Noogie

Nick Hyde Vocals, Guitar, Songwriter
Alex van Wensveen Bass
Mike Jeffery Guitar
Chuck Ridler Drums

If the band’s spirited debut album, Learn To Swim, is any indication, NOOGIE is something of a marvel. The Australian foursome is a young rock band that has an energetic and catchy sound with a noisy clamor and persistent melodies.

In the song “Remote Controller (TV Screen),” NOOGIE sings of what could become a self-fulfilling prophecy (“Three years since we started/This teenage dream/And now it looks as if it could be ours”).

NOOGIE is already catching on in Australia, where the single “I’d Rather Float,” which appears on the Grow Your Own 3 compilation, earned heavy radio rotation with its punk-influenced pop styling. They then released a five-song EP on the independent label Foghorn. It yielded the hit single “Danger,” which landed the band airplay on Australia’s famed Triple J radio, with the video appearing on the country’s MTV and popular television programs ABC’s “Rage” and Channel 10’s “Ground Zero.”

Such early success would be an impressive feat for anyone, never mind a group of high school friends in a Sydney northern beach community who have only been together as band for three years. With an average age of 19-years-old, the band is still unfettered by life’s often burdening complexities. “We like to drive around, play soccer, hang out with our friends and surf whenever possible – when we are not working on our music,” says lead singer, guitarist and primary songwriter Nick Hyde.

This is a group where skateboarding is as much a mode of local transportation as it is a sport. It is all about youthful restlessness. There was the time they kind of high-jacked a parent’s car for a last minute gig in Canberra. To expedite the trip they decided to see how fast the car would go. “It maxed out at over 180 kilometers per hour,” laughs drummer Chuck Ridler. “It is truly a wonder that we didn’t get into an accident or even get a ticket.” “My parent’s car hasn’t been the same since,” grins Nick. Finally able to hang out in their favorite pubs, while only a year ago their gigs were occasionally cancelled because they were underage (legal drinking age is 18), the band can now cause real trouble with the local “chicks.”

“We all went to school together, and got together as a band in 10th grade,” Chuck recollects. “We started playing at parties for our friends, and wound up putting out an EP.” The EP led to a worldwide deal with Trauma Records.

NOOGIE has delivered a debut full-length record that is packed full of tight, well-crafted songs expressing both the disillusionment of adolescence and a concern for the greater world…enough to convince anyone that the band isn’t hatched in a laboratory. “It may seem like things have happened really fast for us,” says Nick. “But we practiced and worked hard to get really good as a band, and it paid off.”

Known locally for their strong live performances, they have shared the stage with Grinspoon, Ammonia and Guttermouth as well as supporting Fuel at The StormAid Benefit this past year.

“Growing up we listened to Crowded House and The Beatles a lot, and then we got into bands like Blur, NOFX, Green Day and Radiohead,” Nick remembers. “We’ve always been into a pretty broad range of music, and I think that shows on our record,” says Chuck. “We started off as more of a punk band than we are now. Melody is more important to what we’re doing,” Nick explains.

The roiling guitars of the anthemic “I’d Rather Float” speak of restlessness and confusion, while the haunting “Remote Controller (TV Screen)” draws parallels between television-enforced inertia and the helplessness of a doomed relationship. The irresistibly catchy “Danger” details a dissolving friendship with unblinking accuracy.

The premiere single “Meantime” tackles relationships and overcoming “word games.” “It’s about the way I used to verbally confuse how I felt about a girlfriend that I really cared about,” confesses Nick.

“Mr. Fabulous” pokes fun at a rival band. “There was another band around our high school at the same time, and they were always high and mighty about how good they were,” says Nick. “At least I haven’t gotten punched yet,” he laughs.

NOOGIE will now take the battle to America. “America is definitely a new frontier for us,” states Nick. “That was really always our aim, to go to America and conquer…And to meet girls.”