Snout

Founded by Ross McLennan in Melbourne, Australia in 1992. Snout made one of their first recorded appearances the Half a Cow Records compilation, Slice Two in that same year. They went on to be a fixture of the Australian indie music scene until their demise in 2002. The band's first release in their own right was in 1993 with the Cleans and Brightens EP. The lineup at this time consisted of Ross McLennan (Bass and vocals), Rob (Guitar and backing vocals) and Hugh (Drums), as credited in the liner notes. Soon after the recording of their debut album What's That Sound (1994), Rob and Hugh left the band. McLennan recruited Greg Ng for guitar and backing vocal duties. Ng had previously fronted Melbourne shoegaze exponents Afterglow. New drummer, Ewan McCartney had previously performed with Ripe. This combination recorded the band's most successful releases; The New Pop Dialogue (1996) and Circle High and Wide (1998). In 1997, The New Pop Dialougue was nominated for an Australian Record Industry Award in the Best Pop Release category, won that year by Savage Garden's To the Moon and Back. The following year, Circle High and Wide was nominated for an ARIA in the same category, eventually won by Natalie Imbruglia's Left of the Middle. This lineup remained stable for several years, until Ng left the band in 1999 and was replaced by Anthony Paine, of High Pass Filter, who played guitar on the band's final album, Managing Good Looks (2001) Snout played extensively on the live circuit in Australia, leaving Melbourne regularly to tour in their own right and with many other prominent names of the era. They also played festivals such as The Big Day Out, Livid and Meredith Music Festival. During the band's existence, McCartney worked on the side projects The Grapes (with Ashley Naylor and Sherry Rich) and as a member of Dan Brodie & the Broken Arrows. Meanwhile, Paine could be found playing with The Hired Guns. McLennan also teamed up with his brother Link, front man of The Meanies to form the lo-fi duo, Meuscram. Snout played their final gig in late 2002, in Melbourne at the Rob Roy Hotel. After the demise of the band, Ross McLennan, released material as a solo artist. Notably, his album Sympathy for the New World was nominated for the 2008 Australian Music Prize. Greg Ng released the hip-hop inspired, Straight Out of M-Town under the name DCP. Ewan McCartney went on to drum with The Bakelite Age. Meanwhiile, Paine can be found building and repairing guitars under the name Harvester Guitars as well as continuing to be involved with bands. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.