26

- "4/5 stars" Noel Mengel - Courier Mail
- "Absolutely stunning and sensational” Mary-Lou Stephens - ABC Radio
- 'Aloha' debuted at 8 on the ARIA Top 40 Digital Download charts
- Australian Independent band ‘26’ have their song “A New Beginning”, from their second album “Births, Deaths & Marriages”, featured in NBC Universal’s SEASON FINALE of “Life” (Wed., Apr. 8 9/8c TV-14 Episode 221 - “One” Looking for Reese). The show will be also aired in 24 other countries.
2009 has already been a big year for ‘26’ with their song ‘A New Beginning’ being featured in NBC Universal’s season finale of “Life”. Throughout the course of 2009 ‘26’ will be releasing the album ‘26x365’ exclusively to iTunes in four parts, 3 songs every 3 months for 1 year. You can read more about the project and follow it online at www.26theband.com.
‘26x365_Part 1’ is available world-wide from iTunes from 1 April 2009. When music presenter Mary-Lou Stephens of ABC’s Coast FM recently featured the Brisbane alternative rock band 26 on her evening show, Stephens described the title track to 26’s new album ‘Births Deaths & Marriages’ as “absolutely stunning” and “sensational.” Stephens responded strongly to the evocative, emotionally raw track, candidly admitting, “I don’t know if I could live without this song in my life.” Veteran music reviewer Noel Mengel of Brisbane’s The Courier-Mail shared Stephens’ passion for 26’s “British sound” declaring 26’s founding member and former choir boy Nick O’Donnell to be a “beautiful singer.” He also praised the independently produced and financed album’s high quality production values, an album that stretches all the way from a four piece indie rock band right through to a church organ, orchestral harp and a 100 piece choir. Mengel went on to say that this up-and-coming Brisbane band is in the same league as the critically acclaimed Coldplay and indie favorite Elbow, and on the world stage deserves the same audience.
Like other independent bands who are producing and distributing their own albums, 26 is now enjoying a rapidly growing internet following with their podcasts, mp3 downloads and radio airplay. The band’s first album ‘The King Must Die’ was released in Australia through Floodboy Records and MGM Distribution and globally through iTunes in 2005. The album received national airplay and ‘The King Must Die’ was honored as the FBI’s Album Show feature album. With the band’s growing popularity, 26 toured Australia in 2006 for the release of their single ‘Friendly Fire,’ which went on to win the highly regarded 2006 Queensland Song Award for Best Rock Song and was also a finalist in The Courier-Mail People’s Choice Awards. The single also received airplay on Triple J nationally and FBI 94.5 FM Sydney.
With the release of their second album ‘Births, Deaths & Marriages’ in 2008 26’s track ‘Aloha’ was featured on the 3 Mobile website which led to it debuting at No8 on the ARIA Digital Download Charts the following week. That same week 26 was chosen as one of only 40 acts to showcase at Queensland’s 2008 Big Sound Conference, one of the most respected and fastest growing music business events in the Asia Pacific region. To round off 2008 ‘26’ have been invited to perform at Trade Queensland’s & Arts Queensland’s Contemporary Music Strategies launch.
During interviews O’Donnell quickly shifts the focus from his song writing to the synergistic, collaborative process of the band 26 as a whole, and how each individual band member’s contribution helps to create the band’s unique sound. O’Donnell feels deeply connected to his friends and fellow band members Drew Fellows, Ross Duckworth and Iain Wilson who are driven by the same philosophy. They want to write music that is real: meaning music that draws from their personal life experiences and is not afraid to be emotionally honest. Even the title of the album ‘Births, Deaths & Marriages’ is based on life changing events in 2007 which impacted each individual band member and shaped the writing of the album: O’Donnell’s second child was born, Wilson’s father died, the band lost a close friend to cancer, and Duckworth got married.
The fact that an Australian government department is actually called ‘Births, Deaths & Marriages’ shows the band’s sense of humor, and that in spite of their mandate for total artistic integrity, they don’t always take themselves so seriously. When O’Donnell first met Drew Fellows working as graphic designers in a Brisbane advertising agency, both shared a love for British music and knew it was the beginning of a musical partnership, with bass player Ross Duckworth and drummer Iain Wilson being recruited soon after. As O’Donnell comments on the back of the album cover, “Making music is great in itself, but making music with friends is what it’s all about.”
At a time when the internet has radically transformed the corporate music industry and new bands are being overlooked by the major record companies, 26 has already achieved what it set out to do. They have produced two albums that are emotionally raw and real, melancholy yet hopeful, challenging and at the same time cathartic. Through word of mouth 26’s loyal devotees will continue to grow. When music is real and honest and takes listeners on a journey that cannot entirely be described, giving light to the dark places of the soul, it’s only a matter of time before it will find the devoted audience it deserves on the world stage.