The Whitlams

The Whitlams are an Australian Indie rock band formed in late 1992. The original line-up was Tim Freedman on keyboards and lead vocals, Andy Lewis on double bass and Stevie Plunder on guitar and lead vocals. Other than mainstay Freedman, the line-up has changed numerous times. From 2001 to 2022, he was joined by Warwick Hornby on bass guitar, Jak Housden on guitar and Terepai Richmond on drums – forming the band's longest-lasting and best-known line-up. Four of their studio albums have reached the ARIA Albums Chart top 20: Eternal Nightcap (September 1997, No. 14), Love This City (November 1999, No. 3), Torch the Moon (July 2002, No. 1) and Little Cloud (March 2006, No. 4). Their highest charting singles are "Blow Up the Pokies" (May 2000) and "Fall for You" (June 2002) – both reached number 21. The group's single, "No Aphrodisiac" was listed at number one on the Triple J Hottest 100, 1997 by listeners of national radio station, Triple J. In January 1996 Stevie Plunder was found dead at the base of Wentworth Falls. Andy Lewis died in February 2000.

History

1992–1995: Formation and early years

Alt text

The Whitlams (1992, left to right): Tim Freedman, Andy Lewis and Stevie Plunder

Tim Freedman (ex-Penguin on Safari, Olive Branch) and Anthony Hayes a.k.a. Stevie Plunder (ex-the Plunderers, New Christs) met at the Big Day Out Sydney concert in January 1992.<ref name="McFarlane"/><ref name="Holmgren"/><ref name="Murfett"/> While missing Nirvana performing inside the arena, the two planned to form a group. The Whitlams were formed as a pop band by September that year, with Freedman on keyboards and lead vocals, Andy Lewis on double bass (also ex-The Plunderers, The Gadflys, Olive Branch) and Plunder on guitar.<ref name="McFarlane"/><ref name="Holmgren"/><ref name="McFarlane TP"/> Freedman named the band after the former Prime Minister of Australia, Gough Whitlam,<ref name="Lewis"/><ref name="Levin"/><ref name="Jenkins"/> although Plunder had sought to call themselves, 'The Three Nice Boys'.<ref name="Zuel"/> According to Freedman "I loved the family names—the Smiths, the Reivers. I thought, the Whitlams, no-one's done that. I'll be able to steal all the goodwill that Australia holds in reserve for Gough Whitlam."<ref name="Zuel"/> Initially, without a drummer, the band developed their material acoustically at the Sandringham Hotel, Newtown. Australian music critic, Ed Nimmervoll, felt that they were "a sideline band formed by two Sydney songwriters in search of a bit of extra action."<ref name="Nimmervoll"/> In December 1992 they played a gig in Canberra supporting the Gadflys.<ref name="Haygarth"/>

This line-up released their debut album, Introducing the Whitlams, in August 1993 on Black Yak/Phantom Records.<ref name="McFarlane"/><ref name="Holmgren"/><ref name="Nimmervoll"/> The album was recorded in January and March 1993 at the Skyhigh Studios in Newcastle; for the recording sessions they used Louis Burdett and Nick Cecire on drums, with Rob Taylor producing.<ref name="Holmgren"/> The album features a mix of original and cover songs, including tracks written by Justin Hayes a.k.a. Stanley Claret (Plunder's brother). The album comprises three studio tracks, five live takes and two songs from their first demo,<ref name="Bondi Fest"/> including a tribute song to the band's namesake, "Gough", which was written by Freedman.<ref name="Levin"/> The lead single, "Woody", detailed Woody Allen's break up with Mia Farrow and was followed by their second single, "Gough".<ref name="Mapstone"/> Plunder described their sound to Naomi Mapstone of The Canberra Times, "There'd been lots of rap and lots of thrash and that's all very good, but we just have a different style of music and I think people appreciated hearing something a bit different [... it's] sort of happy, sensitive, not that loud... much more acoustic."<ref name="Mapstone"/> The Canberra TimesTemplate:' reporter, Nicole Leedham felt it was "sublime and ridiculous, the band's bluesy, country, jazzy, punky, folky pop swings from bleeding sensitivity to drunken hilarity."<ref name="Leedham"/> Oz Music Project described the album as being "very different to later recordings, with the band sounding a little bit country and a little bit rock and roll. A far cry from the lush orchestration of recent recordings."<ref name="OzMusic"/>

