Tripod are an Australian

musical comedy Musical theatre is a form of theatre, theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, ...

trio founded by Scod (Scott Edgar), Yon (Simon Hall) and Gatesy (Steven Gates) in 1996. They provide original songs and harmonies, strung together by comic banter.

History

Live shows

Tripod began as buskers in Melbourne malls, performing a far-fetched prop act of which no record exists. They emerged as a musical act from the thriving Melbourne live music pub scene of the mid nineties, supporting popular local cover bands in such places as the Station Hotel, The Esplanade, the Central Club, the New Orleans Tavern and the Ritz, St Kilda. They were very much a cover band at first, performing three part harmony versions on hits by the likes of

Elvis Costello Declan Patrick MacManus (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, author and television host. According to ''Rolling Stone'', Costello "reinvigorated the literate, lyrical ...

, Bowie,

the Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and their f ...

and

Queen Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...

. They garnered a local following via regular residencies at the Commercial Hotel, Yarraville, just after it stopped being a biker bar. They soon became regulars at the Prince Patrick Hotel in Collingwood, a Melbourne comedy venue, where they honed their skills in residencies and appearances from 1998 through to its demise in 2003. Tripod are stalwarts of their home festival, the

Melbourne International Comedy Festival The Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF) is the largest stand-alone comedy festival and the largest international comedy festival in the world. First held in 1987, it takes place annually in Melbourne over four weeks, typically starti ...

, where they often performed since 1997, when they took their pub act and jammed it into a one-hour festival format at St Martins Youth Arts Centre, in a show entitled ''Welcome to My Wonderwall''. They have appeared on music festival stages including the

Falls Festival Falls Music & Arts Festival (commonly known as Falls) is a multi-day music festival held annually in Byron Bay (New South Wales) and Fremantle (Western Australia), Australia over the New Year's Eve and January period. The festival hosts contem ...

, the Port Fairy Folk Festival, the Queenscliff Music Festival and the

Woodford Folk Festival The Woodford Folk Festival is an annual music and cultural festival held near the semi-rural town of Woodford, Queensland, Woodford, north of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, Queensland, Australia. It is one of the biggest annual cultural e ...

. Tripod have appeared internationally, including the Montreal Just For Laughs festival and the

Upright Citizens Brigade theatre The Upright Citizens Brigade (UCB) is an improvisational and sketch comedy group that emerged from Chicago's ImprovOlympic in 1990. The original incarnation of the group consisted of Amy Poehler, Matthew Walsh, Matt Besser, Ian Roberts, Ad ...

in New York and Los Angeles. They have played the

Edinburgh Fringe The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as the Edinburgh Fringe, the Fringe or the Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest performance arts festival, which in 2024 spanned 25 days, sold more than 2.6 million tickets and featur ...

numerous times. They have also toured the Australian rural countryside including long stints with the MICF Roadshow. Tripod alternate the form of their shows between the song-and-sketch cabaret gig format (such as ''Self Saucing'' and ''Men of Substance'') and narrative musicals. Their first "story" show was ''Tripod Tells the Tale of the Adventures of Tosswinkle the Pirate (not very well)'', which premiered at the MICF before touring nationally. Their narrative show, ''Lady Robots'', was first previewed at the 2002 Adelaide Fringe Festival before it was performed at the MICF later that year. The show was a musical comedy telling the story of three men who are hurled into space where they come across a planet populated only by Lady Robots. Tripod performed a re-jigged version of the show, ''Lady Robots v1.1'' at the Athenaeum Theatre at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in 2005, before a national tour culminating in a hit season at the

Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue Performing arts center, performing arts centre in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive b ...

. No recordings are known to exist. On 30 January 2010, Tripod held the world premiere of their comedic musical ''Tripod versus the Dragon'' at the

Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art The Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA) is a museum in a converted Arnold Print Works factory building complex located in North Adams, Massachusetts. It is one of the largest centers for contemporary visual art and performing ...

in North Adams, Massachusetts, United States. Elana Stone co-starred in the production in the role of "The Dungeon Master"/"Dragon" after

Megan Washington Megan Alexanda Washington (born 7 January 1986) is an Australian musician, songwriter and voice actor who has worked mononymously as Washington. Originally performing jazz music, her style shifted to indie pop and alternative rock. She has re ...

, who had been co-writing songs for the production, declined the role due to scheduling conflicts. The production is based on the ''

Dungeons & Dragons ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (commonly abbreviated as ''D&D'' or ''DnD'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) originally created and designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by TSR (company)#Tactical ...

role-playing game A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, or abbreviated as RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out ...

. Tripod went on to perform this show at the Adelaide Fringe Festival, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, the Sydney Opera House, and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2010, as well as subsequent seasons in Perth, Brisbane, regional Victoria and the Przeglad Piosenki Aktorskiej festival in Wroclaw, Poland. In January 2013, Tripod joined forces with Australian performer

Eddie Perfect Edmund Perfect (born 17 December 1977) is an Australian musician, comedian, writer and actor. Widely known for his role as Mick Holland in Channel Ten's TV series ''Offspring'' in which he performs his own music, he has recorded solo albums an ...

to create ''Perfect Tripod'', a show of classic Australian songs arranged in four-part harmony, inspired by their cover of ''Meet Me in the Middle of the Air'' performed on '' The Sideshow'' on 13 October 2007. Perfect Tripod toured concert halls throughout the nation and have collaborated with such Australian pop music greats as

Gotye Wouter André De Backer (; born 21 May 1980), known professionally as Gotye ( , , ), is a Belgian-born Australian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known for his 2011 single "Somebody That I Used to Know" (featuring Kimbr ...

and

Missy Higgins Melissa Morrison "Missy" Higgins (born 19 August 1983) is an Australian singer-songwriter and musician. Her most popular singles include "Scar", " Steer", and " Where I Stood". Her Australian number-one albums are '' The Sound of White'' (2004 ...

. In October 2014, Tripod performed live at the international gaming convention, PAX (Penny Arcade Expo), in Melbourne at the

Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre The Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC), colloquially referred to as Jeff's Shed, is a group of three adjacent buildings next to the Yarra River in South Wharf, an inner-city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The venues ar ...

. There they performed a short preview of ''This Gaming Life'', an original collaboration between Tripod, Grammy nominated composer Austin Wintory and the

Melbourne Symphony Orchestra The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO) is an Australian orchestra based in Melbourne. The MSO is resident at Hamer Hall. The MSO has its own choir, the MSO Chorus, following integration with the Melbourne Chorale in 2008. The MSO relies on fun ...

. In 2015 ''This Gaming Life'' played to rapturous houses at Hamer Hall, Victorian Arts Centre, with a 55 piece orchestra conducted and arranged by Wintory. The show was a full scale two-act orchestral love letter to the culture and relationships of passionate video gamers, and has been described as the "Stand By Me of the gamer generation."

TV

The band got their first break appearing on ''

Hey Hey It's Saturday ''Hey Hey It's Saturday'' is a long-running variety television program on Australian television. It initially ran for 28 years on the Nine Network from 9 October 1971 to 20 November 1999, with a recess in 1978. Its host throughout its entire ...

'''s " Red Faces" contest, where they performed a parodic medley of

Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; : oases ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment In Melbourne Tonight ''In Melbourne Tonight'', also known as ''IMT'', was a highly popular nightly Logie award-winning Australian variety show, variety television show produced at GTV-9 Melbourne from 6 May 1957 to 1970. Overview Graham Kennedy was the show's mai ...

'' (IMT) with Frankie J Holden. Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s they also showed up regularly on such live TV stalwarts as '' Good Morning Australia'' with

Bert Newton Albert Watson Newton (23 July 1938 – 30 October 2021) was an Australian media personality. He was a Logie Hall of Fame inductee, quadruple Gold Logie–winning entertainer, and radio, theatre and television personality and compère. Ne ...

, '' Denise with Denise Drysdale'' and popular Saturday morning live rock show '' Recovery''. Tripod were a feature act in

Network Ten Network 10 (commonly known as the 10 Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Paramount Global's Paramount Networks UK & Australia, UK & Australia division and is o ...

