Tuesday, March 29, 2016

PHILIPPA NIHILL


Philippa Nihill was a vocalist, guitarist and keyboard player with 90s band The Underground Lovers. During her tenure they won Best New Artist at the ARIA Awards for their self-titled debut, and supported The Cure and My Bloody Valentine on their Australian tours of that year.

In January 1992 they entered the studio with producer Wayne Connolly (also of The Welcome Mat), and cut their more layered and experimental second album, Leaves Me Blind. The album came out first in the UK in August through the short-lived 4AD imprint Guernica. By that stage Polydor had signed the Underground Lovers in Australia, going on to release Leaves Me Blind locally in December.

Following an extensive tour of the UK and North America for the first half of 1993, the Underground Lovers enlisted Melburnian electronic producers David Chesworth and Robert Goodge (ex-Essendon Airport) for work on their third album. Richard Andrew left the band around this time. Newcomer, Derek Yuen took his place. Dream It Down would surface in 1994, spawning the Triple J favorite "Losin' It". The album was both critically acclaimed and the band’s biggest commercial success. The band quit Polydor in 1995 and, in a quest for more artistic freedom, set up their own Mainstream label (in conjunction with the big-league indie, Rubber Records).

Also produced by Wayne Connolly, Rushall Station, which came out in April 1996, was their most 'bare bones' recording since their debut. Philippa Nihill left the band during the recording of the album (though she recorded vocals for two tracks).

After officially leaving Underground Lovers in 1996, Philippa Nihill released the Dead Sad EP in November 1996 and a full-length album A Little Easy in 2000.

In October 2003 Rubber Records released the first GB3 album Circlework which was a collaboration with Philippa Nihil land Glen Bennie.

The second GB3 album Emptiness Is Our Business was issued to critical acclaim in August 2006. The collaborators on the album were Sarah Blasko, Steve Kilbey, Philippa Nihill,Grant McLennan of the Go Betweens, ex-Frente! vocalist Angie Hart, Sianna Lee from Love Outside Andromeda, Stephen Cummings, and Adalita from Magic Dirt amongst others.

A third GB3 album, Damaged/Controlled, released in 2010, was largely co-written and recorded with Steve Kilbey. Philippa Nihill provided vocals for the track "Nectarine", which was also accompanied by an animated video created by Maurice Argiro.

She also collaborated with Australian singer and film maker Paula Kehoe on the Saoi CD This Drowning Is Dreaming in December 2006.

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