Melbourne’s Party Rock n’ Rollers The Cheats unleashed their debut single “Burn It Up†backed with “Where You Been?†in 2006. Receiving generous amounts of airplay (JJJ, RRR, PBS, SYN) and positive reviews, it’s just a small taste of the sounds created by this crazy duo.
Armed with two vintage guitar amps and a beat-up drum-kit, The Cheats have been wooing audiences across Melbourne and Sydney since the tail end of 2005.
The two misfits, Julian Tovey (vocals, guitar) and Tom “Coops†Cooper (drums, vocals) met 3 years ago when they went on tour through the US and UK with Riff Random- Coops as guitar tech and Jules on Bass. It was over a beer at the Espy shortly after returning from their journey that they first talked about starting a band. It was later in 2005 that they started jamming and the songs began to flow.
After playing without bass for a few months they decided it wasn’t needed, and the rockin’ two-piece we know as The Cheats was born. During this time they also swapped handing over wads of cash to rehearsal rooms for practicing in an old tractor warehouse for free, which they have been doing ever since. These industrial surroundings have been the background for hours of flowing jams and rockin’ riffs, which has cemented the band’s electric live show.
The Cheats first run of gigs hasn’t been a walk in the park- since November 2005 they have played solidly, supporting the likes of Eagles Of Death Metal, Bob Log III, Louis XIV, The ZooBombs, British India, Spazzys, The Exploders, Cosmic Psychos, The Meanies, The Grates, The Drones, Brank Bjork & The Bros, The Lost Gospel and Spencer P Jones.
In their short history The Cheats have gained much respect and admiration from their fans and peers alike, for the rawness and honesty that comes across at a live performance, coupled with their quality songwriting and unique character.
Both members are experienced musicians; Jules has played bass and guitar in Riff Random and Headcase respectively; and Coops has played drums in Noiseradio and Sarah Sarah.
The Cheats also recently served as the rhythm section for ‘Shooting at Unarmed Men’, the new band from Jon Chapple (ex-Mclusky), co-writing and recording their 3rd album ‘Triptychâ€.
Things will not be slowing down for The Cheats, after winning Triple J’s Unearthed competition, they are in the middle of writing and recording an album for release in 2008.
In the meantime, the song ‘Burn It Up’ will feature in two upcoming episodes of the Nine Network’s new crime drama ‘Underbelly’ (it has previously been featured on Network Ten’s ‘Bondi Rescue’), and The Cheats will continue to play regular live shows.
The Cheats are gonna bring the good times with ‘em, and make one hell of a racket along the way!
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