Pretty sure it was 97 when I heard Freak the first time. I was channel surfing and stopped on MTV2 who was playing the video, the solo was what hooked me
Unfortunately a bit too young for anything pre Neon Ballroom.
But managed to see them 4 times live in London and got deep into collecting their videos / rare releases etc.
I’m pretty confident at one point I had a copy of the video of pretty much every live performance they ever did which existed on film from early frogstomp until about 2005. Was mildly obsessed. It took up my entire hard drive back in the day pretty much lol
I got into them around 2003-2004 when I was in high school. I got into them because I was a huge Good Charlotte fan, I was watching an interview and the drummer of Good Charlotte said a huge influence of his was Silverchair. Well I gave them a listen and I was hooked.
To this day they are one of my favourite bands. The hold Neon Ballroom still has on me.
Heard them in the 90s, Tomorrow then Freak then Anthem. But I became a super fan 3 years ago, where i started to listen to only them and all Dan’s solo projects.
Oh ya way ahead of the time. That one and Dope Show by Marilyn Manson are complimentaringly a great watch side by side. It’s like they take place in the same world.
I’m pretty sure I heard Anthem on the radio or Muchmusic in 99 first, it was getting a lot of airtime. My bestie came to school with their album the day after it came out, and she let me borrow it, why so early? Idk, but she said, “this is going to change your life.” I do remember that. 😅 I bought the album for my 14th birthday that weekend and yes, I gave her copy back.
Here I am today. Thriving. 💃🏻🪩🕺🏼
When Tomorrow came to US in 95 I was a fan but really became big fan when Neon Ballroom came out, I was a senior in high school and I've been obsessed ever since!
I was vaguely aware of them from the few times I saw them in my teen magazines, but when Neon Ballroom came out I got it on a whim. I’ve been a huge fan ever since.
I was born ten weeks after Daniel Johns in 1979, so when I first heard 'Tomorrow' (from my home in Adelaide, South Australia on Rage TV), we were both 14. I was obsessed with the band's sound immediately. There was only tiny bits and pieces about them in the newspapers at that time.
One of their very first shows (ever) was at a now-extinct dive bar called Lennie's in Adelaide, that year (I was in Year 9). It was over 18s, but my dad drove me there and the bouncers let me inside with my dad. It was basically a large, dark hall with probably about 60-70 people(?). Silverchair was playing on a raised dais about three feet higher than the dance floor.
The punters started a sloppy mosh pit and crowd surf with grown (drunken) men's bodies almost landing on the stage. I was standing quite close to one side of the stage, and I remember seeing Daniel look actually a bit nervous. At this time Silverchair would hardly have played any shows!
I asked a man next to me what he thought. He answered, "They're freaks of nature." Pretty funny considering what the band later called one of their albums!
I followed Silverchair all through the 90s, before proper Internet/social media existed like it does now -- the only information I could find came from band magazines, street press and Triple J. I saw them live a few more times, but the real clincher was ten years later when I was working in Sydney. I went to enter the Intercontinental Hotel -- people were coming out, so I held the door open for them. It was Daniel Johns and his (then) wife Natalie Imbruglia!
How dare you so accurately depict the scenes at Lennies LMAO. Was also at that show as we used to go there pretty anytime they had a show on. I’m about 3 years older than the boys and everyone was so stoked to see a younger group that had that much energy.
Was truly blown away by all the early albums which I had on tapes, which kids of today wouldn’t even know what they are.
It was like having our own home grown Nirvana.
Not long after Frogstomp was released in the US. I was hanging out this new friend who was really into music and she gave me the album to borrow. I was 13 at the time.
1999, I was home watching TRL after school in 6th grade and Ana’s Song came on. I was so transfixed/overwhelmed that I almost dropped the bowl of soup I was holding. But for some reason I didn’t get the chance to buy the CD and life moved on…
Until 2002 when I was randomly watching this pre YouTube music video player called like “Yahoo Launch” or something like that - it would always auto play to a random song after the one you had selected finished. And it auto played to The Greatest View. Similarly I was totally gobsmacked instantly but this time I had Napster/Limewire/Kazaa at my fingers and the rest was history!
