26Mar2000
- AUSTRALIA: CD reviews <return to top>
By KATHY McCABE and KATE PARSONS.
Live Without It, Killing Heidi (Roadshow)
AND the hits just keep on coming. The third single from their sensational
debut album Reflector shows the quartet can swing as well as they
can rock a la Screaming Jets style. Once again, Ella Hooper lets
fly with some soaring vocals but tempers the power with some stirring
soulful moments.
23Mar2000
- AUSTRALIA: Heidi-ho, Hobart <return to top>
NEW Australian supergroup Killing Heidi hits Hobart this weekend
for a performance showcasing its debut album, Reflector.
A combined underage and licensed performance is set to rock Hobart
City Hall Saturday night.
Reflector, recorded over eight months last year, is a mix of spirited
pop, crunching rock riffs and tender acoustic balladry.
Killing Heidi will also appear at Tracks Music store, Murray St,
at 2.30pm on Saturday, performing songs and signing CDs.
(C) 2000 Davies Brothers Limited.
Source: THE MERCURY (TASMANIA) 23/03/2000 P33
18Mar2000
- AUSTRALIA: Fairytale for Violet Town
<return to top>
By CARMEL EGAN.
A brother and sister from a small country town in Victoria have
become the country's biggest musical item. CARMEL EGAN looks at
the fairytale rise of Killing Heidi.
IT has been a purple patch for Violet Town. The last time the sleepy
hollow made the news was on February 7, 1969, when the southbound
Southern Aurora collided with a goods train.
Since then just about everything has passed by Violet Town and its
1000 residents, despite it being sandwiched between the two great
arteries linking Sydney and Melbourne.
The Hume Highway became a freeway so almost nobody stops anymore,
with the exception of express buses that pull into the local coffee
shop, and if you want to get on or off at the railway station you
have to book ahead.
Violet Town nestles quietly at the base of the Strathbogie Ranges
on the very edge of the great continental plain.
It is two hours' drive north east of Melbourne and half an hour
short of Benalla. A geographically isolated place where getting
your licence and access to a car is not so much right of passage
as a ticket to leave.
There are only 400-odd houses in the district and the hamlet itself
has streets named School Road, Long Gully and Happy Valley, Primrose,
Cowslip and Tulip.
But in 1995 the ABC's youth radio network Triple J started broadcasting
to Violet Town and its teenagers tuned in.
Jesse and Ella Hooper were among those who got wired into the latest
contemporary sounds.
The brother and sister had been raised on their parents' Van Morrison
and Bob Dylan records. Dylan's lyrics in particular were to impact
on young Ella and the folk sound the duo were developing would later
be easily adapted to rock played hard.
When Triple J picked up one of Jesse and Ella's own-penned tunes
the teenagers also picked up a manager and record contract rolled
into one.
Killing Heidi has now had a national No 1 single, Mascara, and their
debut album, Reflector, went straight to number one this week with
100,000 pre-booked sales.
Reflector was written nearly three years ago and recorded in the
summer of 1998-99, but held back while the teenagers grew in mind,
body and popularity.
Everybody has been waiting for Heidi to grow up.
ELLA, who usually carries the burden for interviews, still exudes
sweet 16 enthusiasm despite recently having turned 17.
As singer, lyricist and the one out front Ella attracts attention.
She tends to speak for the boys, including drummer Adam Pedretti
and bassist Warren Jenkin, although Jesse holds his own.
There is something about the girl with her dreadlocks and bare mid-riff,
the soft curves of her adolescence and all that energy. Boys are
mad about her, girls copy her and older commentators, who have forgotten
they were young once, look askance.
Initial criticism centred on her having been allowed to drop out
of school half-way through Year 11 (Jesse had at least completed
Year 12).
Then she made front-page news drinking champagne in the morning
celebrating becoming the first Australian band with a No 1 single
since Savage Garden three years earlier.
"I'm a perfect target: pierced, dreadlocked, teenage, alcoholic,
school drop-out (who) boozes it up in the morning," said Ella to
Melbourne's Herald Sun, unfazed by the moralising of radio talkback
callers and commentators.
"I'm just going to be who I am, which hopefully is cool."
Lately, it has also been suggested that Ella is being exploited
for her sexuality, a suggestion Jesse, Adam and Warren deeply resent.
"She is my sister," Jesse told one reporter.
That belly dancing is one of the dance forms Ella has studied might
help explain the beguilement, but she also mixes those age-old seduction
techniques with unsophisticated jumps and twirls in time with the
rock beat or emphasising the riff.
The Hoopers first performed on stage aged 15 and 13 at a festival
in Benalla. `They were both polite, intelligent children Jesse was
already playing guitar and when Ella started plucking out simple
melodies he was able to build them into tunes based on his own chord
structures.
They met producer Paul Kosky (who formerly worked with Crowded House).
He offered them a contract with his own Wah Wah Music label and
became their manager.
Kosky took Killing Heidi to Roadshow Music (who have Savage Garden
on their books) and got a distribution deal with Warners.
Their first single, Weir, was written about a local recreation spot
and the video that went with it featured their friends from high
school at Benalla.
The Hoopers were not typical country kids. They weren't into sport
for a start, didn't join the guides and scouts and say they grew
used to put-downs about their interest in music.
For Jesse, Violet Town was numbingly boring and music a means of
escape.
Jesse, who has said he felt like an outcast in the sports-mad town,
was amused by the Strathbogie youth award.
"I think we were the first non-sportspeople to be given it in the
last 4000 years," he told Melbourne's Age newspaper.
"But there's only four kids in the town and they rotate the award
every year."
And he was still smarting as he recalled for the newspaper being
heckled by sports jocks for being a "pussy guitar player".
It is not quite how the locals remember it though. The Hoopers received
plenty of encouragement and music was part of the local primary
school curriculum.
While sport was always the mainstay for teenage entertainment, other
children in the town also played musical instruments and formed
their own bands.
Residents express surprise at some of the comments made about their
community by the Hoopers, but stand by the teenagers nonetheless,
taking pride in their achievements.
Strathbogie Shire's manager of corporate services Alastair Pirie
for one believes the Hoopers put Violet Town back on the map ...
or, perhaps, on the map.
Being awarded Strathbogie Shire Youth Citizens of the Year award
this year was recognition of their acceptance.
Ella, at least, declared it mightily cool. "They were both polite,
intelligent children with a sense of humor," said primary teacher
Heather Bamford who described Jesse and Ella as A-grade students.
"I have been quite surprised by some of the comments, but I can
understand their attitude to sport.
"Jesse was always good on guitar and Ella was recognised as having
a really good voice even as a little girl.
"But everyone is very supportive, excited and pleased for their
sakes at their success.
"It has already been a long road for them."
In addition to offering support to the Hoopers, Violet Town is also
sanctuary.
They may have been busting to get out to the big wide world, but
when Jesse and Ella needed a break there is only one place they
wanted to go.
Home to Violet Town.
UNEARTHING
A WINNER FORMATION: Formed in Violet Town, Victoria, in 1996 by
sister and brother duo, Ella Hooper, 17, and her guitarist brother
Jesse, 19, one month before winning regional heat in Triple J's
Unearthed competition. CURRENT MEMBERS: Ella and Jesse Hooper, bass-player
Warren Jenkins and Adam Pedretti on drums. MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS: The
band's debut album, Reflector became the country's top selling album
last week. Its current single, Mascara became No. 1 on the national
ARIA charts on January 24 and maintained top position for three
weeks, achieving platinum status (75,000) soon after.
(C) 2000 Advertiser Newspapers Limited.
Source: ADVERTISER (ADELAIDE) 18/03/2000 P42
17Mar2000
- AUSTRALIA: Hot Heidi <return to top>
By ARA JANSEN.
MUSIC POP AUSTRALIA
Killing Heidi's debut album went straight to number one this week
on the Australian charts and it seems they can do no wrong.
