Local Resident Failure) filling in on drums. Smith had previously paid tribute to Frenzal Rhomb as part of his "5 Minute Drum Chronology" series on YouTube.

To celebrate the band's 25th anniversary Frenzal Rhomb toured Australia in 2016. Fans were offered the opportunity to select songs in the set list by voting for their favourite songs on the band's Facebook page. The band also released a best-of album, entitled We Lived Like Kings, We Did Anything We Wanted, on 19 August.

2017–2023: Hi-Vis High Tea

Frenzal Rhomb's ninth studio album, Hi-Vis High Tea, was released on 26 May 2017 on CD, LP (vinyl) and digital download. It was once again recorded in The Blasting Room by Bill Stevenson. The album's first single, "Cunt Act," was released on the same day; as well as a national run of dates with Totally Unicorn.

After 17 years, Tom Crease departed the band in mid-2019 due to ongoing hearing problems. He was replaced by Michael "Dal" Dallinger, formerly of Newcastle punk band Local Resident Failure – coincidentally, a band named after a Frenzal Rhomb song. The band then performed at the 2020 Hotter Than Hell festival, which ended up being their last shows for over a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The band made their live return at Melbourne's 170 Russell on April 23, 2021. A national tour followed in May, including performances at the festivals Full Tilt and Spring Loaded.

2023–present: The Cup of Pestilence

In late 2022, the band confirmed that they were at work on an album. On 15 February 2023, the band announced their tenth studio album, The Cup of Pestilence, which was released on 7 April. The announcement came with the release of its opening track and lead single, "Where Drug Dealers Take Their Kids". On 22 March 2023, Frenzal Rhomb released their second and last song from the album and single, "Thought It Was Yoga But It Was Ketamine".

Band members

Current members

  • Jason "Jay" Whalley – lead vocals, occasional guitar <small>(1992–present)</small>
  • Lindsay "The Doctor" McDougall – guitar, backing vocals <small>(1996–present)</small>
  • Gordon "Gordy" Forman – drums <small>(1998–present; hiatus 2015–2016)</small>
  • Michael "Dal" Dallinger (AKA Dal Failure) – bass, backing vocals <small>(2019–present)</small>

Former members

  • Alexis "Lex" Feltham – bass, backing vocals <small>(1992–2002)</small>
  • Ben Costello – guitar <small>(1992–1996)</small>
  • Bruce Braybrooke – drums <small>(1992–1993)</small>
  • Karl Perske – drums <small>(1993–1995)</small>
  • Nat Nykyruj – drums <small>(1995–1998)</small>
  • Tom Crease – bass, backing vocals <small>(2002–2019)</small>

Former touring musicians

  • Kye Smith – drums <small>(2015–2016, occasional fill-in gigs)</small>

Timeline

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Discography

Studio albums

  • Coughing Up a Storm (1995)
  • Not So Tough Now (1996)
  • Meet the Family (1997)
  • A Man's Not a Camel (1999)
  • Shut Your Mouth (2000)
  • Sans Souci (2003)
  • Forever Malcolm Young (2006)
  • Smoko at the Pet Food Factory (2011)
  • Hi-Vis High Tea (2017)
  • The Cup of Pestilence (2023)

Awards and nominations

ARIA Music Awards

The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music. They commenced in 1987.

!

|-

|rowspan="2"|1999

| "You Are Not My Friend"

| Breakthrough Artist – Single

|

|rowspan="2"|

|-

| A Man's Not a Camel

| Best Rock Album

|

|-

|2000

| "Never Had So Much Fun"

| Best Pop Release

|

|

|-

References

;General

  • Note: Archived [on-line] copy has limited functionality.

;Specific

  • Official Facebook
  • Fat Wreck Chords
  • Official website, 2001 archived by PANDORA on 29 August 2001.
  • 30 years of Frenzal Rhomb – J Files special on Double J from June 2022
  • Frenzal Rhomb's singer Jason Whalley and guitarist Lindsay McDougall perform at Big Day Out, Melbourne, Victoria, 2005. A photo by Martin Philbey at Digital Collections by National Library of Australia
  • Frenzal Rhomb website