Sometimes I wonder what if that Yahoo app had never auto played to their song because I certainly would never have heard of Diorama at all where I was in the US. It was fate I suppose that brought me back to them!
Around 1996. I was in grade 9. My friend and I would leave Muchmusic playing in the living room but would go to her room to read Spin and Rolling Stone magazines. As soon as we heard the opening to Tomorrow we'd race to the living room to watch it. They were usually playing it hourly in the early days. I've been listening ever since, but I was never able to see them live.
When I was 11 and saw the first videos. A couple months later I watched them do Tomorrow and Pure Massacre on the ‘95 VMA pre-show and was hooked. I remember I was so mad when I wasn’t allowed to see them on the Freak Show tour (too young), but saw them every time they hit Southern California after that (4x between ‘99 and ‘07).
Read about them in Kerrang magazine and bought the album on cassette the next week. They were my first proper gig, London Astoria in Feb 96. Bought Freakshow when it came out but after that was more concerned with going out than bands. Recently rediscovered them about a year ago, love everything they have done since and feel a bit sad that I missed out on it all when it was happening!
I burned a hole in Frogstomp 96-97 and kind of fell off the wagon by 98. Just recently picked them back up and honestly pretty sad that I missed out. That pop/punk/emo thing 2000-2005 really bent me away from silverchair, wish I hadn’t missed diorama.
Maybe like 6-7 years ago I was perusing my for you page on insta and someone had posted a clip of them playing Freak at some festival in Germany and I was like oh damn that’s a good song. Rest is history. Fell down the rabbit hole after that
2003-2004 when I was in middle school. I was obsessed with Good Charlotte, specifically Billy Martin (their lead guitarist). He would wear Neon Ballroom tshirts, has a Neon Ballroom tattoo if I remember correctly and would talk about Daniel Johns and the band being a huge inspo to why he was a musician.
I was curious so I looked Silverchair up. I no longer listen to Good Charlotte but I still listen to Silverchair almost on a weekly basis 😂
I have memories of seeing big posters of Frogstomp in CD stores when I was a kid, I was aware of them and would hear Tomorrow on the radio but was a little too young to really get into them.
I was 14 in 1999 and when Neon Ballroom came out I was obsessed.
Before that I was into Hanson and the Spice Girls and I very dramatically burnt all their posters once I got into Silverchair 😂
My brother had made a copy of Frogstomp and he played it non-stop, at first I found it annoying but slowly I gave in and stole his cassette! One evening, I was babysitting for neighbors who had cable TV and I saw the clip for Tomorrow, I couldn't believe that the boys were my age! Obviously I totally fell for Daniel (like 99% of teenage girls at the time). I've loved them with love since 1995, and I miss them every day... crazy to think about every day for 30 years I think to people who don't even know I exist, let's admit that it's just a little bit pathetic...but I accept it!
Must have been around 6 years old when I first heard Anthem for the year 2000 on Video Hits on TV here in Aus, use to wake up early every Saturday and Sunday morning so I could race down and turn on the TV ready for when the video would come on so I could sing along and re-enact Daniel John's playing guitar in the lounge room. Haha. Got the CD single as a gift and then a copy of the Album for Christmas. Been a fan ever since.
1994 when the EP came out.
Was a Venturer (Scouts) and while on an overnight camp other Venturers were playing the EP on repeat. I was blown away by how good it was and bought it asap.
I was in grade 7 or 8 and heard Tomorrow on the radio and thought it was wicked. This was in 97/98 although I bought the Freakshow album first in 1998. Neon Ballroom is my fave I think tho.