ARA JANSEN talks to the new rock sensations who have returned to
play in Perth.
JESSE HOOPER is lying in bed recovering from a big night. There
seems to be a lot of them these days.
He puts it down to the increasing popularity of Killing Heidi, the
band in which he plays guitar.
And it's now no longer a secret: Killing Heidi ARE one of the hottest
new rock bands in Australia.
It started with the catchy Weir and then Mascara, both which ended
up taking their places on the singles charts, the latter hitting
number one.
This week, Reflector, their first album, debuted in the top spot
both nationally and in WA. And that's already surpassed Hooper's
expectations of a collection of songs he really just "wanted to
like listening to".
Radio jumped on Killing Heidi last year and started adding them
to playlists across the country. It gave the band only the second
number one single by an Australian group since Savage Garden's No.
1 with Truly Madly Deeply in mid-1997. At the same time, the band
made a conscious decision not to flog themselves on the road in
the expected fashion.
"From day one it's always been a big thing in this project that
our parents have been co-managers as well," says Hooper. "They've
always had a big yelling match about welfare and it's great we have
people who care about how we are doing.
"The way I see it, if we can hype up radio that we are the biggest
thing, then we will be. We had airplay before we even played a gig.
Now the gigs are going off because we have had airplay. There are
people who will say we're better off touring and getting experience
but I want to do good shows and special shows. At the moment, we're
only doing two or three shows in each city and so far they have
pretty much all been sold out.
"We don't want to tour for five years solid. I like touring but
I don't want to kill ourselves doing it. I don't want to spend our
teenage years on the road and Ella definitely doesn't want to do
that either. So to date, we've appeared on just about every television
show and spoken to everyone we could." Hooper and his red-tressed
younger singing sister Ella have been the focus in much of Killing
Heidi's media attention, but he stresses there's also bass player
Warren Jenkins and drummer Adam Pedretti, from Perth, who add a
crucial element to the band chemistry.
Producer and manager Paul Kosky is considered the fifth member of
the group and has so far helped guide the quartet with his extensive
industry experience. Killing Heidi are also signed to Wah Wah Music,
the only band on Kosky's own label.
Now they've got a mixture of youth and experience on their side.
Neither Ella nor Jesse are near a 21st birthday yet while Jenkins
has more than a decade of touring experience and Pedretti comes
from one-time Perth band Non-Intentional Lifeform.
"Half the band are totally roadworthy and hardcore and Ella and
I have been playing as an acoustic duo for four years. We've all
been playing together for a year and a half. We can learn from the
other two - mind you sometimes they're more childlike than us!"
In the nicest possible way, Hooper says he probably wouldn't be
hanging out with his little sister if he didn't play in a band with
her. Travelling and playing together has its fair share of stir-crazy
moments.
"Most of the time it's a pretty good working relationship. We haven't
always been good friends but it's just a brother and sister thing.
Sometimes I just want to go 'listen to me' but I've just got to
let her grow up. On stage it's been good and the more gigs we do
the better the communication becomes."
Hailing from the small Victorian town of Violet Town, the Hoopers
(Jesse was 15, Ella 13) were unearthed by Triple J with their song
Kettle. The acoustic duo was the beginning for many of the songs
which appear on Reflector. The songs were written pretty much before
Jenkins and Pedretti joined the band but subsequently the arrangements
were worked on by the quartet. Hooper says he hopes the second album
will incorporate the other two members into a much more obvious
writing capacity.
"Most of the time I will come up with a chord progression and Ella
will do the vocal melody and write the lyrics. I love writing just
the music. I just get to sit there and don't have to talk or sing,"
says the player who is influenced by bands such as Kyuss and Tool
as much as he is by Clapton and Hendrix, and, further adding to
the mix, his parents' record collection containing Dylan and Van
Morrison.
"I like expressing what Ella would write through chords, dark ones
if you're mad and then happy ones for another time."
"To a degree, I leave it to Ella to write the words and so far,
so good. But at the same time I keep an eye on what she's singing
about so it matches up with what I had in mind. Most of the time
it's obvious but with Weir, I never thought it would turn into a
song about a dam. She's doing a pretty good job so far, I'm happy
to let her do it."
Which is probably a good thing, given Hooper says Weir would have
been one of his last choices as a single. Wrong again, he chuckles.
* Killing Heidi play an all-ages show on Sunday at Metropolis City
from 3pm-6pm. There's two licensed shows at the Lookout on Monday
and Tuesday.
(c) 2000, West Australian Newspapers Limited.
Source: WEST AUSTRALIAN 17/03/2000
14Mar2000
- AUSTRALIA: Band hits the top <return to top>
VICTORIAN band Killing Heidi has romped to the top of the albums
chart with its debut Reflector.
The CD sold close to 100,000 copies last week, keeping Grammy winner
Santana, US rock act Smashing Pumpkins and AC/DC from the No. 1
spot.
The only other Australian band to achieve similar sales recently
has been Savage Garden.
(C) 2000 Herald and Weekly Times Limited.
Source: HERALD SUN 14/03/2000 P3
12Mar2000
- AUSTRALIA: Teen stars top charts <return to top>
AUSTRALIA's fastest rising stars, Killing Heidi, will debut at No.1
tomorrow with their first album Reflector.
Brother and sister teenage songwriting team Ella and Jesse Hooper
are also celebrating being named Rolling Stone's Best New Artist
in their prestigious annual reader's poll.
In just a week, more than 80,000 copies of Reflector have been ordered
throughout Australia, and the album has out-sold all other major
releases, including albums from the Smashing Pumpkins, AC/DC, Oasis
and Santana.
(c) Nationwide News Proprietary Ltd, 2000.
11Mar2000
- AUSTRALIA: NEWS IN BRIEF - Luna fun
<return to top>
DRUG and alcohol-free gig Push On 2000 has sold out and will draw
2500 young people to Luna Park on Monday.
Killing Heidi, Honeysmack and Something for Kate will feature at
the concert.
Free rides, market stalls and roving performers will also be on
offer.
(C) 2000 Herald and Weekly Times Limited.
Source: HERALD SUN 11/03/2000 P11
10Mar2000
- AUSTRALIA: Band on verge of
making a killing <return to top>
By CAMERON ADAMS.
MELBOURNE rock band Killing Heidi is about to become Australia's
next big musical export.
Its debut album Reflector was released last Monday and has gone
platinum with sales of almost 100,000.
Such figures are almost unheard of for an Australian band and virtually
guarantee top spot on next week's album chart.
Killing Heidi's manager and producer Paul Kosky said five major
American record companies were trying to sign the band, which comes
from Violet Town in northern Victoria.
The chart-toppers at tracted more than 1000 cheering fans during
a performance at the HMV store in the Bourke St Mall yesterday.
Led by 17-year-old sing er Ella Hooper, the band performed acoustic
versions of hits such as Mascara and Weir.
"It's doing really well," she said. "It's a bit of a whirlwind.
I haven't really had the chance to stop and reflect but I'm sure
when I do I'll be very impressed."
"We're in the best position you could be in," Mr Kosky said.
Further proof of the band's popularity across the board is the fact
it has sold out two over-18s shows at the Prince of Wales last night
and tonight, while an all-ages event at Luna Park on Monday, at
which the band will headline, sold out earlier this week.
Last time the band made an appearance at HMV they were greeted by
200 fans. This time there were that many who could not get in.
(C) 2000 Herald and Weekly Times Limited.
09Mar2000
- AUSTRALIA: Making a killing <return to top>
By Cameron Adams.
Reflector (Roadshow/Warner) HERE it is, the most anticipated Australian
debut since silverchair's Frogstomp.
The main reason, hit singles Mascara and Weir, stand out like beacons
here.
