User:Hannah McKeachie/Super Massive

Super Massive is an alternative Australian band, with a musical style that blends electronic, funk, rock and pop elements. The band has released a self-titled EP.

The band won the award for Best Alternative Artist at the 2007 MusicOz Awards, for their song Fists In My Pocket, and was also a Top 5 finalist for the Tony Mott Photography Award.

Super Massive was formed in 2005 by drummer and composer Glenn Abbott and singer, dancer, actor and songwriter Malina Hamilton-Smith. Abbott is best know for his work as drummer with Machine Gun Fellatio, under the stage name Bryan Ferrysexual.

Abbott and Hamilton-Smith met in 2000 when Hamilton-Smith's first band The Green Light played support for Machine Gun Fellatio at The Hopetoun Hotel in Sydney. In 2003 Abbott invited Hamilton-Smith to join his MGF side project The Bryan Ferrysexual Experience, initially as a dancer and choreographer, and later as a guest vocalist. The two began writing songs together, and when The Bryan Ferrysexual Experience and Machine Gun Fellatio both disbanded in 2005, the two started Super Massive.

The original line-up of Super Massive included guitarist Matt Campbell and bassist John D. Young; an Australia fusion bass pioneer who in the 1970s played for Marcia Hines, Renee Geyer, John Paul Young, Vanda & Young and Chuck Berry amongst others.

Matt Campbell left the band in 2006 to pursue his own band Captains whilst John D. Young parted ways with Super Massive in January 2008 and later passed away in November that year.

Abbott's former MGF bandmate LoveShark also played guitar with Super Massive for a time until current guitarist Marc Malouf joined the band in 2007.

Super Massive released their debut EP in May 2008. Players who contributed to the Super Massive EP recording included John D. Young, Abbott's brother Mark Abbott, Matt Campbell and guest appearances by LoveShark and 3K Short from MGF.

The band was Triple J Unearthed Featured Artist in July 2008 and lead single Fists In My Pocket reached #1 on the Triple J Unearthed Dance Chart, remaining in the top 5 of the chart for two months. The track also received airplay nationally on Triple J's Radio Funktrust program for a number of weeks. The song also went to #1 on the SYN Radio chart, whilst the videoclip reached #1 on the Channel 31 Video Chart, was featured on the NME website and received play in the UK on Tiscali TV.

In July 2008 TimeOut Sydney featured Super Massive as a band "On The Up".

The band played at this year's Surry Hills Festival, and at youth-run charity The Oaktree Foundations's Global Night Shift Concert To End Child Slavery, in a 7-city line-up that included Evermore, The Hampdens and Tzu.

Super Massive's current line-up comprises Abbott, Hamilton-Smith, Marc Malouf and bassist Dan Bruce.