Front End Loader

In 1991 Sydney boys Bow Campbell and Davis Claymore found themselves at a loose end. They had lost half of their previous band — the rhythm section — in an argument at the exact moment they were about to start recording their first songs. The arrival in town of drummer Pete Kostic and bassist Richard Corey from Perth must have seemed like a blessing. United, the four of them began crafting sweaty punk rock songs and gave themselves the temporary name of Front End Loader until they could think of something better, just so they had something to write on the entry form of the Sydney University band competition. By 1993 they were performing at the Big Day Out music festival and from there launching an almost never-ending tour. Theorizing that Australia was a big enough place that they could find somewhere different to play almost every night of the week if they just kept driving, they traveled around the country extensively until 2000. They paused only briefly to record three albums — Front End Loader in 1993, Let's Ride! in 1995, and Last of the V8 Interceptors in 1997. The last of these three albums, named in honor of the movie Mad Max, featured an ode to assisted suicide called "Pulse," which became their signature tune. In 1999 they also recorded a cover version of Queen's "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" for the Timelines compilation of songs by young bands and singers over 60 — Barry Crocker sang for them. Afterwards, their hectic schedule slowed down as they grew older themselves and started families. They found time to record How Can We Fail When We're So Sincere? in 2002 as well as a mini-album called Ape Got Fire, but the next few years were quiet for them. Drummer Pete Kostic, who also drummed in the Hard-Ons, had joined Regurgitator as well, making it even more difficult for them to find time to play together. In 2008 they released a double album called Laughing with Knives, half of which contained a selection of their rarities while the other half featured a live performance at the Annandale Hotel in Sydney, recorded four years earlier.