Quite simply (and in Weir's case simple is the key word) they're
just truly great pop songs that have earned their sales through
word of mouth rather than hype, charming more and more people as
they're slowly exposed.
While Reflector doesn't boast anything as classic as the first two
singles, it's still a fine advertisement for what they do best.
Somehow Killing Heidi have managed to make accessible pop that's
not as instant as most, giving their singles a long shelf life.
And producer Paul Kosky tweaks their generally straight-ahead pop/rock
into unusual sonic terrain that rewards repeated listening.
Often it's a short-attention span approach, songs changing gear
several times throughout: Superman/Supergirl, swings from rock to
dub to scratching with ease while A Jar Labelled Small mixes the
grunt of the Clouds with the keyboard swagger of the Mavis's, and
also stops off for intermittent doses of quiet just because they
can.
Indeed, they showcase their two-speeds beautifully, from turbo-charged
rock to acoustic moments like Black Sheep and Astral Boy, all of
which highlight Ella Hooper's powerful vocals, their not-so-secret
weapon no matter what mode they're in.
While most of these songs are three years old (which is almost a
decade in teenage years), this does the job of the best debuts:
showcases the band's past and present and hints at an even brighter
future.
The verdict: **** (4 stars)
In a word: youthful
(C) 2000 Herald and Weekly Times Limited.
Source: HERALD SUN 09/03/2000 P50
09Mar2000 - AUSTRALIA: Silver strings attached
<return to top>
They were the last (and first) big local band to feature teenagers;
silverchair were Ella's first live gig; and Killing Heidi often
cover Tomorrow live.
"Triple J asked us to cover an Oz pub rock classic," says jesse,
"but we're young and we haven't got a backlog of songs we grew up
drinking to. So we did Tomorrow.
"We spoke to their manager and he said, 'Go for it, they don't play
it anymore'. ben (Gillies) from silverchair also gave us his approval."
"It's our tribute to them. i think they've really opened a lot of
doors for us," Ella says. It's quite inspiring they're so young
and successful and level-headed.
"It's also kind of scary, the Daniel (Johns) factor. I'm not bagging
him, but he's definitely changed on the outside, so who knows what's
happened to him on the inside.
"Success can bring a lot of things that I'm not looking forward
to. But it's good to have Daniel there as an example of something
to be aware of."
(C) 2000 Herald and Weekly Times Limited.
Source: HERALD SUN 09/03/2000 P48
09Mar2000
- AUSTRALIA: Rebels with a Cause <return to top>
By CAMERON ADAMS.
KILLING HEIDI have arrived - with a national No. 1 single (Mascara),
a lock-out Big Day Out performance, radio play from Triple J to
Triple M, a profile on A Current Affair and a guaranteed No. 1 album
on next week's chart.
If that isn't enough, there is one incident that confirms Killing
Heidi's rapid elevation in pop culture.
Several weeks ago singer Ella Hooper, a week shy of her 17th birthday,
spoke in the Herald Sun about celebrating the band's chart-topper
with a glass of champagne.
Herald Sun phones rang with readers commenting and 3AW professional
moralist Neil Mitchell conducted a talkback session on Hooper's
so-called irresponsible behavior.
"I thought, `You poor things, you need a life'," Ella says. "You
have a No. 1 single and see if you're not going to toast it with
champagne.
"I'm a perfect target: pierced dreadlocked teenage alcoholic school
dropout boozes it up in the morning!
"I'm not consciously being a role model, but I do feel there is
a responsibility once you're a person in the media.
"I can't stand rock stars who are really irresponsible, but I'm
just going to be who I am, which hopefully is cool."
Killing Heidi are the biggest homegrown rockers since silverchair,
with as much export potential as labelmates Savage Garden.
A quick history lesson: siblings Ella and Jesse Hooper grew up in
Violet Town, near Benalla, playing music as a hobby, and were exposed
to Triple J in 1995 (and their heroes Smashing Pumpkins) when it
became available in their area.
Before long one of their folk tunes with edgy lyrics, Kettle, won
the pair national exposure as part of the Triple J Unearthed competition.
"We always wanted to be a band," Ella says, "we knew our songs could
translate from folk songs to rock songs. We've even turned Kettle
into a rock song now."
Courted by major record companies, they met producer Paul Kosky,
best known for his work with Crowded House and the Clouds, who identified
the band's raw talent at an early show.
He offered the band their own tailor-made record label and all the
time they needed to develop.
"No one else came to us with a deal that was as individual," Jesse
says. "It was totally focused on us. We weren't joining 40 other
bands."
Ella says: "Looking back, the hand-rearing option was essential.
We needed time to grow."
Kosky, now also their manager, took Killing Heidi to Roadshow Music,
home to Australia's best-selling band, Savage Garden, and distributed
by a major label, Warner.
"That's the new way, the individual touch with the backing of a
big label is a good recipe," Ella says.
Reflector, the band's debut album, was written nearly three years
ago and recorded more than a year ago, but held back as their popularity
grew.
"We were studio virgins," Ella says.
Kosky helped fashion a distinctive sound, one that helped Mascara
and previous hit Weir stand out on commercial radio alongside the
likes of Taxiride and Bachelor Girl, who deliberately opt for an
American-sounding production sheen. T RIPLE J still play the band
it discovered.
"We never really thought we'd be a crossover band," Jesse says.
"But we never wanted to cut anyone out," ads Ella, "or thought,
`We can't have commercial success because it will damage our cred'.
We've been lucky and it hasn't so far."
They've also got no problems being in the charts. "We're not chart-driven,"
Ella says, "but we want people to find something for them in our
music. You have to be successful to live off music, and it's a good
job to live off."
She says she's happy that Killing Heidi share the charts with the
likes of Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera as an antidote to
most pop music, if only because they write and perform their own
songs.
"It's great to be a real musician and have a No. 1," Ella says.
"And I think the messages of Mascara are getting through. I am my
demographic, I am who I'm selling records to, so it's easy for me
to understand.
"We get e-mails from girls saying they don't think they're pretty
or don't fit in the social groups but say Mascara speaks to them.
That makes it all worthwhile."
While Mascara was written at the height of Ella's schooling, she
quit study last year.
"Some, not all, some of the most successful, interesting and happy
people I know left school in Year 10," she says.
"It's like if you don't have your VCE you're a dropkick. Some of
my best friends were home-schooled. School is not essential."
Jesse says; "I finished Year 12 and people kept telling me, `This
band thing won't last forever', and I was like, `I know that but
I can come back to school whenever I want, I only get this opportunity
now'.
"We took the opportunity and we're No. 1. It's good to have the
courage to take a chance, do what you want to do, and we're proof
it has worked. Why can't people say follow your dreams?"
Ella says: "They're hypocrites. There are posters on the school
walls saying, `Follow your dreams kids', and then it's like, `What,
you're going to leave school?' "
WHILE
the Hooper siblings fight with each other, they say they're hardly
Noel and Liam Gallagher. "We think we fight," Ella says, "then we
look at Oasis. At least we don't punch each other."
"We're forced to spend a lot more time together than we would normally
do," Jesse says. "But we've asked for it so we can't complain."
They concede the sibling bond helps their songwriting, while all
members, including drummer Adam Pedretti and bassist Warren Jenkin,
have creative control over everything from videos to photographs.
They stand out as a band who make an effort image-wise. "It's taboo
to dress up," Ella says. "If you're a chick in rock you're supposed
to have the heroin waif chic look, which is what Mascara is all
about, because that's what (the magazine) Cleo want you to look
like this week.
"Some people think when you put some make-up on and funky shoes
your cred and musical ability instantly go down.
"But I'll tell you, when I get in my silver outfit it makes me feel
like performing."
Perform they will, with gigs booked for the foreseeable future.
"We're very united as a band at the moment, which is great because
of everything happening," Ella says. "It's all catapulting along."
Jesse says: "As a band we kick a... now, but there's room for improvement.
