The Plunderers (band)

The Plunderers

Company type	Musical group
Industry	Music
Founded	May 1984 (1984-05)
Founder	Nic Dalton, Stevie Plunder
Defunct	1992
Headquarters	Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney , Australia
Products	Music albums, singles, EPs

The Plunderers emerged as an Australian ensemble established in May 1984 in Canberra by Nic Dalton (bass, vocals) alongside Stevie Plunder (guitar, vocals). Their discography includes three mini-albums: Trust Us (June 1988), Sarah's not Falling in Love (April 1990), and Home Movie (1992); a live album titled 13.7.91 Live! Live! Live! (1991); as well as three full-length albums: No Era Is Safe (1986), Half A Cow (1986), and Banana Smoothie Honey (1992). Renowned Australian music historian Ian McFarlane characterized their style as "a punk-infused power pop featuring energetic guitar work, crisp harmonies, and robust pop melodies," which later transitioned towards psychedelic influences. In 1989, Dalton, Plunder, and drummer Geoff Milne initiated side ventures Hippy Dribble (psychedelic pop) and subsequently Captain Denim (a relaxed folk-rock sound inspired by Buffalo Springfield and Country & Western). Both projects produced recordings including the 1994 split album Silver Apples/Fade. Dalton became a member of the American group The Lemonheads in 1992, while Lewis and Plunder went on to form The Whitlams with Tim Freedman. Stevie Plunder passed away on 25 January 1996 at age 32; Andy Lewis died on 12 February 2000 at age 33.

History

The Plunderers began in January 1984 in Canberra with Nic Dalton handling bass and vocals, Stevie Plunder on guitar and vocals, and Elmo Reed on drums. Lindsay Dunbar briefly took over drumming duties before the band went on hiatus for six months. In June 1985, Peter Velzen succeeded Dunbar as drummer and lead vocalist. This formation released their initial single "Strange Affection" through their own label, Rattlesnake Records. The group moved to Melbourne in October 1985, where Andy Lewis joined to contribute keyboards, guitar, and harmony vocals. During 1986, they issued two cassette albums: No Era Is Safe and Half A Cow. By late 1986, the band had relocated to Sydney; Lewis exited the lineup in 1987.

Their first five-track mini-album Trust Us, produced by Charlie Owen on the Green Fez label, was released in June 1988. Later that year, they issued the single "I Don't Mind," produced by Rob Younger. In January 1989, Geoff Milne replaced Velzen on drums. The band followed with singles "I Didn't Even See Them at All" (June 1989) and "Christo" (September 1990), alongside mini-albums Sarah's not Falling in Love (March 1990) and Home Movie (July 1991), all under Younger's production. Their musical approach blended power pop with emerging psychedelic elements.

In 1989, Dalton, Milne, and Plunder formed the side project Hippy Dribble, releasing the EP Wild Strawberri (1990) via their Trip Records label. Captain Denim emerged in December 1990 to explore more folk-rock sounds rooted in early Plunderers influences. Dalton also established the psychedelic pop band Godstar in 1991. The Plunderers launched their full-length album Banana Smoothie Honey along with the live album 13.7.91 Live! Live! Live! in 1992 before Dalton joined The Lemonheads and Lewis with Plunder founded The Whitlams.

Hippy Dribble issued another EP titled Cheerleader in 1992 through Dalton’s Half A Cow label; that same year saw the release of a split album featuring earlier recordings from both Hippy Dribble and Captain Denim. Dalton described Hippy Dribble as leaning more towards psychedelia compared to the rock-based sound of The Plunderers. Following Dalton’s departure for The Lemonheads, Plunder joined New Christs before co-founding The Whitlams alongside Freedman and Lewis. Dalton continued his musical career performing with groups such as Love Positions and Ratcat while also producing solo material. By 1995, Milne had become part of Red Planet Rockets.

The passing of Stevie Plunder at Wentworth Falls on Australia Day 1996 at age 32 marked the conclusion of The Plunderers’ activities. Andy Lewis died aged 33 in February 2000. In November 2000, Half A Cow reissued Banana Smoothie Honey as a two-CD edition including bonus tracks from Hippy Dribble and Captain Denim. In 2008, Dalton released a compilation album featuring early works of The Plunderers entitled Last Seen Near Trafalgar 87-89.

Albums

The Plunderers

• No Era Is Safe – Rattlesnake (cassette) (1986)
• Half A Cow – Rattlesnake (cassette) (1986)
• Banana Smoothie Honey – Citadel Records (CITCD527) (1992), Half A Cow (HAC93) (2000)

Hippy Dribble/Captain Denim

• Silver Apples/Fade – Half a Cow (1994)

Live albums

The Plunderers

• Hot August Knights – Pray Tell (cassette) (1985)
• 13.7.91 Live! Live! Live! – 10 inch Club Records (1992)

Extended plays

The Plunderers

• Trust Us – Green Fez (FEZ801) (June 1988)
• Sarah's not Falling in Love – 10 inch Citadel Records (CITEP201) (April 1990)
• Home Movie – 10 inch Citadel Records (CITEP202) (July 1991)

Hippy Dribble

• Wild Strawberri – Trip Records (1990)
• Cheerleader – Half A Cow Records (1993)

Captain Denim

• Fade – Vest Records (1992)

Singles

• "Strange Affection" – (1985)
• "I Don't Mind" – (1988)
• "I Didn't Even See Them at All" – (1989)
• "Christo" – (1989)

Other appearances

• "Windows Wide" – featured on 2XX Beyond The Wireless Various Artists compilation (1985)
• "Yankee Trash", "Dawn Patrol" – included in Pounding Tales Comic release by Pounding Tales (1987)
• "No Fun" – part of the tribute album Hard to Beat (Au Go Go Records, 1989), honoring The Stooges
• "Dying" – appeared on Positively Elizabeth Street (Citadel Records, 1989)
• "24 Days Till Biscuits" – contributed to the compilation Rockin' Bethlehem from Timberland Records (1989)
• "Charisma" – featured on the tribute album Hard to Believe by Waterfront Records (1990), dedicated to KISS

References

General

• Note: The archived online version has limited features.

Specific

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External links

• Biography of Plunderers hosted by Half A Cow.