Silverchair celebrate 30 years of classic debut ‘Frogstomp’ – but without frontman Daniel Johns

nme.com:

Ben Gillies and Chris Joannou of Silverchair are celebrating the 30th anniversary of their debut album ‘Frogstomp’ – without frontman Daniel Johns.Celebrations were marked by a sold-out event at Sydney’s Metro Social on Wednesday (March 26), which saw drummer Gillies and bassist Joannou interviewed by triple j’s Richard Kingsmill to revisit the stories behind the seminal debut album.Released in 1995, ‘Frogstomp’ propelled the then-teenage trio from Newcastle, Australia, to international fame, with breakout single ‘Tomorrow’ reaching Number One on both the Billboard Alternative and Rock Airplay charts, as well as the Top 10 on the Billboard 200.

Today, it has sold over 10million copies globally.Frontman Daniel Johns was absent and remains estranged from his former bandmates since they announced an “indefinite hibernation” in 2011, saying that the project was “no longer fulfilling creatively” and had stopped “being fun”.“It’s an incredible achievement and a great moment in time to look back on and celebrate,” Joannou said at the event, per news.com.au. “And yeah, look, it is still sad and disappointing that we find ourselves in certain situations with current relationships.

And do I wish it could be different and better? For sure. And maybe it will one day. Who knows?“But for us, it was about celebrating that incredible time of our lives with a lot of people in the room that were there back in the day as well.”It’s not the first time Johns has been absent from the band’s celebrations.

In 2023, Gillies and Joannou released the tell-all memoir titled Love & Pain, which chronicled their careers and experiences while in Silverchair – from the band’s beginning, up till they announced an indefinite hiatus in 2011.