User:Achesonem

The Offtopics
The Offtopics are an Australian funk and soul band based in Melbourne, Australia. The band were formed by Polash Larsen (vocals) and Dan Kerr (guitar) in 2013. Since its inception, Larsen has remained the primary songwriter and only constant member of the band.

History:
The Offtopics were formed in 2013 when Larsen left his former band, The Grenadines, after performing as guitarist for 10 years. The band was started with friend and collaborator Dan Kerr. Within a few months, in mid 2013, The Offtopics had pulled together their first line-up, consisting of Polash on vocals, Dan on guitar, Tim Webb on bass, Linc Yow Yeh on drums and Mark Bretherton on keys. It wasn’t until 2015 that a horns section was added in the form of Howard Norsetter on trumpet and Jason Chalmers on saxophone. [1]

In 2015 they played a string of festivals through Victoria, Australia including The Glenroy Festival, The Coburg Carnivale and the inaugural Fleming Park Festival.

In 2016 they supported The California Honeydrops at the Northcote Social Club. [2]

In early 2017, founding member Dan Kerr left the band. He was replaced by both Mark Shannon and Dave Sheehan who split the guitar parts between them.

2017 saw the beginning of the Back On The Zine project, their first series of official releases. Starting in late 2017 and running until late 2018, Back On The Zine saw the release of three 7-inch singles, each with their own A and B sides and sleeve art depicting one of four segments that came together to make a comic strip narrative. It culminated in the release of the 12-inch mini-album which included the previous three singles and two more original tracks. It was inspired largely by the band’s longstanding love with the city of Melbourne. The first single, Sunrise In Richmond, was launched at The Cherry Bar in October 2017 [3]

In March 2018, they performed at the PBS 106.7 FM studios in Melbourne for Vince Peach’s Soul Time show. [4]

In November 2019 they released their next EP, ‘Live at Studio 5’. It was a live recording of their 2018 performance at the studios of PBS FM in Melbourne. They performed a launch to celebrate the release at Red Betty with support from DJ Pierre Baroni. [5]

Current line-up:
Polash Larsen (Vocals, founding member) 2013 – Current

Linc Yow Yeh (Drums) 2013 – Current

Tim Webb (Bass) 2013 – Current

Mark Shannon (Guitar) 2016 – Current

Past Members:
Dan Kerr (Guitar, founding member) 2013 – 2017

Mark Bretherton (Keyboards) 2014 – 2020

Howard Norsetter (Trumpet) 2015 – 2020

Jason Chalmers (Sax) 2015

Omid Shayan (Sax) 2016 – 2019

Dave Sheehan (Guitar) 2017 - 2019

EPs:
Back On The Zine – 2018

Live at Studio 5 – 2019

Singles:
Sunrise in Richmond – 2017

Funky Grandma – 2018

A Man Needs Cooling - 2018

References:
1. "The Offtopics". https://www.wildgiftpr.com.au/the-offtopics. Retrieved 2020-04-14

2. "The California Honeydrops, The Offtopics @ Northcote Social Club". https://themusic.com.au/reviews/the-california-honeydrops-northcote-social-club-brad-summers/efNqbWxvbpE/01-12-15/. Retrieved 2020-04-14

3. "The Offtopics Are Launching Their New Single At Cherry Bar". https://themusic.com.au/news/the-offtopics-are-launching-their-new-single-at-cherry-bar-1506569030/BdEWGRgbGh0/28-09-17/. Retrieved 2020-04-14

4. "The Offtopics" https://www.pbsfm.org.au/news/offtopics. Retrieved 2020-04-14

5. "The Offtopics Live At Studio 5 EP Launch + DJ Pierre Baroni" https://www.rrr.org.au/events/the-offtopics-live-at-studio-5-ep-launch-dj-pierre-baroni. Retrieved 2020-04-14