Ambush Marketing
Genre:Art rock, Indie
From the moment you open your eyes you are told how to behave, what to believe, and who to blame. Left is right. Right is wrong. Avoid the yellow water. Sing for your supper. Sold for a song. Some things are universal. Some things can only be true. Working for a living will kill you. Traffic is murder. People are monsters. Animals are not your children. You can take a girl out of the country, but you can't wash the dirt from her hands. And while you were busy planning for your future, someone crept up behind you and nicked your jacket. It's the opportunist who wins the prize. Preparation is overrated. Safe as houses? Security counts for nothing if you leave the side door open. None of us is safe. There's always someone watching. There's always someone waiting in the wings. Ambush Marketing is everywhere.
The name Ambush Marketing has been kicking around Adelaide since 2005, and has covered various groups of people playing the music of songwriter Matthew Hill, across a range of styles from piano pop to indie rock. The project only really settled down to become a 'proper' band at the beginning of 2008 and soon developed a darker sound with a brooding edge. By April of that year, the band released their debut EP, People Are Monsters, and began to receive airplay and positive reviews on Radio Adelaide and Three D. The EP's opening track, Safe As Houses, reached 28 on the Triple J Unearthed indie chart and led one host of 'The Range' on Radio Adelaide to label People Are Monsters one of the best releases of the year.
The line-up of Matthew Hill (vocals/bass/keyboards), Michael Cornish (guitars) and Greg Hill (drums) played regularly around the city throughout 2008 at venues such as The Grace Emily, Exeter, The Gov, Jade Monkey and Rhino Room. In early 2009, Michael Cornish left the band to focus on other projects and was soon replaced by Ben Campbell. With a new guitarist came a new direction, and Ambush Marketing's sound began to move towards a more jagged, angular, art-rock style. Campbell's first gig was a live-to-air set on Radio Adelaide's 'Local Noise', and the band was soon back gigging around town, adding L!VE on Light Square and Higher Ground to the list of venues they've played.
In July 2009, the boys released a three track demo, Dirty Little Song Bird, which the Quiet Pop zine called "an assured and confident follow-up" to the first EP. Again the band received airplay on local radio, and both releases were picked up by Melbourne label PVH Records for sale on their site. Ambush Marketing headed to Melbourne in November 2009 for shows at The Penny Black and The Toff with The Roulette Generation, Modular Lounge and Money For Rope. The band are now set to record their debut album from May 2010, and very soon will most definitely be found on a stage, radio, mp3 player and television set near you.
"...it's Ben Campbell's guitar: I swear it sounds just like a greatest hits compilation of Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood having explosive orgasms in everything from "The Bends" to "OK Computer" and it is without a doubt the BEST thing ever!" - Spoz's Rant
The music is quirky and diverse and a wider selection is available to be heard here.