We're on our way to becoming a total kick-a... band." Reflector
(Roadshow) out now. Killing Heidi, HMV Bourke St, 4.30pm today (acoustic
performance and LP signing), Prince of Wales tonight, tomorrow (both
sold out), Push On 2000, Monday, Luna Park.
(C) 2000 Herald and Weekly Times Limited.
Source: HERALD SUN 09/03/2000 P48
09Mar2000 - AUSTRALIA: Teenage Troubles <return to top>
ELLA'S age, 17, means her parents still sign any contracts on her
behalf, and while the rest of the band are over 18, there are often
problems with an under-age singer playing licensed venues.
"It's ridiculous at times," Ella says. "Sometimes you get put in
a special room (at the venue) and you can't go out of that room
until you do the show.
"And literally it's like you're singing the last note of the last
song and the security guard is dragging you out still singing.
"But I can usually hang out with the guys while they drink a rider
backstage. I'm a boring teenager anyway, I don't get stuck into
alcohol."
One solution is under-age shows, which Killing Heidi play regularly.
"They're two different worlds, the alcohol factor versus the appreciation
factor. Over-age shows are great, but at under-age shows the kids
have prepared for the show for ages.
"When I saw my first gig, silverchair and Everclear at Festival
Hall when I was 14, I was so excited," she says.
"I'm so proud at underage shows that we might be the first band
someone sees."
(C) 2000 Herald and Weekly Times Limited.
Source: HERALD SUN 09/03/2000 P48
09Mar2000
- AUSTRALIA:
Village Roadshow Limited(VRL.AX)Half Yearly Report <return to top>
VILLAGE REPORTS A SOLID FIRST HALF
Village Roadshow reported a solid result for the six months to December
1999 with net profit after tax of $40.6 million. The result was
12.2% higher than the previous corresponding period (before abnormals)
and 3.5% higher than the six months to June 1999.
...The
Entertainment division recorded a sound performance over the half.
Rental performed well with its lead titles Austin Powers 2 and The
Matrix shipping very well, the latter recording the largest ship-out
ever.
Performance in Video and DVD sell-though has also been robust with
quality product from the division's key suppliers. Music has performed
ahead of expectations with Savage Garden's new album 'Affirmation'
topping the charts in Australia and a number of international markets.
Killing
Heidi, the division's latest talent, is also performing extraordinarily
well with their first two singles
both spending time at the top of the top 10. We are eagerly awaiting
the release of their new album.
The group has booked $1.9 million in profit from the early payout
of debt.
ASX.
(c) Australian Stock Exchange Feed.
Source: ASX COMPANY ANNOUNCEMENTS 09/03/2000
08Mar2000
- The Killing Heidi
Realm: 10,000 witness Killing Heidi<return to top>
TEN thousand fans crowded every available viewing point at Robina
Town Centre on Sunday for the shopping mall?s most successful show
yet, a performance by rock band Killing Heidi.
Fans started arriving at around 9:30am for the 2pm performance held
in Celebration Place at Robina Town Centre.
They waited through showers around 10am, which according to Robina
Town Centre? Marketing Manager Svetlana Bitzios wouldn't have kept
the fans away?
She says the show' success was largely due to the 'newness' and
popularity of Killing Heidi;s songs from the band's newly released
album, Reflector, which was released this week.
The event was organised by the shopping centre in conjunction with
the Record Market music store and music companies.
The aim of the successful music events is not only to generate sales
but also to promote Robina Town Centre as an entertainment venue
and a community focal point, rather than merely a shopping mall,
says Ms Bitzios.
Other bands that have performed at Robina Town Centre include S2S,
attended by about 5000 people and Human Nature, attended by 7000
fans. As yet, no bands have been booked for future performances.
08Mar2000
- AUSTRALIA: Dames
and dreadlocks - role models to a tee <return to top>
By Cathy Border.
THIS International Women's Day will be marked with a tinge of sadness
with the passing this week of Dame Roma Mitchell. She is indeed
a woman of firsts: Australia's first female Queen's Counsel in 1962,
the first female state governor in 1991, and so the list goes on.
The woman who described herself as a "conservative sort of feminist"
has left a legacy more militant feminists can only envy. As we focus
on women's issues today and again assess how far we have advanced,
it's worth remembering the hurdles that pioneers like Dame Roma
encountered and, just as importantly, how she overcame those barriers
while maintaining dignity and integrity. Australian women are not
short of role models. Golfer Karrie Webb has achieved the seemingly
impossible in edging closer to Tiger Woods's winning streak of six
tournaments.
At the weekend, she scored her fourth straight win after sinking
a 3-metre birdie putt on the first hole of the play-off in the inaugural
LPGA Takefuji Classic title.
She admits she thrives on the adrenalin, but her winning style isn't
restricted to her golfing skill. Accepting sporting greatness in
such a modest manner and quietly doing charity work deserves credit
in itself.
With the theme of this International Women's Day being "Women In
Action", Karrie fits the bill perfectly. After praising the approach
of these two women, it's difficult to argue that a 17-year-old with
dreadlocks and a ring through her eyebrow - who sings about death
- should be mentioned in the same article as an inspiration for
young women. Ella Hooper is the female face of the moment in Australia.
As the lead singer of the band Killing Heidi she has co-written
some of the most successful songs on the Australian charts. Their
debut album, Reflector has been on sale for only two days and is
already a best seller. This is a girl who started composing songs
when she was just 12. The multicoloured dreadlocks aren't so much
a fashion statement as the result of a teenager who admits paying
attention to her hair isn't a priority. Dresses and skirts aren't
this girl's style. Try fitted pants teamed with a revealing midriff
top held together by chains. Then there's all the chunky jewellery.
Being on the road with the three male members of the band, including
her brother Jesse, doesn't daunt this teenager, who dismissively
says it can reach "testosterone overload". Killing Heidi performs
in clubs Ella wouldn't be allowed to attend as a patron because
she's under-age. Ella Hooper's appearance may be offputting to the
conservative mainstream. But witness the thousands of fans who turned
out to Queen Street Mall last weekend to see Killing Heidi perform
and it's clear she has "it". FOR a girl who is comfortable with
standing out, the arrival of the ABC's youth station Triple JJJ
to her hometown of Violet Town in Victoria, must have been a godsend.
She oozes confidence and has shown that teenage girls' dreams can
come true through hard work and can be achieved at a young age.
Ella has a distinctive style and a great voice.
Contrast what this girl has achieved with the manufactured "pop
stars" and her accomplishment is ever greater. There have been no
Stock, Aitkin and Waterman behind the scenes writing the music,
and no Spice Girl management to do an image makeover. No record
contract offered as a prize as we've seen with the high-rating Popstars
television show. Although it's only early days in her music career,
Ella is doing it her way. Her individuality and drive are the qualities
we should be encouraging girls to emulate. Sometimes unlikely role
models do emerge. The onus is on us to take the blinkers off, to
accept it and encourage it. Cathy Border is a 612 ABC Brisbane presenter.border.
cathy@a2.abc.net.au - SECT-Features.
(c) 2000 Queensland Newspapers Pty Ltd.
Source: COURIER MAIL (QUEENSLAND) 08/03/2000 P17
06Mar2000
- AUSTRALIA: Killing 'em loudly
with their songs <return to top>
By Madonna Cameron.