Stuart Eadie (The Clouds, Olive Branch) became the band's first permanent drummer.<ref name="McFarlane"/><ref name="Holmgren"/> During 1993 to 1994 they performed over 300 shows along the Australian east coast.<ref name="OzMusic"/> At first they travelled in Freedman's Holden Kingswood station wagon before using a tour bus, which was used for the 1994 feature film, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.<ref name="OzMusic"/> The group recorded their second album, Undeniably the Whitlams, from April to May 1994 at the 48V Studio in Sydney, with Taylor and Freedman co-producing.<ref name="Holmgren"/> The songwriting for the album was shared between Freedman and Plunder, with significant contributions by Lewis.<ref name="OzMusic"/> It was released by Black Yak/Phantom in February 1995 and sold approximately 8,000 copies.<ref name="Mengel"/> Ahead of the album, in October 1994, they issued a single, "Met My Match".<ref name="McFarlane"/><ref name="Nimmervoll"/> Late that year Lewis had left to return to the Gadflys,<ref name="Holmgren"/><ref name="McFarlane TG"/> with Mike Vidale brought in as his replacement. Their next single, "I Make Hamburgers", was released in October 1995<ref name="McFarlane"/><ref name="Nimmervoll"/> and received airplay on national radio stations, including Triple J.<ref name="Hottest 100 1996"/>

1996–2000: Eternal Nightcap and Love This City

The Whitlams' "I Make Hamburgers" was listed on the Triple J Hottest 100, 1996 on Australia Day (26 January).<ref name="Hottest 100 1996"/> That same day, Stevie Plunder was found dead at the base of Wentworth Falls;<ref name="Buchanan"/><ref name="Bulletin"/> according to Nimmervoll, he was "either the victim of suicide, or of an accidental fall after a night out."<ref name="Nimmervoll"/> The death of Plunder was the make it or break it moment for the band.<ref name="Eva"/> After several months Freedman reformed the Whitlams with new members; another round of line-up changes occurred later in that year. In August 1996 they issued a nine-track live EP, Stupor Ego, with material recorded from performances at the Harbourside Brasserie in mid-1994 and at Goosens Hall on 30 July 1995 (part of national radio station Triple J's 'Real Appeal' broadcast), with the earlier three-piece line-up of Freedman, Lewis and Plunder.<ref name="Zsigri"/>

The Whitlams recorded their third album, Eternal Nightcap, with Freedman and Taylor co-producing.<ref name="McFarlane"/><ref name="Holmgren"/> Freedman "chose musicians to fit each song, rather than have the same band through the whole album."<ref name="OzMusic"/> The album was recorded on an extremely limited budget of $18,000.<ref name="Murfett"/> In a later interview Freedman reflects "The band became a revolving door because I had no money to pay anyone. I actually made the album, Eternal Nightcap, during that most difficult period, that was a really tough year in which to keep my focus and keep my head up, but it ended in September 1997 when I put the record out, and it just started selling itself."<ref name="Eva"/> Jonathan Lewis of AllMusic described it as being " full of gentle, well-crafted, piano-driven pop songs."<ref name="Lewis Eternal"/> Singles from the album include "You Sound Like Louis Burdett" (May 1997), "Melbourne" (January 1998) and "No Aphrodisiac" (February).

"No Aphrodisiac" was released independently by Freedman's own label, had no film clip, no commercial radio airplay and no marketing budget<ref name="Zuel"/> however it reached the top 60 on the ARIA Singles Chart, and top 50 in New Zealand.<ref name="NZL Charts"/> "No Aphrodisiac" sold more than 80,000 copies and was listed at number one in the Triple J Hottest 100, 1997.<ref name="Zuel"/><ref name="Hottest 100 1997"/> The success of the single translated into sales of over 200,000 copies of the album,<ref name="Zuel"/> with it peaking at No. 14 on the ARIA Albums Chart in February 1998.<ref name="AUS Charts"/> At the ARIA Music Awards of 1998 The Whitlams won Best Independent Release (for Eternal Nightcap), Song of the Year (for "No Aphrodisiac") and Best Group.<ref name="ARIA List"/> The 'Best Group' award was presented by Gough Whitlam, who announced the winners as "It's my family".<ref name="Jenkins"/> At the conclusion of the ARIA Awards ceremony the Whitlams performed a cover of the Skyhooks' "Women in Uniform",<ref name="Eliezer"/> this was subsequently released in March 1999 as a limited edition single.<ref name="Hockley"/><ref name="Gleeson"/> In mid-1999 the group signed a distribution deal with Warner Music Australasia, and toured Canada.<ref name="McFarlane"/>