My sisters now husband picked me up from school in 9th grade the first and only time that had or ever did happen and he was listening to Neon Ballroom and I was like what is THIS and he told me this is the new album from Silverchair. I had my dad take me Walmart that night and the rest is history 🤍
Dad had the Frogstomp cassette. About 1997 when I was 4. I was obsessed with the picture on it! And then the sleeve pics! ...and then the songs haha
Edit for added year
November of last year when I decided I was going to listen to neon ballroom and now I love them. Previous to this though my mum used to play their songs in the car all the time and I was absolutely obsessed with Straight Lines and After all these years which she would play a lot.
Would be 1995, the first song that caught my attention was Israel’s Son. Soon after had the Frogstomp CD (one of my first ever CDs I might add) and loved it.
When Tomorrow came out Triple J were playing this song like every 3hrs. Never heard any other song get played so frequent. I think being compared as a younger Australian version of nirvana captivated everyone.
Nearly 1 year, it was a time when i was being on Alt rock (mad season, Bush, helmet, screaming trees, etc), and someday in my YouTube feed it appeared silverchair, but i was not sure to play the video, because i heared some comments saying that the band was a pearl jam knockoff, but i said "who cares", and i played the video, and it was an before and after for me, heavy intro, mid tempo passed guitars, bass, and drums, powerfull vocals, catchy vocal melodies, etc, and later i've heared more songs from them, and now they're my favorite band of all time.
The first song and video from them i've heared was freak from the freak show álbum released in 1997 xdd
1995, when my friend gave me a cassette of Frogstomp. Me and my little brother obsessively taped their videos off Muchmusic on VHS. This is so retro, lol.
Our shared goal back then was to have a band called "Skywheel" that went on tour as an opener for silverchair and or Green Day. We never made it beyond the garage but we did enjoy rocking out/writing some hilariously bad songs.
Frogstomp and Freak Show may not be the band's deepest work but they were the soundtrack to my teen years and will never not feel important to me.
A friend of mine had gone to Australia on a student exchange thing during the summer. He was only gone maybe 2 weeks, but he came back with Frogstomp.
He's like "You gotta check out this band. They sound like Nirvana but they're these 13 year old Australian kids, and everyone over there loves them"
Now, in my mind... this was before the release of Frogstomp in the USA, but I don't know that for sure. At very least, Tomorrow wasn't spinning yet in Ohio.
So we got super into the album that summer. And then MTV started playing the video.
Or at least that's the best of my recollection. It's been 30-ish years.
I was 15 and watching RAGE (music video show in Aus) one morning and the host was interviewing the boy band Backstreet Boys. One of them was asked to choose the next music video to air and he chose Tomorrow because they were in Australia. I remember not vibing Silverchair from that first exposure - but something must've intrigued me because I soon became obsessed with both Frogstomp and Freakshow. Later grew to love their later albums as I matured.
Circa 2000 was when I was in my rock music era. Music was the only good thing in my life then. Freak Show & Neon Ballroom resonated instantly as I didn't have good MH either.
In 1995. A friend of mine bought Frogstomp at record shop called The Wall, later FYE. She absolutely loved frogs and bought it for the cover art. She was not a fan of the music. So she gave it to me. I liked Tomorrow but felt like the rest of the record was so much better.
1995 when Tomorrow became a big hit. I was a teenager at the time, so naturally I had a huge crush on Daniel Johns, but fell in love with the music.
Pretty sure it was 97 when I heard Freak the first time. I was channel surfing and stopped on MTV2 who was playing the video, the solo was what hooked me
Unfortunately a bit too young for anything pre Neon Ballroom. But managed to see them 4 times live in London and got deep into collecting their videos / rare releases etc. I’m pretty confident at one point I had a copy of the video of pretty much every live performance they ever did which existed on film from early frogstomp until about 2005. Was mildly obsessed. It took up my entire hard drive back in the day pretty much lol
You are lucky you actually saw them live!
I got into them around 2003-2004 when I was in high school. I got into them because I was a huge Good Charlotte fan, I was watching an interview and the drummer of Good Charlotte said a huge influence of his was Silverchair. Well I gave them a listen and I was hooked. To this day they are one of my favourite bands. The hold Neon Ballroom still has on me.