IT TOOK a teenage band from Violet Town, Victoria, to bring the
biggest crowd to Brisbane's revamped Queen Street Mall since it
opened last November. Yesterday, 4000 people fronted to the mall
stage for Killing Heidi's pre-launch preview of their debut album
Reflector - and lead vocalist Ella Hooper did not disappoint her
fans. After playing to an adult crowd until the early hours, the
17-year-old songstress still had a lot of energy left for the predominantly
teenage fans at the 10am curtain call. Ella swung her trademark
raven-coloured, dreadlocked tresses to the beat of the band's current
chart hit Mascara and their killer first single Weir in the four-song
set. The band first rose to prominence after their energetic performance
of Weir at last year's ARIA music awards. But yesterday, it was
hysterical front-row female fans armed with flashing cameras who
paid them all the attention. Killing Heidi, formed by Ella and guitarist
brother Jesse, along with bassist Warren Jenkins and drummer Adam
Pedretti, have stream-rolled Australian music fans with a maturity
in music belied by their age. Ella and 19-year-old Jesse were brought
up on the musical tastes of their parents, who listened to Joni
Mitchell, Van Morrison and Bob Dylan. As a result, their music is
a mix of thoughtful lyrics combined with the energy and enthusiasm
of two teenagers not afraid to experiment. And if yesterday's fans
- who queued down the mall past Albert Street to get a signed copy
of the album - are any indication of success, the new album will
be a sell-out. Reflector is in the record stores from today. - SECT-News.
(c) 2000 Queensland Newspapers Pty Ltd.
Source: COURIER MAIL (QUEENSLAND) 06/03/2000 P5
05Mar2000
- AUSTRALIA:
Fortitude Valley went nuts over teen sensations Killing Heidi
<return to top>
By Ken Lord.
KILLING Heidi, the red-hot pop band, appeared on stage at the Arena
in the Valley yesterday. Fans began lining up at the club's front
entrance in Brunswick St at noon. By mid-afternoon security guards
were quietly going nuts in all-out efforts to keep the crowd from
spilling on to the street. Despite the crush, the kids were good-natured
and patient. The Arena isn't a mega venue. For the Heidi concert
its intimacy was spot on. One of the turn-ons was to get close enough
to the stage to check out the details of the lead singer Ella Hooper's
threads and dreads. After arriving from Sydney late yesterday morning,
the band did some hard gigging at the Arena, and they're not resting
today. At 10am they will appear on-stage in the Queen St Mall, then
sign copies of their new album Reflector at HMV Music in the City.
At 1pm they're playing a free concert at the Robina Town Centre
on the Gold Coast, where the crowd is expected to be awesome. Robina
management has laid on a small army of security heavies to handle
the blast. The pre-buzz is huge! - SECT-Features.
(C) 2000 Advertiser Newspapers Limited.
Source: SUNDAY MAIL (ADELAIDE) 05/03/2000 P82
05Mar2000
- AUSTRALIA: Plunja dives in<return to top>
By PAUL STEWART.
GIVEN the success of Violet Town band Killing Heidi, could country
Victoria be the breeding ground for the next generation of Australian
rock stars?
Geelong band Plunja, which takes part in the Be Your Best Push On
2000 gig at Luna Park on March 13, would like to think so.
In the past, the drug and alcohol-free underage concert has proved
to be a launching pad for acts such as the Meanies, Killing Heidi,
Spiderbait, the Mavis's, Silverchair and Frenzal Rhomb.
Plunja lead singer and guitarist Marc Collis said appearing at the
show would be "awesome".
"I am a fan of all kinds of music, so I am really looking forward
to it," Collis said.
But the gig is being seen as only a stepping stone to further success.
"I am devoted to making music," he said. "It is what I want to do
with my life.
"We have about 20 original songs completed and stacks of ones that
are undeveloped, and hope to record soon."
He said the band had developed a loyal following in the Western
Districts.
Like Killing Heidi, which combines brother-and-sister team Ella
and Jesse Hooper, Plunja features Collis' 14-year-old sister, Stephanie,
on drums.
They are joined by Benjamin Jarvis, 14, on rhythm and lead guitar,
and Barry Brauner, 15, on bass.
"Having my sister in the band is great because it means we can practise
together all the time," Collis said.
"I have heard Killing Heidi and like them a lot, especially their
live material.
"To be honest, there is no music I do not like or that I can not
find inspiration in."
But inspiration for his song-writing is something he can find in
most situations.
"The songs can be about anything really - the problems of finishing
Year 12, the hassles you have with your parents or friends or girlfriend,"
he said.
Joining Plunja at Be Your Best Push On 2000 will be other young
acts including Coniption Fit, from Horsham, Spyn Psycle, from Camberwell,
Call Of The Clowns, from Wangaratta, Greedo, from Moonee Valley,
Foenetic, from Gippsland, Waylayd, from Kingston, Bob Kat, from
Banyule, and Zenyth, from Macedon.
They will appear with bigger name artists Killing Heidi, Something
For Kate, 28 Days, Honeysmack and Biscuit.
To top off the fun, all rides at Luna Park will be free during the
concert.
Be Your Best Push On 2000 will be presented by The Push, a statewide
youth entertainment organisation funded by the State Government.
Push spokeswoman Susan Forrester said a number of big-name sponsors
were behind this year's event.
"We are thrilled to have the support of the Australian Drug Foundation
and VicHealth this year," she said.
"It gives us the opportunity to let young people get out there and
go off without their parents having to worry about alcohol and other
drug issues."
Admission to the gig, which starts at 11am, costs $25.
For further information contact The Push on 9417 1655. - SECT-Look
Hear.
(C) 2000 Herald and Weekly Times Limited.
Source: SUNDAY HERALD SUN 05/03/2000 P93
04Mar2000
- AUSTRALIA: Teenage runaways <return to top>
By Iain Shedden.
It has been a fast 18-month ride from Violet Town to national stardom
for Killing Heidi. Iain Shedden talks to the band IF Killing Heidi
had four legs you'd back it to win the Melbourne Cup. Few would
bet against a favourite that in 18 months has gone from nowhere
to national stardom and top of the singles charts.
The band, fronted by the engaging, dynamic Ella Hooper, 17, and
with 19-year-old brother Jesse on guitar, has hardly put a foot
wrong since emerging from sleepy Violet Town in country Victoria.
Their first single, Weir, captured the public consciousness late
last year with its simple message of love-conquers-all and its flit
between angelic pop and raging rock riffs. In January the follow-up,
Mascara, became the first Australian No.1 since Savage Garden's
Truly, Madly, Deeply three years ago, and now their debut album
Reflector seems destined to be one of the albums of the year.
It's a classic tale that begins in the Hoopers' home town, where
writing songs emerged as the No.1 strategy for fighting boredom.
Visiting a mate in that part of rural Australia meant pestering
dad into a half-hour car journey; a request, says Ella, that rarely
met with success.
Jesse, distinctive with his mass of red hair, says geography - as
in having nowhere to go - played a crucial role in the band's development.
"If we'd been going out all the time we probably wouldn't have had
time to write all those songs," he says.
Their parents' record collection, featuring names such as Bob Dylan
and Van Morrison, proved influential early on, as did contemporary
heavy rock bands Korn and Tool. When they started writing, it was
Ella coming up with ideas on guitar and her brother turning them
into proper tunes that first sparked the idea that perhaps they
were on to something. Ella's lyrics came last.
A local arts festival was the catalyst for the band's meteoric rise.
An engineer recorded a couple of their songs and the siblings sent
a tape to Triple J's Unearthed competition. After winning the regional
event, they were spotted by producer Paul Kosky and soon after signed
to his new label Wah Wah Music. The pair then enlisted Melbourne
musos Warren Jenkins on bass and drummer Adam Pedretti.
It's been uphill rapidly since then and Ella in particular appears
to have taken performing to large audiences in her stride. Thousands
crowded to see the band during their stint on the recent Big Day
Out tour. She says she's always had the performing bug. "I wasn't
a show-off but I do like to perform. I've done a bit of acting,
but singing is way the scariest."
Despite all the sales chart action,
it's charming that the band see their two entries - with their only
two singles - in the recent Triple J Hottest 100 as the most important
feat of all. Weir came second to Powderfinger's These Days, while
Mascara was voted in at No.14.
