The band, originally called Periwinkle, came together in the suburbs in 1997 when 15-year-olds Dave Rennick and Hugh Boyce were joined by Alex Moore and English-born Tim Derricourt. The line-up has occasionally expanded on stage to include keyboardists Mark Bradshaw and later Ned Cooke who is now a permanent member of the band.
The band played at various all ages shows and charity benefits until they reached legal age to play in the licensed venues which are the focus of Sydney's live rock scene. The band members moved to the inner suburbs of Sydney and after various name changes settled on Dappled Cities Fly, chosen because its inappropriateness as a band name made them laugh at the time although the band 'have regretted it ever since'. Their frequent live shows drew a regular following of fans and the band became popular supporting international acts touring eastern Australia.
The band also regularly headline their own shows, very often at the Hopetoun Hotel, with bills showcasing new local groups.
Dappled Cities Fly have enjoyed and helped foster the revival since 2000 of Sydney's live music scene and the opening of several new venues. The band have made several extensive tours of Australia and toured New Zealand in 2004. In 2006 the band performed in London and at various shows in the United States, including SXSW.
Dappled Cities Fly's several early single and EP releases were critically well received and played Australia-wide on various radio stations. Their first album, A Smile, after several years in the making, was released in late 2004 and featured as album of the week on radio stations FBi and Triple J, in most of the Sydney street press and in various other media. Sydney Morning Herald reviewer Bernard Zuel wrote of A Smile that it "weaves between lo-fi indie rock, oddly bent pop and a kind of big-emotion, big-gesture music that seems refracted through a vaguely hallucinogenic mirror".
Their second album Granddance was recorded at various studios in Los Angeles, California. The album's cover artwork is noteworthy in having the band's name as just "Dappled Cities", minus the word "Fly"; however as Tim Derricourt explained to The Drum Media magazine, this was done mainly for artistic reasons, and does not amount to a formal name change for the band.
The band recorded a cover version of "November Rain" with local Sydney band Red Riders, a song which the two bands played together when they toured in 2007. They have also dropped the "Fly" from their moniker, simply calling themselves "Dappled Cities", though the band remains elusive as to why they have truncated the name.
On February 27th, 2008, a bulletin was posted on the band's myspace announcing that Hugh Boyce had left the band to pursue a career in bio-mechanical engineering. In the following months, the band announced the arrival of their new drummer, Allan Kumpulainen.
The Eve The Girl
Dappled Cities Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Your siblings had no kin worth dying or fighting for;
It was a fine dining affair and that was all,
And if our daughter was to die a lonely loveless widow i would cry for her.
I leave the girl, the morn, and then, i come back in the eve, the girl.
Your father was a useless man and he would one day have one of his own. remember the evening suspended in time, that when the sun came down it confused the surrounds and what was to please.
Did you see me ride that sun and caress the screaming tyres into the tree?
And this is the tip of sincerity.
I leave the girl, the morn, and then, i come back in the eve, the girl.
In Dappled Cities Fly's song "The Eve The Girl," the lyrics are filled with dark and mysterious discourse that tells a complex story that is difficult to decipher from just one listen. The song seems to be about a dysfunctional family where the father and mother are described as being "useless," and the siblings are not worth fighting or dying for. The lyrics suggest that the singer is in a romantic relationship with a girl and that they have a daughter together. The song implies that the singer regularly leaves the girl in the morning and comes back in the evening. The song takes a sorrowful turn when the lyrics mention the possibility of their daughter becoming a lonely, loveless widow, which would result in the singer crying for her.
The song's lyrics suggest that there is much more going on beneath the surface, and the listener is left to speculate about the true meaning and backstory of the song. Some interpretations suggest that the dysfunctional family is a metaphor for a larger societal issue, and that the singer is trying to break free from it all by leaving in the morning and coming back in the evening. The lyrics about the daughter needing to be loved and cared for suggest that the singer may have experienced a traumatic childhood or upbringing and is focusing on being the best parent possible.
Line by Line Meaning
Your father was a useless man and he would one day have one of his own, and your mother was a useless mass and she would one day have one of her own.
Your parents were unimportant people who didn't contribute much to society, and they would have children who would likely follow in their footsteps.
Your siblings had no kin worth dying or fighting for;
Your siblings were not close enough to you to warrant risking your life for them.
It was a fine dining affair and that was all,
The gathering or event was pleasant, but ultimately not significant or meaningful.
And if our daughter was to die a lonely loveless widow i would cry for her.
If our daughter were to end up alone and without love, it would deeply sadden me.
I leave the girl, the morn, and then, i come back in the eve, the girl.
I leave the girl in the morning and return to her in the evening.
Remember the evening suspended in time, that when the sun came down it confused the surrounds and what was to please.
Recall that memorable evening when the sunset was so stunning it left everything around us in a state of confusion and disorientation, making it difficult to know what was truly enjoyable.
Did you see me ride that sun and caress the screaming tyres into the tree?
Do you remember how I rode towards the setting sun and crashed into a tree?
And this is the tip of sincerity.
This is just a small glimpse of the earnestness of my words and actions.
Contributed by Nicholas I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.