The group's fourth studio album, Love This City, was released in November 1999, which peaked at No. 3 on the ARIA Albums Chart.<ref name="AUS Charts"/> It was recorded with the line-up of Freedman with Ben Fink on guitar, Bill Heckenberg on drums and Cottco Lovett on bass guitar,<ref name="McFarlane"/> together with a large cast of guest musicians including Marcia Hines, Jackie Orszaczky, Chris Abrahams, Garry Gary Beers and members of Machine Gun Fellatio.<ref name="Eliezer2"/> The album had four producers: Freedman, Taylor, Daniel Denholm and Joe Hardy<ref name="McFarlane"/><ref name="Holmgren"/> and was recorded in Sydney and Memphis (a reflection of the considerably larger budget that Freedman had to work with).<ref name="Eliezer2"/> The three singles from the album "Thank You (For Loving Me at My Worst)" (January 2000), "Blow Up the Pokies" (May) and "Made Me Hard" (September 2001) all charted in the top 100 singles charts in Australia. "Blow Up the Pokies" was their highest charting single – it peaked at No. 21.<ref name="AUS Charts"/>

AllMusic's Jonathan Lewis compared Love This City to their previous album, "this disc is less cohesive, covering a wide range of subject matter. The song style is different here, too, as Freedman allows his piano to take a back seat to guitars or brass on a number of tracks. The city of the title is Sydney, and many of these songs relate to its changing face."<ref name="Lewis City"/> He described "You Gotta Love This City" as "less-than-complimentary reaction to the commercialism of the Olympic Games" and "Blow Up the Pokies" as detailing the "infiltration of gambling machines (pokies) into suburban bars and clubs."<ref name="Lewis City"/> Freedman had found himself frustrated that the venues he performed at were replacing live music for pokies, writing the song in response.<ref name="Rooke"/> Nimmervoll described how the album "was again recorded in a number of studios, with a changed line-up, leaning on the same and new songwriting collaborations. It couldn't match the emotional charge that came with Eternal Nightcap but did enough to ensure The Whitlams' survival."<ref name="Nimmervoll"/>

Former founding member, Andy Lewis committed suicide in Sydney in February 2000, after losing a weeks wage to pokies.<ref name="Rooke"/><ref name="Murfett"/> A month after Lewis' death a benefit concert was held at the Metro club in Sydney to raise money for his wife and child. The event was hosted by Paul McDermott, Mikey Robins and Steve Abbott (The Sandman), and performers included Max Sharam, and The Gadflys. During the Whitlam's Canadian tour in April, supporting Blue Rodeo, they received word that Lewis was dead.<ref name="Hockley"/> "Blow Up the Pokies" had been co-written by Freedman and Greta Gertler before Lewis' death – as a statement about the destruction in Lewis' life due to gambling. Freedman wrote "The Curse Stops Here" to describe being the 'last one' of the original line-up and voicing his determination to survive. "The Curse Stops Here" was included as a B-side track on the single version of "Blow Up the Pokies".

During the broadcast of the 2000 Sydney Olympics in September, the Whitlams' track, "Sydney 2000 Olympic Theme", was played – it is a B-side from their 1995 single, "I Make Hamburgers". The track was reworked as "You Gotta Love This City" on Love This City. Its choice for the Sydney Olympics is an irony, as the song's protagonist commits suicide by jumping in the Harbour at the end of the song, disgusted at the city's crass pursuit of money: It dawns on him / The horror / We got the Olympic Games.