"We'll always have that," says Ella. "It's pretty bloody cool."
The 17-year-old is not short on cool. Just a few months ago she
"thought I'd be doing Year 12 and getting stressed out". Instead
she has quit school, moved to Melbourne and earned a reputation
as one of the country's best rock performers.
"I'm just so excited about making music that is not afraid to be
dynamic," she says. It's that characteristic that's at the heart
of Killing Heidi's album, with melodic acoustic pop sitting alongside
Jesse's penchant for power chords. They aren't content to stick
to one style. "Just when you think we're getting too pop ... it's
rock," says Ella.
"There's so much out there that is being hailed as really great
quality music, which it is, but when you get right down to it, it's
just boring. That's the feeling I have. It doesn't have to be bland."
This kind of musical restlessness is what gives Killing Heidi their
edge. And yet they have had to be patient in getting to this early
stage of their career. Although their rise has been rapid, the strategy
behind it was carefully planned. Their album was in the can for
eight months before its release.
Both Hoopers speak with a maturity that belies their years but,
on record at least, they are eager to write about what they know
best - teenage life.
"Totally," says Ella, "because it's the best thing to write about.
That's what all the adults write about, too ... you know "first
love" and all that. I think: `How do you remember that'."
Her brother is just as succinct. "Instead of trying to write songs
for kids, at least we are kids," he says. "We're one of the few
bands doing that, apart from silverchair - and even they are getting
away from their target audience."
Silverchair over the hill at 21? Rock stars are getting younger
every day. - SECT-Review.
(c) Nationwide News Proprietary Ltd, 2000.
Source: AUSTRALIAN (THE) 04/03/2000
04Mar2000 - AUSTRALIA:
SPIN - Reflector Killing Heidi <return to top>
By IAIN SHEDDEN.
(Roadshow) THE rise and rise of Killing Heidi should continue unabated
with the release of their debut album on Monday. After the runaway
success of the unashamedly poppy Mascara and its quirky predecessor
Weir (both included here), the spark of youthful enthusiasm and
Ella Hooper's confidence and versatility as a singer promises plenty
for Violet Town's most successful siblings and their rhythm section.
Hooper shows she has more in her bag of styles than just bouncy
and bouncier, with some delicate shades of melancholy on Astral
Boy and Live Without It (offset by her brother Jesse's empathic
acoustic guitar). Glorious pop/punk moments too on the likes of
Leave Me Alone and Class Celebrities. An ARIA contender. IAIN SHEDDEN
Showbiz Muse (FMG) 1/2 OUT of Scotland and over here, Muse have
sprung from oblivion to snatch a cluster of rave reviews overseas
for this debut, which combines the soaring spiritual majesty of
Jeff Buckley with the theatrical campness of Pulp and the angular
angst of Radiohead. If that isn't confusing enough there's an element
of twisted pop from the pen of head honcho Matthew Bellamy that
keeps the songs interesting at every turn. Vocally Bellamy at times
overplays the Buckley card, although in places it could just as
easily be attributed to a liking for Sparks or early Roxy Music.
If naming so many references is off-putting, then be reassured that
there's a whole lot going on here that is entirely their own. It's
pop music that wants to be f...ed up, and they do it rather well.
IAIN SHEDDEN - SECT-Features.
(c) Nationwide News Proprietary Ltd, 2000.
Source: AUSTRALIAN (THE) 04/03/2000
03Mar2000
- AUSTRALIA: Pop turns
trade for its financial backing <return to top>
Article By Christie Eliezer.
Killing Heidi is one of the hottest acts in Australian
music. Evidence: a number-one single, Mascara, sell-out concerts,
fans that imitate the group's pink eyeshadow, orange dreadlocks
and blue fingernails. The group's first two singles have sold close
to 90,000 copies each.
Pre-release orders by retailers of its first album,
Reflector, arriving on March 6, top 35,000, a high number for a
new act. But Killing Heidi is more than a pop-music sensation; it
represents a new way of doing business in the music industry.
Most new bands trudge hopefully around the concert
circuit, building a following until a record company gets interested
and pays all recording, manufacturing and marketing costs. The company
retains ownership of the master recording tapes, and pays a royalty
rate of 18-22% after recouping its costs.
Killing Heidi, a group led by teenage sister and brother
Ella and Jesse Hooper from Violet Town in central Victoria, is different.
The group has two investors - record producer Paul Kosky and fund
manager Chris Robinson - who have paid the bills for two-and-a-half
years.
The bankrolling of rock-music acts by investors is
not common because the cost and risks are high. But Kosky, who began
producing records at 18, had seen how a clumsy marketing campaign
or the poor choice of a single could kill an act's career. He set
up Wah Wah Records in 1995, determined to retain total control over
how his acts were developed and marketed.
"There's a new way of doing business in the music
industry," Kosky says. "Most companies still throw records out into
the marketplace and hope they work. Our motto is 'Near enough is
not good enough'."
He spent two years searching for an act that could
be an international success before he spotted Killing Heidi at a
music festival. At the time, Ella Hooper was almost 14 and Jesse
was 16. Their stage presence was awkward and the rest of the band
was ordinary. "But there was raw talent there," Kosky says. "You
sensed it. That they were brother and sister gave them a special
affinity. I told them to go away and write songs. Once I heard what
they came up with, I knew they had longevity."
Kosky and Robinson oversee Killing Heidi's music publishing
and (with the Hoopers' parents) management. Kosky produced the first
two singles and album, designed their covers, directed the group's
promotional videos, and supervises all advertising for the group.
Rather than "borrowing" audience by opening at the concerts of a
larger, more established band, Killing Heidi took the financial
risk of headlining its own shows.
Robinson, who worked as a merchant banker in New York
for seven years, handles the group's commercial deals and contracts.
Industry sources estimate that Kosky and Robinson have invested
between $750,000 and $1.5 million in Killing Heidi, paying for record
production, videos and artwork. Wah Wah retains ownership of recording
and publishing, and ensures that Killing Heidi receives a higher
royalty rate than most other Australian acts.
Robinson says: "Other record companies would have
a similar budget to develop acts, but that's spread over several
acts. In the past two-and-a-half years, what we have spent would
be what most companies would have spent on 10 acts."
Wah Wah now has a working relationship with Roadshow
Music (part of Village Roadshow), the company that signed Savage
Garden - one of Australia's most successful music groups in recent
years. Most record companies approach deals in one of three ways:
a direct signing, a licensing deal, or a deal that simply covers
promotion and distribution. Killing Heidi's deal with Roadshow is
a hybrid. Kosky says: "It is unique to this project because there
were certain things like creative control we wouldn't let go." Roadshow
markets and distributes Killing Heidi records, and receives a percentage
of sales income.
Killing Heidi's first single, Weir, was released almost
a year ago. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Triple J radio
network started playing it immediately, but it took Roadshow four
months to persuade commercial radio networks to play the record.
A rival band manager says: "A major label would have moved on to
working on another record. Roadshow hung in there."
Record companies usually insist on signing new acts
to worldwide deals. That can create problems if the overseas affiliate
of an Australian record company inherits an Australian act it is
not interested in and does not market seriously. Wah Wah's Killing
Heidi deal with Roadshow is for Australasia only, so Wah Wah can
deal with companies in other countries. (Savage Garden struck a
similar deal with Roadshow.)
Killing Heidi is probably earning between $8000 and
$10,000 a concert, its first two singles have combined sales of
180,000 copies, and Reflector is expected to sell at least 100,000
copies. But Kosky and Robinson need overseas sales if they are to
make a profit on their investment.
Kosky and Robinson's inspiration is Savage Garden's
1997 album Savage Garden, which has sold 11 million copies worldwide
(its second album, Affirmation, has sold four million copies since
early November). "I believe we can reach that amount," Kosky says.
"At least we've done everything in our power to give it that chance."