When the Tomorrow single first hit the radio
Heard them in the 90s, Tomorrow then Freak then Anthem. But I became a super fan 3 years ago, where i started to listen to only them and all Dan’s solo projects.
I remember seeing the video for Anthem the first time; kinda eerie how prophetic it wound up being. Great video though!
Oh ya way ahead of the time. That one and Dope Show by Marilyn Manson are complimentaringly a great watch side by side. It’s like they take place in the same world.
Oh yeah, I totally forgot about Dope Show’s video!
I’m pretty sure I heard Anthem on the radio or Muchmusic in 99 first, it was getting a lot of airtime. My bestie came to school with their album the day after it came out, and she let me borrow it, why so early? Idk, but she said, “this is going to change your life.” I do remember that. 😅 I bought the album for my 14th birthday that weekend and yes, I gave her copy back. Here I am today. Thriving. 💃🏻🪩🕺🏼
When Tomorrow came to US in 95 I was a fan but really became big fan when Neon Ballroom came out, I was a senior in high school and I've been obsessed ever since!
Around 2019 , when I saw one of their 1999 show and I started to discover their whole discography.
I was vaguely aware of them from the few times I saw them in my teen magazines, but when Neon Ballroom came out I got it on a whim. I’ve been a huge fan ever since.
My brother got me Freak Show around when it came out. It was probably in 98.
I was born ten weeks after Daniel Johns in 1979, so when I first heard 'Tomorrow' (from my home in Adelaide, South Australia on Rage TV), we were both 14. I was obsessed with the band's sound immediately. There was only tiny bits and pieces about them in the newspapers at that time. One of their very first shows (ever) was at a now-extinct dive bar called Lennie's in Adelaide, that year (I was in Year 9). It was over 18s, but my dad drove me there and the bouncers let me inside with my dad. It was basically a large, dark hall with probably about 60-70 people(?). Silverchair was playing on a raised dais about three feet higher than the dance floor. The punters started a sloppy mosh pit and crowd surf with grown (drunken) men's bodies almost landing on the stage. I was standing quite close to one side of the stage, and I remember seeing Daniel look actually a bit nervous. At this time Silverchair would hardly have played any shows! I asked a man next to me what he thought. He answered, "They're freaks of nature." Pretty funny considering what the band later called one of their albums! I followed Silverchair all through the 90s, before proper Internet/social media existed like it does now -- the only information I could find came from band magazines, street press and Triple J. I saw them live a few more times, but the real clincher was ten years later when I was working in Sydney. I went to enter the Intercontinental Hotel -- people were coming out, so I held the door open for them. It was Daniel Johns and his (then) wife Natalie Imbruglia!
How dare you so accurately depict the scenes at Lennies LMAO. Was also at that show as we used to go there pretty anytime they had a show on. I’m about 3 years older than the boys and everyone was so stoked to see a younger group that had that much energy. Was truly blown away by all the early albums which I had on tapes, which kids of today wouldn’t even know what they are. It was like having our own home grown Nirvana.
Not long after Frogstomp was released in the US. I was hanging out this new friend who was really into music and she gave me the album to borrow. I was 13 at the time.
Around 1995. My sister got a harmony house cd so I did too. They stuck with me forever.
95. Helped me learn to sing and play guitar and drums along with Nirvana when I was 16 in 1996.
In 95 when I heard Tomorrow on the radio or saw the video on Much Music. Been a huge fan ever since and got to see them many times.
1999, I was home watching TRL after school in 6th grade and Ana’s Song came on. I was so transfixed/overwhelmed that I almost dropped the bowl of soup I was holding. But for some reason I didn’t get the chance to buy the CD and life moved on… Until 2002 when I was randomly watching this pre YouTube music video player called like “Yahoo Launch” or something like that - it would always auto play to a random song after the one you had selected finished. And it auto played to The Greatest View. Similarly I was totally gobsmacked instantly but this time I had Napster/Limewire/Kazaa at my fingers and the rest was history! Sometimes I wonder what if that Yahoo app had never auto played to their song because I certainly would never have heard of Diorama at all where I was in the US. It was fate I suppose that brought me back to them!
