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.
Within Hours
Dappled Cities Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And underfoot is only the world
That chimes cued by man-time but we have a soul
So we don't need a face, we just need a home
No eyes to see the smile above the chin
And no nose to smell the breath within
And no ears beneath the receding hairline
Climb with all your ropes tied in a bow
And curdled down to the white bone
Which fray and whip till they sing and slip in the line
We don't need a face, we just need a home
The lyrics to Dappled Cities' song Within Hours are open to interpretation, but could be seen as a reflection on the value of time, the human condition, and the search for a sense of belonging. The first line, "Time is on our side, sleep is slow," could be interpreted as encouragement to take things slowly and make the most of our time. The second line, "And underfoot is only the world," could suggest that we are all connected to the world around us and that our actions have an impact on it.
The following lines are more enigmatic, suggesting that despite being limited by our physical bodies, we possess a soul that allows us to transcend our limitations. "No eyes to see the smile above the chin / And no nose to smell the breath within / And no ears beneath the receding hairline," could suggest the inadequacy of our senses to perceive the spiritual realm.
The chorus, "We don't need a face, we just need a home," indicates that what we truly need is a sense of belonging, a place where we can feel safe and accepted. The metaphor of ropes tied in a bow could represent the bonds that connect us to others, or the ties that bind us to a particular place or identity. The final line, "Which fray and whip till they sing and slip in the line," could suggest the fragility of these bonds, and the need to constantly work at and maintain them.
Line by Line Meaning
Time is on our side, sleep is slow
We have plenty of time to rest and rejuvenate ourselves.
And underfoot is only the world
We are just a small part of the greater world beneath our feet.
That chimes cued by man-time but we have a soul
Although we are tied to the clock and man-made constructs of time, we have a spiritual essence.
So we don't need a face, we just need a home
We don't need physical features or appearances, just a place where we belong.
No eyes to see the smile above the chin
We don't need eyes to perceive facial expressions.
And no nose to smell the breath within
We don't need a nose to sense the life force within us.
And no ears beneath the receding hairline
We don't need ears to hear the world around us, even as we age.
Climb with all your ropes tied in a bow
Move forward in life with everything you have, but with grace and humility.
And curdled down to the white bone
Even as we age and our bodies deteriorate, our soul remains intact.
Which fray and whip till they sing and slip in the line
Our bodies may be weakened by life's challenges, but our spirit can still persevere and triumph.
We don't need a face, we just need a home
We don't need physical features or appearances, just a place where we belong.
Lyrics © REACH MUSIC PUBLISHING
Written by: ALEX MOORE, DAVID RENNICK, HUGH BOYCE, TIM DERRICOURT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind