The Audreys

The precursor to The Audreys started in Melbourne as a duo consisting of lead singer Taasha Coates and guitarist Tristan Goodall.[1] After dropping out of university in Adelaide, the two moved to Melbourne where they played original pop songs and slowed-down versions of 1980s songs.[1] An impromptu jam session with a bluegrass band inspired them to change direction from pop music to the folk and blues music they preferred, and the two moved back to Adelaide, where they formed The Audreys along with Cameron Goodall and Michael Green.[1] The group self-released the EP You & Steve McQueen in 2005, featuring the singles "Oh Honey" and "You and Steve McQueen".

The band's debut album Between Last Night and Us was released in February 2006, and featured the singles "Banjo & Violin" and "Don't Change". At the ARIA Music Awards of 2006, Between Last Night And Us won the ARIA Award for Best Blues and Roots Album,[2] and its songs were used as the soundtrack for the 2007 ABC TV series, Rain Shadow.[3]

Their second album, When the Flood Comes, was released in April 2008,[4] and at the ARIA Music Awards of 2008 it won the ARIA Award for Best Blues and Roots Album. The album featured the single "Paradise City". Tracks "Small Things" and "Lay Me Down" have been included on movie and television program soundtracks both in Australia and the USA. "Small Things" was used as soundtrack music in the November 2010 episode of Neighbours, when Steph Scully was sentenced to 6 years in jail for the death of Ringo Brown.

The band have appeared at Australian festivals such as A Day on the Green, Woodford Folk Festival, Red Hill Harvest Festival, Port Fairy Folk Festival, The Great Escape, The East Coast Blues & Roots Music Festival, Southbound, Mossvale Music Festival, Great Southern Blues & Rockabilly Festival, The Falls Festival and the Adelaide leg of the Big Day Out in 2007.[5] They have also toured overseas, including shows in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France and Russia.[6][7]

Following the departure of Cameron Goodall and Michael Green, Taasha Coates and Tristan Goodall continued as a duo and recorded their third album.[8] The album included work from Tim Rogers, jazz pianist Paul Grabowsky, members of Tripod, and Michael Barker of the John Butler Trio. The duo once again worked under the guidance of producer, engineer and friend Shane O'Mara.[8]

In October 2010 The Audreys released their third album, titled Sometimes the Stars, which debuted at #28 on the ARIA charts. Following the release of the album, The Audreys toured throughout Australia in October, November and December 2010. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2011, the group won their third ARIA award for Best Blues and Roots Album.

In March 2012, a 3CD box set called Collected was released, featuring the first three studio albums. The digital version included seven bonus tracks, including the song "Train Wreck Blues", which was released as a single.[9]

In March 2014, the group released their fourth album 'Til My Tears Roll Away, which peaked at number 32 on the ARIA Charts. The album was preceded by the lead single "My Darlin' Girl" in January 2014.[10] At the ARIA Music Awards of 2014, the band were again nominated for Best Blues and Roots Album.

In 2016, Taasha Coates released her first solo record Taasha Coates and her Melancholy Sweethearts through ABC Music and produced by fellow Australian, producer Shane Nicholson. The first single and video for the album was "This House Is Gonna Burn", a song about domestic violence. Overall the record has a harder edge than most of the material Taasha penned in her band The Audreys, though the artistic and thematic through lines are quite clear. Songs from the album are featured prominently in the ABC miniseries Pulse.

Taasha lives in Adelaide, Australia with her husband Ray Flowers. Tristan resides in Melbourne, and The Audreys still play often around Australia.

The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music. The Audreys have been nominated for four awards and have won three.[14]