2001–2006: Torch the Moon and Little Cloud

Torch the Moon, the Whitlams' fifth studio album, was released in July 2002, which debuted at No. 1.<ref name="AUS Charts" /> ARIA Reported that the group are "one of the great underdog success stories of recent Aussie rock history, [they] have immortalized themselves, by becoming the latest Australian act to debut at # 1."<ref name="ARIA Report 648" /> For the album the line-up were Freedman with Warwick Hornby on bass guitar (ex-Max Sharam, Paul Mac), Jak Housden (ex-the Badloves) on guitar and Terepai Richmond (dig, Tina Arena) on drums.<ref name="Bolger" /> The producers were Denholm and Atomica.<ref name="Bolger" /> Clayton Bolger of AllMusic described the "strong album from a promising lineup" which "only falls when the band significantly stray from their classic rock/pop sound."<ref name="Bolger" />

It provided the singles "Fall for You" (June 2002, which became their equal highest single at No. 21), "Best Work" (September, No. 35), "Royal in the Afternoon" (July 2003, No. 66) and their cover version of Icehouse's "Don't Believe Anymore" (February, No. 47) with video directed by Ryan Renshaw.<ref name="AUS Charts" /> Another track on the album, "I Will not Go Quietly (Duffy's Song)", had been written and performed by Freedman for the Australian TV series, Love Is a Four Letter Word, "Episode 21: Oval" (June 2001).<ref name="Oval" />

The band's sixth studio album, Little Cloud (consisting of two CDs: Little Cloud and The Apple's Eye), was released on 19 March 2006 in Australia, which peaked at No. 4.<ref name="AUS Charts" /> Ian Hockley of Beyond the Pale website described the "return to basics with few overdubs and often just a voice and piano base" where the first disc "deals with John Howard's re-election and the bleak feelings that event engendered" and the second one "is more hopeful and life-affirming with bigger, more elaborate productions."<ref name="Hockley" /> Several tracks received considerable airplay, including "I Was Alive". Three of the songs on the album have been released as radio-only singles, with a fourth, "Beautiful as You", released as a CD single.

The album was followed up with almost non-stop touring around Australia, including performances at political and university events. Freedman released Little Cloud outside Australia under his own name. The band made the news in September 2006 when, for political reasons, Freedman refused to perform to troops in Iraq,<ref name="MacQueen" /> he told Peter Holmes of The Sunday Telegraph, "I was asked, and decided not to go. ... I went to East Timor and enjoyed the experience. I understand how hard the soldiers do it. In this instance, I don't agree with the war."<ref name="Holmes" />

2007–2010: Sydney Symphony to Truth, Beauty and a Picture of You

The Whitlams performed an orchestral tour from September to November 2007, performing shows with the Sydney Symphony,<ref name="Pompor"/> the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, the West Australian Symphony Orchestra and The Queensland Orchestra.<ref name="Faber Music"/> In mid-2008 they gave away 700,000 copies of The Whitlams & The Sydney Symphony Live in Concert, as a free CD with various newspapers: The Sunday Telegraph (1 June), The Australian (26 July) and The Mercury. It contains material from their four live performances with the Sydney Symphony at the Sydney Opera House in the previous September.<ref name="Moran"/>

The Whitlams released a compilation album, Truth, Beauty and a Picture of You in August 2008, which peaked at No. 3.<ref name="AUS Charts"/> As part of it promotion the group performed on TV programs including Nine's Footy Show (NRL), Seven's Sunrise and The Morning Show. The Whitlams performed with the Sydney Symphony in 2009 to celebrate the 12th anniversary of the release of their breakthrough album, Eternal Nightcap.

2011–2016: Australian Idle

From 2011 to 2013 the Whitlams were on hiatus. On 11 November 2011 (the anniversary of Gough Whitlam's dismissal), Freedman released a solo album, Australian Idle, which featured his new backing band The Idle. The line-up was Heath Cullen on guitar, Zoe Hauptmann on bass guitar, Dave Hibbard on drums and Amy Vee on guitar and keyboards.<ref name="Idle line"/> The Whitlams reunited in 2013, with a performance schedule reduced to around four weeks each year. They performed an outdoor concert with West Australian artist, Jason Ayres,<ref name="Ayers"/> in March 2015 at the Mundaring Weir Hotel<ref name="Mundaring"/><ref name="FB Freedman"/>

2017–present: Anniversary tours, Sancho, Hornby's departure and Kookaburra

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the band, the Whitlams performed six shows with the symphony orchestras of each capital city in Australia for an Anniversary tour. Taking place in April and May 2017, the tour visited Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Canberra and Adelaide. In each city, they were backed by a 50-piece orchestra using performers from each city. Tim Freedman said that "It is an honour to play with these musicians who in some cases have been playing their instruments since they were in the womb."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2020, the band released their first new song in almost 15 years, "Ballad of Bertie Kidd". The six-minute song was written from the perspective of a would-be criminal, enlisted by Kidd for an art gallery heist in Gosford.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The single was later revealed to be the lead single from the band's seventh album, Sancho, which was released on 28 January 2022. A further four singles were released from the album: "Man About a Dog", "(You're Making Me Feel Like I'm) 50 Again", "Cambridge Three" and "Nobody Knows I Love You".

In April 2022, Freedman launched a country music off-shoot of the band, billed as The Whitlams Black Stump Band. The band is composed of Freedman, Richmond, banjo player Rod McCormack, pedal steel player Ollie Thorpe and bassist Matt Fell. Freedman began the project after discovering that "Man About a Dog" had been added to country radio.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> A new version of "No Aphrodisiac" by the Black Stump Band was released in July.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In June 2022, the band announced a 25th anniversary tour for Eternal Nightcap.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> With the announcement came the band's first line-up change since 2001: the departure of bassist Warwick Hornby, who was replaced by Sancho session bassist Ian Peres. In a statement shared to the band's social media, Freedman confirmed that Hornby had retired:

In May 2023, the band announced a national tour for October that saw them focus on the early years of The Whitlams' material, between 1993 and 1997. To replicate the sound of these albums, the band was joined by double bassist Scott Owen of The Living End.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In February 2024, it was announced that The Whitlams Black Stump Band had changed its name to The Whitlams Black Stump, and would release the album Kookaburra in March 2024.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Band members

Current members

• Tim Freedman – lead vocals, piano, keyboards (1991–2011, 2013–present)
• Terepai Richmond – drums, backing vocals (1999–2011, 2013–present)
• Jak Housden – guitar, backing vocals (2001–2011, 2013–present)
• Ian Peres – bass, keyboards, backing vocals (2022–present)

Current touring musicians

• Matt Fell – bass, backing vocals (2025–present; substitute for Ian Peres)

Former members

• Stevie Plunder – guitar, lead and backing vocals (1991–1996; died 1996)
• Andy Lewis – double bass, backing vocals (1991–1994, 1996; died 2000)
• Stu Eadie – drums (1993–1994)
• Michael Vidale – bass (1994–1996, 1996–1997)
• Louis Burdett – drums (1994–1995)
• Hanuman Daas – drums (1995)
• Michael Richards – drums (1995–1996)
• Oscar Briz – guitar (1996)
• Tim Hall – guitar, backing and lead vocals (1996–1997)
• Bill Heckenberg – drums (1996–1999)
• Chris Abrahams – keyboards (1996–1998)
• Ben Fink – guitar (1997–2001)
• Cottco Lovett – bass (1997–1998)
• Clayton Doley – keyboards (1998–1999)
• Alex Hewitson – bass (1999)
• Mike Gubb – keyboards (1999–2002)
• Warwick Hornby – bass, backing vocals (1999–2011, 2013–2022)
• Scott Owen – double bass, backing vocals (2023–2024, touring)

Timeline

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Colors =

id:vocals value:red legend:Lead_vocals
id:bvocals value:pink legend:Backing_vocals
id:piano value:purple legend:Keyboards,_piano
id:guitar value:green legend:Guitar
id:bass value:blue legend:Bass
id:drums value:orange legend:Drums
id:lines value:black legend:Studio albums

Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:2

ScaleMajor = increment:2 start:1991 ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:2011

LineData =

at:01/08/1993 color:black layer:back
at:10/03/1994 color:black layer:back
at:10/09/1997 color:black layer:back
at:01/11/1999 color:black layer:back
at:01/02/2002 color:black layer:back
at:20/03/2006 color:black layer:back
at:28/01/2022 color:black layer:back
at:15/03/2024 color:black layer:back

