Nil By Mouth are a rock band from Sydney. They started out as a 3 piece band, but these days usually play with a brass ensemble and sometimes violin, making them more like a 6 or 7 piece band.

Nil By Mouth sound like some sort of cross between an old English band and a new American band, with a splash of funky horns. They play upbeat, fun rock music.

They have played all over Sydney and won various competitions over the years, and in 2009 were named the 'Unsigned Find of 2009' by Australia's largest rock music station, Triple M.

You can hear Nil By Mouth on the music page, and see them in action on the video page.

 

Here's a (relatively) independent version of the Nil By Mouth story:

You may have seen or heard of Nil By Mouth before. They are the winners of the 2009 national Triple M Unsigned Find competition, they have been played on triple j, been played across independent radio, local TV and have done their time on the Sydney pub scene. In a city filled with pokies, bistros and poker tables Nil By Mouth have had to battle their way through to establish themselves on the scene in Sydney.

They have played at heaps of bars and pubs across the city over the last few years, The Hopetoun, Luna Park, The Lansdowne and the Excelsior name but a few of the places they have commanded the dance floor of. There was even once a world tour, but it consisted of one acoustic gig in the Northern Hemisphere, and the rhythm section weren't there so it probably doesn't count.

Starting in 2002 in suburban Sydney, Nil By Mouth set out to make music that they wanted to listen to, that made them happy, and really just to pass the time. From this point it went a little like this...

2004 saw Nil By Mouth release their self titled EP. Their friends family and a few others thought it was fantastic, but they wanted more.

In 2005 the band released their second EP, "the way it is". The EP received air play on triple j as well as other radio stations for tracks like ‘Guns for the Enemy’.

2006 saw a breakthrough for the band when they won the Macquarie Uni Band Comp and later that year went all the way to the state final of the Jim Beam Band Competition.

2007 saw they band take the next step in their evolution when they played to over 10,000 people at Conception Day at Macquarie Uni, quite a feat for a band still juggling with things to truly find their ‘sound’.

In 2009 comes Nil By Mouth's third release, recorded in the famous Albert Studios, a name synonymous with Australian music. The guys recorded in the same studios that housed the likes of Midnight Oil, The Living End, and Neil Finn. The end result is "Greatest Days", an 8 track EP featuring 5 guest musicians, including brass and violin and is truly the band's most ambitious recording yet. The band has found its sound and is now ready to take on a crowd near you.

The band knew that this was their big chance, but "Greatest Days" had only been released for about two weeks when they won the 2009 National Triple M Unsigned Find Competition, and the band knew that things were looking good. With airplay on Triple M and a handy $10,000 cash prize, Nil By Mouth have the momentum to take their music to the masses.

Nil By Mouth aren’t trying to change the world, they don’t want to overthrow governments or end wars. Sure those things would kick arse, but they are more inclined to want to get you smiling, dancing, or even just tapping your toe in the corner of the room. They don’t care, just so long as you’re enjoying yourself and you buy 50 copies of their album each.

- Lachlan Guselli

The Debaser Online

 

Michael Collins

AJ Nunes

Jordan Nunes