Five US record companies have expressed interest in signing Killing
Heidi for the US market.
03Mar2000
- AUSTRALIA: Making a killing <return to top>
By Noel Mengel.
Everything is coming up roses for the band from Violet Town. Noel
Mengel reports `SHE was always singing," says the precociously talented
guitarist and songwriter Jesse Hooper, talking about growing up
in a house with his precociously talented little sister Ella. "And
I was always telling her to shut up." But she didn't shut up. A
good thing too because on Monday week, when their band's first album
debuts in the Australian charts, it will almost certainly be at
No. 1. The band is Killing Heidi, the album is Reflector, and the
Hoopers are 19 and 17 respectively. And even though the story of
their rise from the picturesque Victorian hamlet of Violet Town
is mentioned in every story you ever see about them, it is hard
to underplay just what a giant leap it was. Country kids have made
it to the top before - Jewel hailed from Nowhere, Alaska and sold
11 million copies of her first album - but how many have actually
managed to make a mark before moving to the city? But this time
the planets were aligned, courtesy of Triple J's Unearthed competition.
Their rise since has been inexorable, thanks to the nurturing of
producer Paul Klosky and the addition of drummer Adam Pedretti and
bassist Warren Jenkin to the line-up. The band cracked the Top 10
with their debut single, Weir, and went to No. 1 with their second,
Mascara. Those songs, and the album in general, show the band's
trademark mix of light and shade, the sweet acoustic melodies and
full-on roaring guitars. Ella says: "Mum and dad were very switched
on people who knew there was a lot more to music than commercial
radio and I was influenced by stuff they played like Joni Mitchell,
Van Morrison and Bob Dylan." Throw an early taste for Smashing Pumpkins
into the mix and you get the two sides of Killing Heidi. And how
has the response been at home?
"People are so supportive and happy for us, not trying to cut us
down at all," Ella says. "They still know us as what we always were,
the freaky kids from up the hill!" Killing Heidi play Arena, Fortitude
Valley, tomorrow. Reflector is out on Monday. - SECT-Pulse.
(c) 2000 Queensland Newspapers Pty Ltd.
Source: COURIER MAIL (QUEENSLAND) 03/03/2000
03Mar2000
- The Killing Heidi Realm:
Can't Stop the Music <return to top>
Already it's been a pretty big year for the Hooper
siblings, a.k.a. KILLING HEIDI.
First there were gigs at Melbourne and Sydney BIG
DAY OUT Then the bands hit single Weir was voted No. 2 in the Triple
J Hottest 100. And the yet-to-be-released debut album, Reflector,
has already pre-sold 35,000 copies. Not bad for a couple of teenagers
from country Victoria. But ELLA HOOPER and her brother JESSE are
hardly your standard teen fare. While the duos songs strike a chord
in many a teen heart, their music has proved to have a far broader
appeal than just your usual acne-ridden suspects. When Reflector
hits the stands on Monday, there will be fans flocking like flies
to hear Ella's vocals rise above the CHRISTINA AGUILERAs and VANESSA
AMOROSIs of this world. Fresh from the Melbourne BDO, Ella and Jesse
were as psyched as ever and raring to hit the touring circuit once
more. But it would take a big gig to surpass the mayhem of that
festival, which Ella was still gushing about. It was wild I loved
it, she chirped. Unfortunately, we were on a stage that appeared
to be too small for us. There were thousands of kids crushing into
this shed and it was a great show. People were hanging off water
pipes and rafters and somebody said to me they look like chinese
boat people out there they were on every possible surface. I know
it would have been curiosity bring a lot of people over to us for
the show and it would also have been a percentage of our fan base
but the thing is that they stayed and went we're digging this. After
the set, Ella donned camouflage and went to check the music smorgasbord
on offer. I did the rock thing with my mates, she said. I put my
hair up in my beanie and went out anonymously all I need to do really
(to avoid being recognised). I don't think I look anything like
I do on television.
Unfortunately,
Ella's fame was not enough to get her access to all areas of the
festival \endash the big names like TRENT REZNOR and the RED HOT
CHILI PEPPERS stayed well away from the Aussie talent. I introduced
myself to Tom from the CHEMICAL BROTHERS and I think he thought
I was just a little freak. He didn't know I was in a band or anything.
The pair did do a lot of hanging out with JEBEDIAH though, who took
to the stage in pastel parachute leisure suits that Ella thought
were awesome. I heard Vanessa say I feel like my mum, Ella said
with a laugh. Killing Heidi was also excited about its spectacular
performance in the Tripe J Hottest 100, which saw Weir and Mascara
in the top 15. We had a hunch that we were in the top 20, because
we had an interview booked with MERRICK & ROSSO, Jesse said.
But
even they were surprised to see Weir voted No. 2. Now, all that's
left to do is the release of the album, which will expose fans to
a pop-rock range that they have not seen so far from the pair. Well,
it was the most anticipated album in the last three months of last
year, Jesse said. It's pretty nice indication that it's going to
debut well, but we don't want to jinx it. As long as it gets into
people's lounge rooms anyway it can. The album itself has been recorded
for a year, which seems like an eternity to the effervescent Ella.
The songs are really old to us, but I'm still enjoying playing them
because I have a chance to imrpove, she said.
With
a bassist and drummer, the pair have an extensive tour of the Australian
countryside planned and will return to Launceston on March 25 because
they has an absolutely awesome time at Gone South. We are going
all over the place and that's going to kick off in March in Melbourne,
Ella said. Jesse especially loves to hit the road. Just because
we get to travel, we get to play every night and afterwards get
get to drink, he said. Ella added: I'm not into that at all - they
go and have a beer and I go and watch pay TV and call my friends
so we have a nice balance. Jesse's loving it he just gets off on
the whole thing of playing to audiences and having people sing along,
which I do too. we're really appreciative of the feedback.
As
for another album, the pair have plans but no time to execute them.
I havn't really had a lot of head space to be able to write in lately,
Ella admitted. I'm not in that creative (mood) where I did do a
lot of my writing I've been a little bit dull. Jesse added: We've
had a fair bit of it written for a while, but we're probably going
to take the next couple of months to tour and promote Reflector.
02Mar2000
- AUSTRALIA: Heidi in for the kill <return to top>
By EMMA KIBBLE.
From a country town and the classroom to the top of the charts and
a national tour, Killing Heidi is rocking with deadly efficiency.
WILD-HAIRED and liberally pierced, Killing Heidi's members already
look like the rock idols they are quickly becoming. But the young
Victorian musicians are still dumbfounded by their level of success.
The Hooper siblings, Jesse and Ella, with fellow band members Warren
Jenkin and Adam Pedretti, have been dominating both mainstream and
alternative charts with their addictive mix of pounding rock and
haunting melodies.
The band's second single, Mascara, has become the first release
by an Australian outfit to reach the number one position since Savage
Garden's Truly, Madly, Deeply in 1997.
And with the release of its debut album Reflector, Killing Heidi
is aiming higher. Lead guitarist, 19-year-old Jesse Hooper, believes
Reflector will cement the band as much more than just Australia's
next best thing.
"We're very happy with the way the album has turned out," Hooper
says.
"We actually finished recording the songs almost a year ago and
the album was ready to go when we released (hit single) Weir.
"I really wanted it to be released then but our producers wanted
to build it up a bit by releasing a couple of songs first and now
I am happy to admit that I was wrong ... it was worth the wait!"
Reflector was recorded over eight months, while Hooper and his sister,
who lived in Violet Town in country Victoria, were still at school.
Hooper admits they faced a lot of difficulties travelling between
home and Melbourne to record.
"It was crazy; we'd be at school until around three in the afternoon,
then board the train for a two-hour ride to Melbourne, getting in
there at around six or seven o'clock," he says. "We'd record through
the night and finish at about three or four in the morning, before
getting back on the train and heading straight back to school.