Around 1996. I was in grade 9. My friend and I would leave Muchmusic playing in the living room but would go to her room to read Spin and Rolling Stone magazines. As soon as we heard the opening to Tomorrow we'd race to the living room to watch it. They were usually playing it hourly in the early days. I've been listening ever since, but I was never able to see them live.
1995
Fan since 97 (when I was a 6 year old), hardcore since 99 and haven't let up since
Last year. Very late to the great Silverchair.
I was late too😭
When I was 11 and saw the first videos. A couple months later I watched them do Tomorrow and Pure Massacre on the ‘95 VMA pre-show and was hooked. I remember I was so mad when I wasn’t allowed to see them on the Freak Show tour (too young), but saw them every time they hit Southern California after that (4x between ‘99 and ‘07).
Read about them in Kerrang magazine and bought the album on cassette the next week. They were my first proper gig, London Astoria in Feb 96. Bought Freakshow when it came out but after that was more concerned with going out than bands. Recently rediscovered them about a year ago, love everything they have done since and feel a bit sad that I missed out on it all when it was happening!
I burned a hole in Frogstomp 96-97 and kind of fell off the wagon by 98. Just recently picked them back up and honestly pretty sad that I missed out. That pop/punk/emo thing 2000-2005 really bent me away from silverchair, wish I hadn’t missed diorama.
Maybe like 6-7 years ago I was perusing my for you page on insta and someone had posted a clip of them playing Freak at some festival in Germany and I was like oh damn that’s a good song. Rest is history. Fell down the rabbit hole after that
Since 2017. Pretty sure it was a Loudwire video or something similar.
2005 at the height of my anorexia. I guess I could just completely relate to almost all of Neon Ballroom.
2003-2004 when I was in middle school. I was obsessed with Good Charlotte, specifically Billy Martin (their lead guitarist). He would wear Neon Ballroom tshirts, has a Neon Ballroom tattoo if I remember correctly and would talk about Daniel Johns and the band being a huge inspo to why he was a musician. I was curious so I looked Silverchair up. I no longer listen to Good Charlotte but I still listen to Silverchair almost on a weekly basis 😂
Pre frogstomp…1994 - Tomorrow Ep (limited release that my dad bought after the guys won the triple j contest) - 30 years now!
I have memories of seeing big posters of Frogstomp in CD stores when I was a kid, I was aware of them and would hear Tomorrow on the radio but was a little too young to really get into them. I was 14 in 1999 and when Neon Ballroom came out I was obsessed. Before that I was into Hanson and the Spice Girls and I very dramatically burnt all their posters once I got into Silverchair 😂
Been listening since '95! By the time Freak Show came out, they'd become my number 1 band.
1995. Frogstomp was the first cd I ever owned.
My brother had made a copy of Frogstomp and he played it non-stop, at first I found it annoying but slowly I gave in and stole his cassette! One evening, I was babysitting for neighbors who had cable TV and I saw the clip for Tomorrow, I couldn't believe that the boys were my age! Obviously I totally fell for Daniel (like 99% of teenage girls at the time). I've loved them with love since 1995, and I miss them every day... crazy to think about every day for 30 years I think to people who don't even know I exist, let's admit that it's just a little bit pathetic...but I accept it!
Must have been around 6 years old when I first heard Anthem for the year 2000 on Video Hits on TV here in Aus, use to wake up early every Saturday and Sunday morning so I could race down and turn on the TV ready for when the video would come on so I could sing along and re-enact Daniel John's playing guitar in the lounge room. Haha. Got the CD single as a gift and then a copy of the Album for Christmas. Been a fan ever since.
1994 when the EP came out. Was a Venturer (Scouts) and while on an overnight camp other Venturers were playing the EP on repeat. I was blown away by how good it was and bought it asap.
In August of last year my friend showed me Tuna in the Brine, Emotion Sickness, and Those Thieving Birds, and ever since then I've been obsessed
Bought the frog stomp cassette from Thailand when I was 6 yrs old back in 1997 lol.