's 2003/2004

sketch comedy Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches" or, "skits", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. While the form developed and became popular in ...

television show A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming platf ...

skitHOUSE ''Skithouse'' (styled ''skitHOUSE'') is an Australian sketch comedy television series that ran on Network Ten from 9 February 2003 to 28 July 2004. The series was produced by Roving Enterprises. It featured many well-known Australian comedians, ...

'', writing and performing sketches and songs as part of the core cast. They performed on '' Rove/Rove Live'' in 1999, 2003, and 2004, and were guest programmers of ''

Rage Rage may refer to: * Rage (emotion), an intense form of anger Games * Rage (collectible card game), a collectible card game * Rage (trick-taking card game), a commercial variant of the card game Oh Hell * ''Rage'' (video game), a 2011 first- ...

'' in 2004. Tripod were also core cast performers on the 2007

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

weekly variety program ''The Sideshow.'' The group made frequent musical appearances on Network Ten's ''

Good News Week ''Good News Week'' is an Australian satirical panel game show hosted by Paul McDermott that aired from 19 April 1996 to 27 May 2000, and 11 February 2008 to 28 April 2012. The show's initial run aired on ABC until being bought by Network Ten in ...

'' from 2009 to 2011, and have appeared on various

ABC1 ABC TV, formerly known as ABC1, is an Australian national public television network. It is owned and operated by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and is the flagship (broadcasting), flagship ABC Television (Australian TV network), A ...

programs, including '' Spicks and Specks'' (May 2011), and '' Adam Hills Tonight'' (May 2013). They have appeared yearly for almost two decades on the Oxfam Melbourne International Comedy Festival Gala.

Radio

Tripod have appeared as guests throughout their career on popular Australian radio stations. Their ''Song-in-an-Hour Challenge (2001–2004)'' was a popular segment on Triple J's drive-time show with

Merrick and Rosso Merrick and Rosso were an Australian comedian, comedy duo active from 1996 to 2009, composed of Merrick Watts (Merrick) and Tim Ross (Rosso). The duo began in stand up comedy, and first came together when they teamed up for what was intended to ...

, and later on the Triple J ''Breakfast'' show with Wil Anderson and

Adam Spencer Adam Barrington Spencer (born 29 January 1969) is an Australian comedian, media personality and former radio presenter. He first came to fame when he won his round of the comedic talent search '' Raw Comedy'' in 1996. Soon thereafter, he bega ...

. In it they had one hour to write and arrange a coherent song based on incoherent listener suggestions and then perform said song to an eager national audience. Tripod often refer to this experience as their songwriting boot camp. Two CDs containing some of the finest examples of these sessions have been released, each also including recordings taken from live ''Song-In-An-Hour'' challenges featured in Tripod's ''Pod August Nights'' concerts. In late 2005, they moved to Fox FM where they could be heard on

Peter Helliar Pete Jason Matthew Helliar (born 16 June 1975) is an Australian comedian, actor, television, radio presenter, writer, producer and director. He is best known for his work on television as a former regular co-host of '' The Project'' on Network ...

's weekly Friday morning show, ''Pete's Show''.

Podcast

On 24 December 2015 Tripod along with host Andrew Pogson started a regular podcast title
Perfectly Good Podcast.
Initially started to promote their upcomin
101 Tripod Hits
tour, the ongoing series shifted its focus covering any number of topic including current themes or stories from Tripod's 20+ years together. Each podcast centres around a theme in which host Andrew Pogson attempts to keep the members of Tripod to. Tripod also play live or play recordings of their songs which loosely relate to the episode's theme. Suggested i
Episode 27
and making its first appearance i
Episode 28
with Andrew Pogson's submission Tripod asked listeners to submit alternate lyrics for the song Aquaman, and Tripod then played each submission on varies episodes.

Game Music

In 2023, Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical was released, featuring songs co-written by Tripod. The album is nominated for a Grammy Award for the 2024 ceremony.