"I found it really hard sometimes because my parents wouldn't let
me quit school (he was in Year 12) but I felt as though I was learning
things that had nothing to do with what I wanted to do with my life.
"I was pretty much only there for attendance and it really tore
me apart at the seams." According to Hooper, it was the faith of
the band's producer Paul Kosky that got them through the low patches.
"During the recording there were times when it got a bit too much
but we became almost like family and Paul's faith in us made us
determined to keep it going." The story surrounding Killing Heidi
has been well documented the Hooper siblings combined for the first
time publicly to sing live at a rural arts festival, then were asked
to record a couple of songs. They entered those songs in a national
radio competition, which they won and were signed to fledgling album
label Wah Wah Music.
Drummer Pedretti and bassist Jenkin joined Killing Heidi (the name,
loosely, means "losing our innocence", with Heidi representing innocence
and killing, the band's rougher, powerful edge). But what has happened
over the past 12 months couldn't have been scripted better in Hollywood.
When reflecting on the events that have taken place, Hooper readily
admits he is still pinching himself to see if it is all real.
"It's great. It was always the dream I had all the way through high
school," he says.
"To be in a successful band like ours playing in front of people
and having them enjoy our music, I sometimes can't help thinking
it's kind of surreal ... especially when I walk down the street
and hear someone say `there's that guy from Killing Heidi'.
"Although it could have something to do with my hair, too!" he laughs.
Of all the highlights from the past year, Hooper admits one of the
biggest thrills came when Weir claimed second spot in Triple J's
Hottest 100 chart.
"We sort of had an inkling that we might be up there because Triple
J had booked us for an interview with Merrick and Rosso, and we
knew they were hosting the tail end of the broadcast," Hooper says.
"It was really funny because we kept cheering every time another
song was played in the top 10 because it meant that ours was higher
up! It was such a great buzz when we finished at number two just
incredible."
Killing Heidi will be in Adelaide this month to perform two shows
and Hooper promises fans are in for a treat.
"We really enjoy getting up on stage and going for it," he says.
"It's just so much fun. And the more we play to live audiences the
better we get as a band we're tightened up a lot more now."
After the tour and some well-deserved time off, Hooper says the
band will be ready to begin penning their next album. And while
international success beckons, he says Killing Heidi is committed
to cementing its status in Australia first.
"We're hoping to get over to the United States at some stage this
year but no dates have been set as yet," Hooper says. "But we've
heard along the grapevine that we're apparently getting a lot of
airplay on independent radio stations in the UK and US and that
Mascara is being flogged in Canada.
"While we do want to travel overseas and get our music heard over
there, that can wait we really want to conquer Australia first!"
* Reflector will be in stores from Monday. Killing Heidi will be
performing live at Heaven Nightclub on Sunday, March 12. Tickets
available from VenueTix. - SECT-Features.
(C) 2000 Advertiser Newspapers Limited.
Source: ADVERTISER (ADELAIDE) 02/03/2000 P46
02Mar2000 - AUSTRALIA: Looking back on heidi's
travels <return to top>
By dino scatena.
After a few months of bliss and a couple of top 10 singles, the
past has finally caught up with those young'uns in Killing Heidi.
Next week finally sees the band's debut long player, Reflector,
hit the shelves.
The whole album was actually recorded over eight months way back
in 1998 when both the Hoopers, Jesse and his younger sister Ella,
were still in high school.
Poor Jesse spent most of that eight months commuting between the
Hooper's home in Violet Town and the band's studio in Melbourne,
catching a train to work after school and then getting up early
in the morning for the two-hour trip back home.
"I wasn't very keen on doing school at the time, obviously, because
I had this thing going on," sighs Hooper The Elder. "So it was just
like juggle, juggle, juggle. But I actually did better (in my exams)
than most of my mates who were there all the time."
So with Reflector so close to being unleashed on a public that seemingly
can't get enough of Killing Heidi, the time is ripe for a little
reflection on what has already come to pass.
Like, what's been the most surreal moment for Killing Heidi so far?
"Finding out we were number one (with the single Mascara)," smiles
Jesse. "That really seemed like it wasn't quite real."
And that extraordinary show at the Big Day Out in Sydney where some
10,000 people emptied the main arena en masse and tried cramming
into the same tin shed to catch a glimpse of these teen sensations?
"There were quite a few people who couldn't even get in apparently,"
laughs Jesse. "It was our first Big Day Out show, so we were all
really excited and a bit nervous. But it was awesome.
"But the Melbourne Big Day Out was probably a little bit better
for us because it was our hometown and it was Ella's birthday that
day, so we brought her out a birthday cake on stage."
And, going back a bit further, how about winning Triple J's Goulburn
Valley Unearthed competition back in 1996? How significant was that
in the overall scheme of things?
"Hugely. Without Unearthed, we wouldn't have had the initial recognition
which got us the contract which got us to where we are now. So it
was really one of the first links in the chain.
killing heidi, the metro, tonight and tomorrow night. reflector
is out on monday. - SECT-Features.
(c) Nationwide News Proprietary Ltd, 2000.
Source: DAILY TELEGRAPH (SYDNEY) 02/03/2000
02Mar2000
- The Killing
Heidi Realm: Charisma enough for marriage offers
<return to top> It's been a rapid and well documented rise
for this young brother and sister from Violet Town in rural Victoria.
Ella (now 17) and Jesse Hooper (20) were unearthed by Triple J a
couple of years ago, with a nice song they wrote called Kettle,
noteworthy only for Ella's voice and the songwriters' ages. Their
first official single, Weir, released last year, went platinum and
the second, Mascara, rapidly rose to number one on the national
charts. At the Sydney Big Day Out, their side stage gig drew thousands
more people than the stadium headliners on at the same time. Their
highly anticipated debut album Reflectoris out today.
So what's all the fuss about? Well, Ella Hooper. Dressed in character
at the Metro in a Jetsons' age red vinyl tunic over silver pants,
coloured braids amid long black hair, she's uniquely gorgeous and
possesses an exceptionally strong and mature voice. Not only that,
she's friendly and natural towards the audience, a magnetic, confident
frontperson.
Charismatic? Boys in the audience are almost delirious, yelling
marriage proposals, several almost breaking their necks crowd-surfing
in an effort to get her attention. Her big brother stands to the
right of the stage in a perpetual cartoonish guitar hero pose, spiralling
his flame-orange dreadlocks dramatically.
The music is unchallenging but often catchy - even spirited - guitar
pop, played a bit heavier and rockier live. The Hoopers know how
to write a good hook: chorus time in the singles sends the mosh
crazy. There's an over-reliance on post-grunge (post-Pixies) dynamics
- the softer melodic verse/loud distorted guitar chorus trick (used
to great effect in Weir) is utilised over and over again in the
electric songs.
The best of the two acoustic stints (without the rhythm section)
sees the siblings pay tribute to their musical forebears with a
cover of Tomorrow by (ex-Hottest New Band) silverchair. Ella's voice
easily parallels Daniel Johns' in strength and breadth, and it sounds
like the entire audience are singing along.
The problem with Killing Heidi, if there is one, is that they've
been so highly stylised and accessorised that they're in danger
of being reduced to two-dimensional comic book characters, their
credibility cannibalised by their marketability.
At the rate they're going, it won't be long before you can buy Ella
and Jesse dolls, complete with spare outfits and glam-feral accessories.
The lifesize versions will be enormous, though, and good luck to
'em.
01Mar2000
- The
Killing Heidi Realm: Pushing on to Number One - BEAT MAGAZINE <return to top>
Ella Hooper spent her 17th birthday playing to one of the
most frenzied crowds Killing Heidi have played before. It was at
Melbournes Big Day Out, and scores of people packed into a shed,
some hanging from rafters in the roof. One hung off a water pipe;
it broke under his weight, and sprayed water everywhere.
