From Brixton to Brisbane..
THE WHATS are Tim Steward, guitar & vocals, and Dean Shwereb, the drums.
Their other band Screamfeeder were on tour in the UK in 2004 when their friend Jane Gazzo (ex recovery / JJJ) called up and said “do you want another gig?”. They agreed to the show without even thinking that the other half of Screamfeeder were flying home to Australia that very morning.
However after you’ve been playing in foreign countries for a month anything goes, and it was agreed to do a Screamfeeder show as a 2 piece. Tim and Dean caught the tube from Brixton to Ladbroke Grove with all their gear and had the best gig of their whole tour.
When they got back to Brisbane they decided it had been too much fun not to do it again.
Unlike most two piece bands who feel the need to play more to make up for their lack of personnel THE WHATS keep the music minimal, tight, economical and punchy, veering sharply towards the “less is more” philosophy.
Over the following 12 months the duo wrote and recorded their debut 13 track album “All Mouth No Trousers”.
ALL MOUTH NO TROUSERS
Unlike most two piece bands who feel the need to play more to make up for their lack of personnel THE WHATS keep the music minimal, tight, economical and punchy, veering sharply towards the “less is more” philosophy.
Tim, vocalist and guitarist, fails to reserve his honest and deliberate vocal approach. The melodies clearly stem from a lifetime of running home from school with worn-out Chuck Taylors and an unwashed Sex Pistols t-shirt to listen to old punk and indie music through oversized headphones. The lyrics spill out naturally and sometimes rushed, showing that Tim may have more to say than he has time to do so.
“It is spontaneity, intensity and enthusiasm that oozes out from this debut release, All Mouth and No Trousers. Make no mistake; this is genuine, original music, It is unashamedly bold, a little bit pop, genuinely rough and a lot of fun..
This album is a reminder that honest, three chord rock can still be entertaining and engaging, and relaxed but passionate. Clearly, the Whats have stumbled across something right. It would be a shame if this were the band’s only release..” fasterlouder.com.au
The band have played around Australia, as well as in Japan, Singapore and the UK. They have supported The Violent Femmes, Wolfmother, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, Holly Golightly and Regurgitator.
In 2011 THE WHATS announce their second release A Bit Of Everything With THE WHATS, featuring a new and vastly different sound, with way less emphasis on guitars.
