28 Days were a seminal Australian punk rock band formed in Frankston, Austr… Read Full Bio ↴28 Days were a seminal Australian punk rock band formed in Frankston, Australia during 1997. At their career peak, they had a #1 album (Upstyledown) on the Australian ARIAnet Albums Chart and also a #12 single ("Rip It Up") on the ARIAnet Singles Chart.

The current members as of 2007 are Jay Dunne (vocals), Simon Hepburn aka 'Hep' (guitar), Damian Gardiner (bass) and Adrian Griffin (drums). Original drummer Adam was replaced by Scott Murray in 2000. Tragically, on 18 November 2001, Murray was killed in a hit-and-run accident in the Melbourne suburb of Kew. Vinnie Jukic then briefly filled in the drum role until Adrian Griffin joined. For the album Extremist Makeover, the drums were laid down by Matt Bray.

Musically, the band doesn't fit into any single category. Over time, 28 Days' punk rock style has incorporated elements of punk-pop, metal, and (especially) hip-hop after the addition of DJ Jedi Master Jay in 2000. The band's success during the early 2000's could largely be attributed to the popularity of similar rock-rap fusion bands of the time, such as Limp Bizkit. Furthermore, their one-off collaboration with Apollo Four Forty, the 2001 single "Say What?", has even seen them dabble in electronica.

After debuting with a one-sided 7" single "Ball Of Hate" and the Sand CD single, 28 Days released their self-titled album in 1998 through the independent Stubble imprint. A year later they were picked up by Festival Mushroom's newly launched development label Sputnik, releasing the Kid Indestructible EP. The EP consolidated a following around Australia as a result of Triple J's constant rotation of the tracks "Kool" and "La Tune".

With the introduction of Jay Howard (aka DJ Jedi Master Jay) on turntables and samples, the more harder-edged, rap-influenced singles of 2000, "Here We Go/Sucker" and "Rip It Up", boosted 28 Days' audience. The latter peaked at #12 on the ARIAnet Singles Chart, and the former featured in some editions of the soundtrack to Mission: Impossible II. When released later that June, their second album Upstyledown entered the ARIAnet album chart at #1, and would go gold. The year was rounded out with two further charting singles - the more reflective "Goodbye" and "Song For Jasmine", written for Simon Hepburn's young daughter.

28 Days' first home video When Dickheads Snap came out in 2001, featuring tour shots, and behind-the-scenes footage. The only other material to come out that year was the Apollo Four Forty collaboration, "Say What?", which charted in the ARIA Top 30. The rest of the year involved more touring and preparation for a new album, until the death of Scott Murray briefly halted their progress. With new drummer Vinnie Jukic, third album Stealing Chairs saw 28 Days into 2002, with its most popular single being the summery "What's The Deal?". Stealing Chairs charted in the ARIA Top 10 for a short period, but didn't capitalise on the success brought by Upstyledown.

The band received some negative publicity in February 2003 after members descended upon a gig by satirical Sydney-based band The Drugs at Melbourne's Duke of Windsor Hotel late that month. 28 Days allegedly caused an estimated $4500 in damage to The Drugs' equipment, which included beer being poured over a laptop computer and amplifier, and The Drugs' hired van having three of its tyres slashed. Fans of 28 Days at the show were also believed to have graffitied The Drugs' merchandise stand and the venue's chalkboard. The motive for the attack was in regards to an open letter The Drugs' lead singer Ian Baddley posted on his band's website, accusing Jay Dunne of being homophobic and misogynistic at 28 Days' 2003 Big Day Out appearances.

Following another quiet period, they released a new single "Like I Do" to little fanfare in 2004. It would be a taster for the band's fourth album Extremist Makeover. The album could only manage to scrape into the Top 40, whilst two further singles also charted poorly. Due to this slump in popularity, 28 Days left Festival Mushroom in November 2004, amid much controversy. It was suggested by many that they were dropped, but Damian Gardiner insisted on the band's official message board it was 28 Days' decision alone to leave the label.

Their latest EP Bring 'Em Back was released on March 6 2006 on their own Rebel Scum label (through Sony/BMG); a new DVD When Dickheads Snap 3 was then sold at later 28 Days shows.

Following the release of a best-of album, 10 Years Of Cheap Fame, 28 Days will tour for the last time in 2007. After a series of mishaps and a continued slump in popularity, DJ Jedi Master Jay left the band - a catalyst that led to their breakup. 28 Days will play the tour as the original 4 piece band they were when they began, and then officially disband.

Say What
28 Days Lyrics

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Say what?
Never do we stress 'cause we're known to rock shit
Decks are in effect and we're going to cock this
Twelve gauge, super-fly never had a plan - shit
It's what we do best it's how we scam shit
We're the two eight D crew and we get into
The zone and never leave until we're through
It's just a test if the rest of the mess

Can flip a song to bang along to nevertheless

We're gonna take what they don't deserve
They're gonna hate the fact that we're rocking
And we make another record, if we're not number one
We're gonna take what they don't deserve
They're gonna hate the fact that we're rocking
And we're motivated by something they could never hope to understand
Jedi Master is the man

Say what?

