I Know Leopard were an Australian pop band from Sydney. The band was formed in 2012, and features Luke O'Loughlin on vocals and keyboards, Rosie Fitzgerald on bass and Jennifer McCullagh on violin and keyboards. They released their debut album, Love is a Landmine, in 2019.
I Know Leopard | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Sydney, Australia |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 2012–2022 |
| Labels | Ivy League Records |
| Spinoff of | These New South Whales |
| Past members |
|
| Website | iknowleopard |
History
editThe band was formed in 2012 between friends Luke O'Loughlin, Matt DeGris, Jade Eley and Todd Andrews after they relocated from Adelaide to Sydney. O'Loughlin and Andrews had formed a punk band, These New South Whales, the year before – with O'Loughlin on drums and Andrews on guitar. Soon after they released their debut EP, Embers.
In 2014, the band signed to Ivy League Records, through which they released their second EP, Illumina. Shortly after this, the band saw the arrival of Jennifer McCullagh and the departure of Eley. The EP saw success on triple j, and the band won the Sydney slot for the 2015 Laneway Festival Unearthed competition.[1]
In 2015, the lineup changed once again with the departure of DeGris and the arrival of Rosie Fitzgerald. Later in the year, the band released their third EP Another Life. The songs "Close Your Eyes", "Perfect Picture" and "Another Life" all received significant airplay on Triple J. The band released the singles "Rather Be Lonely" and "Let Go" in 2016 and 2017, respectively, with both singles also receiving strong airplay on triple j.[2]
In 2018, the band released the song "Landmine", which would later come in at No. 177 in the triple j Hottest 200.[3] The following year, the band released the singles "Heather" and "Seventy Lies", and in April 2019 they released their debut album Love is a Landmine. The album debuted and peaked at No. 39 on the ARIA Charts.[4] The album was also nominated for the Australian Music Prize, and received Album of the Week at Sydney Community Radio station FBi Radio.[5] The fourth single from the album, "Everything Goes With You", was released in August 2019 and was a nominee for the 2019 Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition.[6]
In 2019, O'Loughlin and Fitzgerald announced that they had been in a romantic relationship for a few years. This relationship, and the breakdowns that happened around it, aided in the creation of music for their debut LP Love is a Landmine, which O'Loughlin described as "therapy".[7] Andrews left the band in 2020 to focus on These New South Whales. In 2021, the band returned with a new single, "Lover Automatic". This was followed later in the year with a further two stand-alone singles, "Day 2 Day" and "Good As What You Give". The band released one last single, "Nothing is Real", and played a run of shows in late 2022 before quietly disbanding.
Touring
editThe band have embarked on several national tours over the years, including the Love is a Landmine album tour in mid 2019 selling out and playing to thousands of people across Australia,[8] and the "Everything Goes With You" national tour in November 2019, named after a song from the band's debut album.[9] The band have played a number of notable festivals, including Lost Lands, Festival of the Sun and Beyond the Valley in 2019 and Party in the Paddock in 2020. The band supported A-ha and Rick Astley in February 2020.
Musical style
editWhen the band originated, their sound was a blend of indie rock and dream pop. Later in their career, the band began to shift their sound towards more synth-based art pop and indie pop, as well as drawing upon 1970's era style soft rock.
Members
editFinal line-up
editSource:[10]
- Luke O'Loughlin – lead vocals, keyboards (2012–2022)
- Jennifer McCullagh – violin, keyboards, backing vocals (2013–2022)
- Rosie Fitzgerald – bass, synthesizer, backing vocals (2015–2022)
Former members
edit- Matt DeGris – drums (2012–2015)
- Jade Eley – bass, backing vocals (2012–2013)
- Todd Andrews – guitar (2012–2020)
Former touring musicians
edit- Jack Moffitt – guitar
- Luke Davison – drums
- Tully Ryan – drums
Discography
editAlbums
edit| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| AUS [11] | ||
| Love is a Landmine |
|
39 |
EPs
edit| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Embers |
|
| Illumina |
|
| Another Life |
|
Singles
edit| Year | Title | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | "Embers" | Embers |
| "Useless" | ||
| 2014 | "Hold This Tight" | Illumina |
| 2015 | "Perfect Picture" | Another Life |
| "Close My Eyes" | ||
| 2016 | "Rather Be Lonely" | Non-album singles |
| 2017 | "Let Go" | |
| 2018 | "Landmine" | Love is a Landmine |
| 2019 | "Heather" | |
| "Seventy Lies" | ||
| "Everything Goes With You" | ||
| 2021 | "Lover Automatic" | TBA |
| "Day 2 Day" | ||
| "Good As What You Give" | ||
| 2022 | "Nothing is Real" |
Awards and nominations
editNational Live Music Awards
editThe National Live Music Awards (NLMAs) are a broad recognition of Australia's diverse live industry, celebrating the success of the Australian live scene. The awards commenced in 2016.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Live Music Awards of 2019[16][17] | Rosie Fitzgerald (I Know Leopard) | Live Bassist of the Year | Nominated |
| Jennifer McCullagh (I Know Leopard) | Live Instrumentalist of the Year | Nominated |
References
edit- ^ "Laneway Festival announces Unearthed acts". Kill Your Stereo. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
- ^ "triplejradio's Library". last.fm. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
- ^ "101–200: Hottest 100 2018". triple j. 11 November 2018. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
- ^ "I Know Leopard – Love is a Landmine". australian-charts. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
- ^ "I Know Leopard on Instagram". Instagram. Archived from the original on 26 December 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
- ^ "I Know Leopard on Instagram". Instagram. Archived from the original on 26 December 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
- ^ Leeson, Josh (25 April 2019). "I Know Leopard find love and inspiration among landmines". Newcastle Herald. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
- ^ "I Know Leopard Announce Debut Album & Nationwide Tour". Music Feeds. 7 February 2019. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
- ^ "I Know Leopard Are Heading Out For A National Tour This November". The Music. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
- ^ "I Know Leopard – About". Facebook. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
- ^ "australian-charts.com – Discography I Know Leopard". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
- ^ "Love is a Landmine on Apple Music". Apple. Archived from the original on 8 October 2019. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
- ^ "Embers (Digital Sampler EP) by I Know Leopard". Soundcloud. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
- ^ "Illumina on Apple Music". Apple. Archived from the original on 8 October 2019. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
- ^ "Another Life on Apple Music". Apple. Archived from the original on 8 October 2019. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
- ^ "HERE ARE YOUR 2019 NATIONAL LIVE MUSIC AWARDS NOMINEES!". NLMA. 22 October 2020. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
- ^ "AND THE WINNERS OF THE 2019 NATIONAL LIVE MUSIC AWARDS ARE…". NLMA. 5 December 2020. Retrieved 5 September 2020.