The Herd formed in 2001 (though have all been affiliated as a crew since 1999) after the core members of Elefant Traks record label decided to collaborate rather than submit individual tracks for a compilation. They retreated from the city for weekends and days off to record at a lakeside house on the Central Coast. What resulted was the self-titled album that featured the Triple J (national youth broadcast radio station) hit ‘Scallops’, a song that became an Aussie backyard anthem, complete with the memorable summertime good vibes film-clip.
Mid-2002 The Herd put the final touches on the follow-up album, called An Elefant Never Forgets. What started out as a group of individuals working together had now developed into a tight and cohesive band, with members performing shows with each other constantly.
The new album was released in February 2003 amidst the invasion of Iraq by coalition forces. The first single ‘Burn Down The Parliament’ hit Triple J radio just after the devastating bushfires in Canberra. The launch in Sydney attracted over 750 people with full houses on tours to Melbourne and Brisbane. Less than a month after release, a repressing was ordered as the first big shipment sold out.
Then the second single, ‘77%’ hit the airwaves and immediately sparked controversy with media and particularly talkback radio hosts like Stan Zemanek. The Sydney Morning Herald ran stories on the song and The Herd while talkback hotlines rang hot with curious and furious callers wanting to know more. Despite the uproar, Triple J continued playing the song and hundreds of listeners requested it. To this day it’s still the song audiences most respond to at live shows.
Then low and behold, the band release their third album in 2005 called The Sun Never Sets - their most accomplished record to date. The launching tour was a turning point for the group with sellout crowds at most of the shows, including 1200 ppl at The Metro in Sydney. This came hand in hand with the accidental success of a new song, their version of Redgum's I was only 19. Redgum singer John Schumann got in contact and after shared anecdotes and a few beers, ended up performing the song together at Homebake 2005. The song was then properly recorded and released in March 2006 on The Sun Never Sets. Strangely enough, a live recording of the song managed to be playlisted and voted into the Triple J Hottest 100 (..18) despite not even being a proper recording.
After that, stuff happened and more stuff then happened and a whole bunch of crazy stuff happened. Everyone lived happily ever after.
