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Lavish were a Brisbane band which started in 1993 by Gold Coast guitarists Nigel Lacey and Gary Beavis together with female drummer Michelle Wilson, bassist Matt Boulton and lead vocalist Richard. By 1995, Lacey and Beavis decided to head to Brisbane and they ditched the former band in favour of brothers Nathan and Luke Thomas on vocals and bass respectively, and drummer Justin Nelson. They became a successful live band on the Brisbane circuit with their music and style owing much to the American indie rock and Britpop scene that was the rage in the mid 90’s. Lavish were one of the first artists to sign to a briefly revitalised Festival Records in 1998 and their debut single “Trashed” became a favourite on both the commercial and indie radio stations alike, as well as being used in the movie “Buffy The Vampire Slayer”. It had a controversial video to go with it with much of it depicting a rape and murder scene in a dingy Sydney nightclub with snippets of the band done up as New Romantics playing against a white backdrop. Although the single failed to chart, their third single, a cover of Pete Shelley’s 1982 hit “Homosapien” made it to No.60 in 1999 and was used in the film “The Craic” featuring Irish comedian Jimeoin. Unfortunately, the album “Polaroid” produced by new guitarist Jeff Lovejoy and Pop Will Eat Itself vocalist Clint Mansell was not the hit that their record company had hoped for, and they were dropped by the label as well as Beavis and Lacey departing the band. Now down to a trio consisting of the Thomas brothers and ex-Savage Garden drummer Glen Gibson, the band released the critically acclaimed EP “Accelerator” through MGM records, but decided to call it a day in 2001. Luke Thomas evenutally joined You Am I spinoff band The Pictures as bassist and they had a Top 50 hit in 2004. Nathan Thomas turned his hand to writing a novel, whilst Jeff Lovejoy returned to producing Brisbane bands as well as fronting his own band Lovejoy with his sister Kylie. |
