Selling out The Tote, one of Melbourne’s most iconic live music venues, for your debut album release is no small feat. But this is exactly what Don’t Thank Me Spank Me did.
Words by Tayla Ham - Originally by August 28th 2024
When two Melbourne besties who are trained jazz musicians were set free to create, you probably wouldn’t expect Don’t Thank Me Spank Me (DTMSM) to be born some seven-ish years ago. Yet, the world is such a better place for it. This Aussie, feminine, fun band with a unique sound has just released its debut self-titled album. However, on June 8th, they held the release party at The Tote, which sold out.
Nitida Atkinson and Esther Henderson write the band's iconic songs, sing the killer harmonies, and play the guitar and bass for DTMSM. A drummer also joins them on stage to create their incredibly unique garage pop sound, sometimes R&B, sometimes none of those, which Henderson describes as “ feminine but really quite silly.”
“It felt like a giant party to me,” says Henderson when asked about the night of the release party. “You could just hear it in our voices, though. We were so lit, like we're so excited,” says Atkinson.
“People were singing along with us. I think that's like stuck in my mind,” says Henderson, “When your stuff is online… we had never had the satisfaction to be able to sing [the songs and] have people sing along.” Unfortunately, many of DTMSM's singles were released during the COVID lockdowns. Therefore, this was the first time they had been able to perform in a setting such as The Tote, which they never expected to sell out when they first started planning the release party.
DTMSM was supported at their release party by other unique style bands. The opening act was Sandy Dish. “I think they're a bit more punk, a bit more garage and a bit more like they're pushing the envelope of like what's acceptable?” says Henderson.
As a second act, Cong Josie and The True Romantics also played, who, as Henderson explains, “whoever [Cong Josie’s] entourage of femme fatales and speed racers is, is always amazing.” In addition to this, Richie 1250 was also there as a DJ throughout the night.
In addition to selling out The Tote, DTMSM, also had the music video for their first single off the record, Sandy, premiere at The St Kilda Film Festival. “And it was friggin amazing,” says Atkinson, “we got to see our faces be like, I don't know, three meters high. It was really cool.”
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