BarData =

bar:Freedman text:"Tim Freedman"
bar:Abrahams text:"Chris Abrahams"
bar:Doley text:"Clayton Doley"
bar:Gubb text:"Mike Gubb"
bar:Plunder text:"Stevie Plunder"
bar:Briz text:"Oscar Briz"
bar:Hall text:"Tim Hall"
bar:Fink text:"Ben Fink"
bar:Housden text:"Jak Housden"
bar:Lewis text:"Andy Lewis"
bar:Vidale text:"Michael Vidale"
bar:Lovett text:"Cottco Lovett"
bar:Hewitson text:"Alex Hewitson"
bar:Hornby text:"Warwick Hornby"
bar:Peres text:"Ian Peres"
bar:Eadie text:"Stu Eadie"
bar:Burdett text:"Louis Burdett"
bar:Daas text:"Hanuman Daas"
bar:Richards text:"Michael Richards"
bar:Heckenberg text:"Bill Heckenberg"
bar:Richmond text:"Terepai Richmond"

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width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4)
bar:Freedman from:01/01/1991 till:26/01/1996 color:piano
bar:Freedman from:01/01/1991 till:26/01/1996 color:vocals width:3
bar:Freedman from:26/01/1996 till:01/01/2011 color:vocals
bar:Freedman from:26/01/1996 till:01/01/2011 color:piano width:3
bar:Freedman from:01/06/2013 till:end color:vocals
bar:Freedman from:01/06/2013 till:end color:piano width:3
bar:Plunder from:01/01/1991 till:26/01/1996 color:guitar 
bar:Plunder from:01/01/1991 till:26/01/1996 color:vocals width:3
bar:Briz from:26/01/1996 till:30/06/1996 color:guitar
bar:Hall from:01/07/1996 till:01/11/1997 color:guitar
bar:Hall from:01/07/1996 till:01/08/1997 color:bvocals width:3
bar:Hall from:01/08/1997 till:01/11/1997 color:vocals width:3
bar:Fink from:01/11/1997 till:01/01/2001 color:guitar
bar:Housden from:01/01/2001 till:01/01/2011 color:guitar
bar:Housden from:01/01/2001 till:01/01/2011 color:bvocals width:3
bar:Housden from:01/06/2013 till:end color:guitar
bar:Housden from:01/06/2013 till:end color:bvocals width:3
bar:Hornby from:01/07/1999 till:01/01/2011  color:bass
bar:Hornby from:01/07/1999 till:01/01/2011  color:bvocals width:3
bar:Hornby from:01/06/2013 till:16/06/2022  color:bass
bar:Hornby from:01/06/2013 till:16/06/2022 color:bvocals width:3
bar:Peres from:16/06/2022 till:end        color:bass
bar:Peres from:16/06/2022 till:end        color:piano width:7
bar:Peres from:16/06/2022 till:end        color:bvocals width:3
bar:Richmond from:01/07/1999 till:01/01/2011 color:drums
bar:Richmond from:01/07/1999 till:01/01/2011 color:bvocals width:3
bar:Richmond from:01/06/2013 till:end color:drums
bar:Richmond from:01/06/2013 till:end color:bvocals width:3
bar:Lewis from:01/01/1991 till:12/01/1995 color:bass
bar:Lewis from:01/01/1991 till:12/01/1995 color:bvocals width:3
bar:Lewis from:26/01/1996 till:30/06/1996 color:bass
bar:Eadie from:01/01/1993 till:01/01/1994 color:drums
bar:Vidale from:12/01/1995 till:26/01/1996 color:bass
bar:Vidale from:30/06/1996 till:01/06/1997 color:bass
bar:Burdett from:01/01/1994 till:01/01/1995 color:drums
bar:Daas from:01/01/1995 till:30/06/1995 color:drums
bar:Richards from:01/07/1995 till:01/01/1996 color:drums
bar:Heckenberg from:01/01/1996 till:01/07/1999 color:drums
bar:Abrahams from:01/01/1996 till:01/01/1998 color:piano
bar:Lovett from:01/06/1997 till:31/12/1998 color:bass
bar:Doley from:01/01/1998 till:01/01/1999 color:piano
bar:Hewitson from:01/01/1999 till:30/06/1999 color:bass
bar:Gubb from:01/01/1999 till:01/01/2002 color:piano

