Scary Mother
| Company type | Rock band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1990 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Founder | Anthony Brown, Tim Burcham, Andrew Gillespie, Toby Messiter |
| Defunct | 1995 |
| Headquarters | Sydney , Australia |
| Products | Rock music |
Scary Mother (also presented as Scarymother) was a rock ensemble originating from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, established in 1990. The group consisted of Anthony Brown on lead guitar, Tim Burcham handling drums, Andrew Gillespie as the lead vocalist, and Toby (Tobias) Messiter on keyboards, formerly of Wildland. In August 1992, they issued a self-titled three-track EP through MDS, the distribution arm of Mushroom Records.
During April and May 1993, Scary Mother acted as the opening act for Faith No More. Their debut single, "Lord of the Flies," produced by Matt Wallace—known for his work with Faith No More—was launched to coincide with this tour. The track was collaboratively written by Brown, Burcham, and Gillespie. Their only full-length album, Tai Laeo (which translates from Thai as 'already gone'), was released in May 1994. This album, produced by Rick Will and distributed via ATI/Mushroom Records/Festival Records, featured a moody and melodic rock sound complemented by atmospheric keyboard arrangements and emotive vocal delivery.
According to music expert Ian McFarlane, frontman Gillespie’s singing style evoked similarities to Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam and Ian Astbury from The Cult, underscoring the band’s deliberate musical approach. In 2009, Brown, Gillespie, and Messiter collaborated with Lucius Borich (from Cog) and Jon Stockman (from Karnivool) to form the progressive rock band Floating Me.
Band members
- Tim Burcham – drums
- Anthony Brown – guitar
- Andrew Gillespie – vocals
- Toby Messiter – keyboards
- Dorian West – bass guitar
Albums
| Title | Details | Highest chart position |
|---|---|---|
| AUS | ||
| Tai Laeo | 94 |
Extended plays
- Scary Mother (1992) – MDS
Singles
- "Lord of the Flies" (1993) AUS #132
- "Who are You?" (1993)
- "Looking Down" (1994)