It's like a TV show, here we go
Kicking around the sound that's sounding def
'Cause I'm sick like salo
I tell ya that we're killing all the fake bullshit
While they're making hits
Like I'm taking shits and I'm sick of it
It's clear to me that they don't give a shit what the kids think
'Cause I can't tell the difference between heroin and *NSYNC
As long as they get sponsorship from the biggest cola drink
Open up your eyes to the crooked and you don't blink

And I'm motivated by something I don't understand
I'm the man guided by the hand of the force
And Jedi Master's on the same plan
Making no sense like the rain man
Underground battles like Vietnam
His cuts are so fresh, he's fuck it - they get it

Hit it twice, pass it left then you kick back track list
Isn't this chronic number one of the finest batch

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to 28 Days's song Say What? are a commentary on the state of the music industry, specifically the lack of authenticity and disregard for the opinions of young people. The first verse states that the group is unfazed by the competition and is solely focused on creating great music. The second verse is more critical of the industry, noting that many successful artists are creating music that is inauthentic and disconnected from the experiences and values of young people.

The refrain "We're gonna take what they don't deserve" is a declaration that the group is committed to making music that is genuine and reflects their own experiences, rather than trying to pander to a particular audience or conform to what is popular. The line "Jedi Master is the man" may be a reference to the Star Wars character Yoda, who is known for his wisdom and guidance.

Overall, Say What? is a powerful statement against the homogenization of popular music and a call for authenticity and honesty.

Line by Line Meaning

Say what?
What's up? What do you have to say?

Never do we stress 'cause we're known to rock shit
We never stress because we're great at what we do.

Decks are in effect and we're going to cock this
Our music equipment is working well and we're going to put on an amazing show.

Twelve gauge, super-fly never had a plan - shit
We didn't plan our success, but we're so talented that it's inevitable.

It's what we do best it's how we scam shit
We're so good at our craft that it seems like we're cheating or fooling people.

We're the two eight D crew and we get into
We represent the 28 Days crew and we immerse ourselves in our music.

The zone and never leave until we're through
We get into the musical zone and stay there until we're done performing.

It's just a test if the rest of the mess
Our music is a challenge to other artists to try and make something as good.

Can flip a song to bang along to nevertheless
If other artists can create something as good as ours, then people will still enjoy our music regardless.

We're gonna take what they don't deserve
We'll take the success that other artists don't deserve because we're more talented.

They're gonna hate the fact that we're rocking
Other artists will be jealous of our talent and success.

And we make another record, if we're not number one
Even if we don't reach number one, we'll still continue to create music.

And we're motivated by something they could never hope to understand
Our motivation comes from something that other artists can't even comprehend.

Jedi Master is the man
The leader of the group is the best, the master.

It's like a TV show, here we go
Our shows are like entertainment on TV.

Kicking around the sound that's sounding def
Our music is so good that it's beyond words.

'Cause I'm sick like salo
I'm talented and unique like the Filipino delicacy salo.

I tell ya that we're killing all the fake bullshit
We're exposing and destroying all the fake music out there.

While they're making hits
Other artists are making popular music that isn't very good.

Like I'm taking shits and I'm sick of it
Their music is like waste and I'm tired of hearing it.

It's clear to me that they don't give a shit what the kids think
Other artists don't care about how their music affects their young audience.

'Cause I can't tell the difference between heroin and *NSYNC
Their music is so bad that I can't even differentiate it from a dangerous drug.

As long as they get sponsorship from the biggest cola drink
They'll do anything for money, even if it means partnering with a big soda company.

Open up your eyes to the crooked and you don't blink
Be aware of the corrupt music industry and don't turn a blind eye to it.

And I'm motivated by something I don't understand
My inspiration comes from something I can't fully comprehend.

I'm the man guided by the hand of the force
I'm the leader who's being guided by an outside force (likely Star Wars themed).

And Jedi Master's on the same plan
The leader of the group is also on the same path as me.

Making no sense like the rain man
Our music is so unique that it may not make sense to everyone, like the character in the movie Rain Man.

Underground battles like Vietnam
Our struggle to gain popularity in the music industry is like a war.

His cuts are so fresh, he's fuck it - they get it
The DJ's music is so good that it doesn't even matter if other people don't understand it.

Hit it twice, pass it left then you kick back track list
We're starting the show and getting into our zone by playing our music and getting the crowd hyped.

Isn't this chronic number one of the finest batch
Our music is like a top-quality batch of marijuana, the best of the best.

Lyrics © MELLOW HOUSE MUSIC, Reservoir Media Management, Inc.
Written by: JAMES DUNNE, TREVOR ROBERT GRAY, NORMAN FISHER-JONES, DAMIAN GARDINER, SIMON ANTHONY HEPBURN, SCOTT MURRAY, JASON HOWARD, HOWARD JAMES GARY

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