</timeline>

Discography

as The Whitlams

• Introducing The Whitlams (1993)
• Undeniably The Whitlams (1995)
• Eternal Nightcap (1997)
• Love This City (1999)
• Torch the Moon (2002)
• Little Cloud (2006)
• Sancho (2022)

as The Whitlams Black Stump

• Kookaburra (2024)

Awards and nominations

AIR Awards

The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as AIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector. Template:Awards table ! Template:Abbr |- | rowspan="1"| 2025 | Kookaburra
(as The Whitlams Black Stump) | Best Independent Country Album or EP | Template:Nom | rowspan="1"| <ref name="AIRawards2025noms">Template:Cite web</ref> |- Template:End

APRA Music Awards

The APRA Awards are held in Australia and New Zealand by the Australasian Performing Right Association to recognise songwriting skills, sales and airplay performance by its members annually.

Year	Nominated work	Award	Result	Template:Abbr
1998	Template:Sort	Song of the Year	Template:Nom	<ref name="APRA 1998">Template:Cite web</ref>

ARIA Music Awards

The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music. The Whitlams have won three ARIA Music Awards from fourteen nominations.<ref name="ARIA List"/>

Year	Nominated work	Award	Result	Template:Abbr
1998	Template:Sort	Single of the Year	Template:Nom	<ref name="ARIA List"/>
		Song of the Year	Template:Won
	Eternal Nightcap	Album of the Year	Template:Nom
		Best Independent Release	Template:Won
		Best Pop Release	Template:Nom
	Eternal Nightcap	Best Group	Template:Won
	Eternal Nightcap – Rob Taylor, Tim Freedman	Producer of the Year	Template:Nom
	Eternal Nightcap – Rob Taylor	Engineer of the Year	Template:Nom
2000	Love This City – Rob Taylor, Tim Freedman	Producer of the Year	Template:Nom
2002	Torch the Moon	Best Pop Release	Template:Nom
	Torch the Moon – Daniel Denholm	Producer of the Year	Template:Nom
		Engineer of the Year	Template:Nom
	Torch the Moon – Art of the State, Scott James Smith	Best Cover Art	Template:Nom
2006	Little Cloud	Best Adult Contemporary Album	Template:Nom

Helpmann Awards

The Helpmann Awards is an awards show, celebrating live entertainment and performing arts in Australia, presented by industry group Live Performance Australia since 2001.<ref name=lpa>Template:Cite web</ref> Note: 2020 and 2021 were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Template:Awards table ! Template:Abbr |- | 2008 || The Whitlams with the Sydney Symphony || Best Performance in an Australian Contemporary Concert || Template:Nom || |<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |- Template:End

Mo Awards

The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the Mo Awards), were annual Australian entertainment industry awards. They recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia from 1975 to 2016. The Whitlams won one award in that time.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Template:Awards table (wins only) |- | 1997 | The Whitlams | Rock Performer of the Year | Template:Won |- Template:End

Triple J

The Triple J Hottest 100 is an annual music listener poll hosted by the publicly-funded, national Australian youth radio station, Triple J.

Triple J Hottest 100<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Year	Work	Position	Template:Abbr
1996	Template:Sort	79	<ref name="Hottest 100 1996"/>
1997	Template:Sort	53	<ref name="Hottest 100 1997"/>
	Template:Sort	1
1998	Template:Sort	37	<ref name="Hottest 100 1998"/>
	Template:Sort	43
	Template:Sort	56
1999	Template:Sort	38	<ref name="Hottest 100 1999"/>
	Template:Sort	54
2000	Template:Sort	37	<ref name="Hottest 100 2000"/>
2001	Template:Sort	42	<ref name="Hottest 100 2001"/>
2002	Template:Sort	40	<ref name="Hottest 100 2002"/>

Triple J Hottest 100 of All Time

Year	Work	Position	Template:Abbr
1998	Template:Sort	36	<ref name="Hottest 100 1998"/>
	Template:Sort	43

References

Template:Refbegin General

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Specific Template:Refend Template:Reflist

External links

• Template:Official website