Having originally spawned as a three piece purely electronic act in 2002 its safe to say Astronaut have heavily evolved over the past 4 years. 2006 sees a fresh start for the band who have transformed into one of Perths premier electro disco rock acts.
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2005 saw the band take a full head of steam and play in just about every nook and cranny around WA. The bands popularity saw them take out best live electronic act in the 2006 WAMI (WA Music Industry) awards and release their debut single Invisible Man as well as support the likes of sonicanimation, Endorphin, The Panda Band, The Avenues and many more.
Line up wise the band has only one founding member Rhys Watson ( B Movie Heroes) left and has been joined by some of the most talented artists around in WA if not Australia. New Sleepy Jackson guitarist and former Spencer Tracy frontman Lee Jones heads up the Naut on vocals, guitar and keys. With his flair for pop song writing and rock star moves, Jones and Watson have forged a powerful combination spitting out electro, dirty disco and stauch rock songs reminiscent of bands like Electric Six, Datarock and Soulwax and then laying you down and serenading you with sugar laden pop songs.
Another new addition to the band in 2006 is Angus Diggs on drums. Well known for his animal like skin bashing with the likes of Mia Dyson, Jeff Lang and Mick Hart, Diggsy has won multiple awards as one of the best drummers currently going around in Oz. Rounding out the band is bassist Julian Rawlings (Eyespy) and Rhythm guitarist and keys maestro Mick Stephens also of B Movie Heroes.
The future is bright for Astronaut. With a new set of songs and an EP currently in the works expect to hear a lot more from these guys.
XPRESS MAGAZINE REVIEW:
"....still ball-tearingly rockin'. It seems very much like their sound has changed a lot over the last six months, shifting from a more experimental electronic angle to one more guitar-driven. Given this, frontman Lee Jones has more room to shine in his chosen role. A natural performer, Jones was born for the stage. No spending the entire gig looking at his fretboard; no struggling to play, sing, and dance in unison; no signs of discomfort or being out of place; he is exactly what a performer should be... totally in charge of what he's doing.
....between Jones and Rhys 'Cowboy' Watson, the band has an amazing live dynamic. Musically there is nothing but fun on the table...
... their overall sound is extremely textured and interesting. Good band this one... and definitely capable of pushing themselves further and further. "- Mike Wafer
Bookings MIXTAPE MANAGEMENT Jason Namour email: [email protected]
