The Welcome Mat Home Page

You Should Have seen us last Year!!!!!!!!!!

This page was created on the 31st of July 1996 the hope is that I will get enough time to put together a list of stuff about my favourite band the Welcome Mat

[Band Members] [History] [Discography] [Guitar tab] [Pictures] [Contact Info]

The Welcome Mat is known by at least people.

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Band Members

Peter Bennett - drums, percussion, chicken shake, cowbell, tambourine, lead high hat, naming the 'SPARE' EP
Wayne Connolly - vocals, guitars, chin rubbing, lead guitar bits that start off down low and then finish up quite high, H chord
Cory Messenger - vocals, guitars, two-fingered Hammond organ, out of time on purpose guitar, loudmouth
Leo Mullins - vocals, bass, tetris blasts, rider smuggler, voted most likely to die in a mosh pit tragedy
New Guy - Andrew Rocka - replaced Peter Bennent on drums Mid August 1996

History
Thanks to Stu Khan for providing this:

In late 1989, Wayne Connolly and Cory Messenger were looking for an outlet to perform the songs they were writing. Wayne knew that a workmate of his, David Moss, played bass, and David in turn knew that yet another co-worker, Peter Bennett, played drums so they formed a band. After a seemingly endless list of band name possibilities, including Rope, Pond, The Poster Children, The Crash Test Dummies (!) and the Spin Doctors (!!), they settled on the Welcome Mat, partly because they knew that no other band ever would, but also because it reminded them a little of The Wedding Present, a favourite English band at the time.

The Welcome Mat made their debut at the Lansdowne Hotel in Sydney in January 1990, in front of a not at all discouraging 120 people. By March, they were ready to record their first single, Last Of The Great Letdowns. After the session which was interrupted midway so that the engineer could watch the FA Cup final, they were presented with a bill of $1100 (which didn't include mixing the b-side - to this day it remains unmixed!) where upon the band all worriedly looked at each other and said, I haven't got any money, I thought you were paying for it! Fortunately a last minute loan was extracted from Cory's dad, and 500 copies were pressed up on the groups own Plenty OHooks label, with the help of Waterfront Records. Despite great reviews, the single only scaped the bottom of the independent charts.

By now known affectionately as The Wellies by the few people aware of their existence, Pete, Cory, Wayne and Dave plugged away throughout 1990, even managing a few trips to Melbourne. But by the time they had released their second single, Cake, in early 1991, Dave Moss had had enough and quit. Meanwhile, Wayne had been moonlighting on guitar with ex-Brisbane band, The Benedicts, who were also finding times tough and had decided to call it a day. Singer Ben Mullins little brother Leo, was the Benedicts drummer and backing vocalist, but the remaining Wellies knew that he also played bass and so asked him to join. What they didn't know, however, was that he also wrote songs, and damn fine ones at that.

Leo's first task as new recruit came when the band was asked to contribute to rooArt records Youngblood compilation, the third in a series of records that had helped launch the careers of The Hummingbirds, Ratcat and others. Around the same time radio station JJJ picked up Cake, and slotted a live version on their Live at the Wireless compilation. Near the end of the year, with things looking up, they went into the studio to make their first EP, Fairydust, featuring the song 10,000 People With The Same Idea, which was soon placed on high rotation on the newly national JJJ, while MMM in Sydney too, gave it a few spins for good measure. Even MTV picked up the video, which had cost all of $400 to produce - and it showed!

The Welcome Mat were invited to open the first Big Day Out in Sydney on Australia Day in 1992, a bill which included Nirvana and dozens of other bands. Their 45 minute set at a very un-rock and roll 11.45 am. brought them to the attention of a few major record companies (the early risers that is) and over the next weeks a modest bidding war ensued. The group ultimately signed with Regular Records, and six weeks later, their second EP Spare was in the shops. While Fairydust had taken three months to struggle to the top of the National Alternative Chart (knocking off Nirvana), Spare did it in just three short weeks.

A year of playing supports to the likes of Bob Dylan, The Lemonheads, Billy Bragg and Died Pretty, culminated in July with the Wellies first national tour, in support of Hunters and Collectors. In quick succession, tours with the Hoodoo Gurus and Bostons Buffalo Tom followed, after which it was straight to the studio to record Gram, The Welcome Mats debut album. Flown in from the US were Paul Kolderie and Sean Slade, a production team whose list of credits included Dinosaur Jr, The Lemonheads, Pixies, Juliana Hatfield, Buffalo Tom, Sebadoh - in fact all the Wellies favourite acts!

As 1993 began, the band were again found at the Big Day Out, this time in front of 10,000 sweaty people, all with the same idea. Gram, featuring the singles Hell Hoping and Play Me was released that April. After a national tour in support of Died Pretty, The Welcome Mat celebrated three years of hectic work by treating themselves to a six month sabbatical, although in reality, song-writing, demoing, and various individual projects seemed to get in the way of a well deserved rest.

The band entered 1994 with brand new management (the Michaels, McMartin and Pilz), renewed enthusiasm and a new EP, Headset in October. Headset features the buzzsaw pop anthem, Just Gave In and the magnificent ode to Beach Boy Brian Wilson The EP was recorded by local studio wiz, Paul McKercher (Tumbleweed, Falling Joys, Clouds). The release was followed by a national tour with the Hoodoo Gurus.

As at the time this was written: (July 1995) The Wellies have just finished recording their second album (as yet unnamed) with the help of Guru Brad Shepherd in the production room. The album is set for release later this year.

Discography

LP's