I Know Leopard are 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
OriginSydney, Australia
Genres
Years active2012 (2012)–present
LabelsIvy League Records
Members
Past members
  • Matt DeGris
  • Jade Eley
  • Todd Andrews
Websiteiknowleopard.com

History edit

The band was formed in 2012 between friends Luke, Matt, Jade and Todd, after they relocated from Adelaide to Sydney. 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 and the departure of Jade. 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 Matt and the arrival of Rosie. 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 on 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]

Todd Andrews left the band in 2020 to focus on his other band, 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".

Touring edit

The 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 edit

When 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 edit

Current members edit

Source:[10]

  • Luke O'Loughlin – lead vocals, keyboards (2012–present)
  • Jennifer McCullagh – violin, keyboards, backing vocals (2013–present)
  • Rosie Fitzgerald – bass, synthesizer, backing vocals (2015–present)

Past members edit

  • Matt DeGris – drums (2012–2015)
  • Jade Eley – bass, backing vocals (2012–2013)
  • Todd Andrews – guitar (2012–2020)

Touring musicians edit

  • Jack Moffitt – guitar
  • Luke Davison – drums
  • Tully Ryan – drums

Discography edit

Albums edit

Title Album details Peak chart positions
AUS
[11]
Love is a Landmine 39

EPs edit

Title Album details
Embers
  • Release date: 2012[13]
  • Label: Independent
  • Formats: Digital download
Illumina
Another Life

Singles edit

List of singles, with selected chart positions
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 edit

National Live Music Awards edit

The 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

  1. ^ "Laneway Festival announces Unearthed acts". Kill Your Stereo. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  2. ^ "triplejradio's Library". last.fm. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  3. ^ "101–200: Hottest 100 2018". triple j. 11 November 2018. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  4. ^ "I Know Leopard – Love is a Landmine". australian-charts. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  5. ^ "I Know Leopard on Instagram". Instagram. Archived from the original on 26 December 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  6. ^ "I Know Leopard on Instagram". Instagram. Archived from the original on 26 December 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  7. ^ Leeson, Josh (25 April 2019). "I Know Leopard find love and inspiration among landmines". Newcastle Herald. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  8. ^ "I Know Leopard Announce Debut Album & Nationwide Tour". Music Feeds. 7 February 2019. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  9. ^ "I Know Leopard Are Heading Out For A National Tour This November". The Music. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  10. ^ "I Know Leopard – About". Facebook. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  11. ^ "australian-charts.com – Discography I Know Leopard". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  12. ^ "Love is a Landmine on Apple Music". Apple. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  13. ^ "Embers (Digital Sampler EP) by I Know Leopard". Soundcloud. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  14. ^ "Illumina on Apple Music". Apple. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  15. ^ "Another Life on Apple Music". Apple. Archived from the original on 8 October 2019. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  16. ^ "HERE ARE YOUR 2019 NATIONAL LIVE MUSIC AWARDS NOMINEES!". NLMA. 22 October 2020. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
  17. ^ "AND THE WINNERS OF THE 2019 NATIONAL LIVE MUSIC AWARDS ARE…". NLMA. 5 December 2020. Retrieved 5 September 2020.

External links edit