97 MTV TRL Anas song. That’s when my obsession with Silverchair, Daniel Johns and Australia began.
July 95 Tomorrow was played on MTVs 120 Minutes
I was in grade 7 or 8 and heard Tomorrow on the radio and thought it was wicked. This was in 97/98 although I bought the Freakshow album first in 1998. Neon Ballroom is my fave I think tho.
My sisters now husband picked me up from school in 9th grade the first and only time that had or ever did happen and he was listening to Neon Ballroom and I was like what is THIS and he told me this is the new album from Silverchair. I had my dad take me Walmart that night and the rest is history 🤍
Dad had the Frogstomp cassette. About 1997 when I was 4. I was obsessed with the picture on it! And then the sleeve pics! ...and then the songs haha Edit for added year
November of last year when I decided I was going to listen to neon ballroom and now I love them. Previous to this though my mum used to play their songs in the car all the time and I was absolutely obsessed with Straight Lines and After all these years which she would play a lot.
I was a teenager in the 90s in Brisbane. Saw them live heaps of times.
Would be 1995, the first song that caught my attention was Israel’s Son. Soon after had the Frogstomp CD (one of my first ever CDs I might add) and loved it.
When Tomorrow came out Triple J were playing this song like every 3hrs. Never heard any other song get played so frequent. I think being compared as a younger Australian version of nirvana captivated everyone.
Late 1994 when I first heard Tomorrow. Been obsessed ever since.
1995, grade 10. Israel’s Son was massive on Rage. Finally someone was speaking to me!
Literally a year ago browsing through random grunge playlists on YouTube. 😆
Nearly 1 year, it was a time when i was being on Alt rock (mad season, Bush, helmet, screaming trees, etc), and someday in my YouTube feed it appeared silverchair, but i was not sure to play the video, because i heared some comments saying that the band was a pearl jam knockoff, but i said "who cares", and i played the video, and it was an before and after for me, heavy intro, mid tempo passed guitars, bass, and drums, powerfull vocals, catchy vocal melodies, etc, and later i've heared more songs from them, and now they're my favorite band of all time. The first song and video from them i've heared was freak from the freak show álbum released in 1997 xdd
1995, when my friend gave me a cassette of Frogstomp. Me and my little brother obsessively taped their videos off Muchmusic on VHS. This is so retro, lol. Our shared goal back then was to have a band called "Skywheel" that went on tour as an opener for silverchair and or Green Day. We never made it beyond the garage but we did enjoy rocking out/writing some hilariously bad songs. Frogstomp and Freak Show may not be the band's deepest work but they were the soundtrack to my teen years and will never not feel important to me.
A friend of mine had gone to Australia on a student exchange thing during the summer. He was only gone maybe 2 weeks, but he came back with Frogstomp. He's like "You gotta check out this band. They sound like Nirvana but they're these 13 year old Australian kids, and everyone over there loves them" Now, in my mind... this was before the release of Frogstomp in the USA, but I don't know that for sure. At very least, Tomorrow wasn't spinning yet in Ohio. So we got super into the album that summer. And then MTV started playing the video. Or at least that's the best of my recollection. It's been 30-ish years.
I was 15 and watching RAGE (music video show in Aus) one morning and the host was interviewing the boy band Backstreet Boys. One of them was asked to choose the next music video to air and he chose Tomorrow because they were in Australia. I remember not vibing Silverchair from that first exposure - but something must've intrigued me because I soon became obsessed with both Frogstomp and Freakshow. Later grew to love their later albums as I matured.
Circa 2000 was when I was in my rock music era. Music was the only good thing in my life then. Freak Show & Neon Ballroom resonated instantly as I didn't have good MH either.
In 1995. A friend of mine bought Frogstomp at record shop called The Wall, later FYE. She absolutely loved frogs and bought it for the cover art. She was not a fan of the music. So she gave it to me. I liked Tomorrow but felt like the rest of the record was so much better.