Recordings

Tripod's very first record ''Box Set'' was released in 1997. It was funded by their winnings from live TV segment ''Red Faces'' on ''

'' Their album ''Middleborough Rd'', made up of studio recordings of songs they wrote for the sketch TV series ''SkitHouse,'' won the

ARIA Award for Best Comedy Release The ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Music Award for Best Comedy Release, is an award presented at the annual ARIA Music Awards, which recognises "the many achievements of Australians, Aussie artists across all music genres", since 1987. It is handed out b ...

at the ARIA Music Awards of 2005. Tripod toured with the show ''Tripod are Self Saucing'' in 2004, and again at the 2006 MICF. They recorded a live album of the show in April 2006 entitled '' Songs from Self Saucing'', recorded and mixed by regular collaborator Nao Anzai, which was nominated for Best Comedy Release at the 2007

ARIA In music, an aria (, ; : , ; ''arias'' in common usage; diminutive form: arietta, ; : ariette; in English simply air (music), air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrument (music), instrumental or orchestral accompan ...

awards. Tripod's first DVD was also released in 2006: a live recording of their 2005 show " POD August Nights". The DVD includes numerous special features including a music video for their song "Gonna Make You Happy Tonight" from their 2004 album, ''Middleborough Rd''. Tripod's 2001 show, ''Tripod tells the tale of the Adventures of Tosswinkle the Pirate (Not Very Well)'' was also released on DVD in 2006, following the original 2001 VHS release. In 2009, Tripod released a DVD of a live performance at the

. This DVD featured never-before-seen bonus footage consisting of a bootleg recording of their 2007 show ''How to Train an Attack Dog from Scratch'', a show whose narrative was loosely based around an examination of the fictional history of musical comedy. Tripod released a Christmas album in 2009, from their Christmas shows, entitled ''For the Love of God''. A toured nationally with the songs, performing in the

that year. They released a CD of songs from ''Tripod versus the Dragon'', including extended versions of the songs from an early version of the show, as well as a DVD with numerous easter eggs and special features on 2 March 2011. ''Men of Substance'', their first full scale studio project since ''For the Love of God'', was produced by longtime friend and collaborator John Castle (

Vance Joy James Gabriel Keogh (born 1 December 1987), known professionally as Vance Joy, is an Australian singer, songwriter, musician, and former Australian rules footballer. He is best known for his 2013 hit song " Riptide". Joy signed a five-album de ...

, the Bamboos)

Composition

Tripod composed the theme song for SBS One's Australian television comedy history show '' ADbc'' in 2009.

Albums

Members

*Scott "Scod" Edgar – vocals, guitar, keyboard (1996–present) *Steven "Gatesy" Gates – vocals, guitar (1996–present) *Simon "Yon" Hall – vocals, trumpet, kazoo, occasional percussion (1996–present)

Awards

ARIA Music Awards

The

ARIA Music Awards The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austr ...

is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of

Australian music The music of Australia has an extensive history made of music societies. Indigenous Australian music forms a significant part of the unique heritage of a 40,000- to 60,000-year history which produced the iconic didgeridoo. Contemporary fusions o ...

. Tripod has won one award from six nominations, all in the category of

. , - ,

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

, ''About an Hour of Song in an Hour'' , rowspan="6", Best Comedy Release , , - , rowspan="2",

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

, ''About an Hour of Song in an Hour...Again'' , , - , ''Live – Fegh Maha'' , , - ,

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

, ''Middleborough Rd'' , , - ,

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

, ''Songs from Self Saucing'' , , - ,

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

, ''For the Love of God!'' , , -

Grammy Awards

In November 2023, Tripod received a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

nomination for '' Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical'', with collaborators Austin Wintory and

Montaigne Michel Eyquem, Seigneur de Montaigne ( ; ; ; 28 February 1533 – 13 September 1592), commonly known as Michel de Montaigne, was one of the most significant philosophers of the French Renaissance. He is known for popularising the essay as ...

. The ceremony took place in February 2024.

Other Awards

* 2003 ''Australian Comedy Awards'': People's Choice Award; Award for Outstanding Comedy Recording (''Songs in an Hour'') * 2007 Edinburgh ''Spirit of the Fringe'' award. * 2008 ''Green Room Award'': Best Original Songs in a Cabaret Performance (''How to Train an Attack Dog from Scratch''). 2009 * 2015 ''ASTRA Award'': Most Outstanding Children's Program (''Monster Beach'')

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tripod (Band) Australian comedy musical groups Australian radio comedy ARIA Award winners Musical groups established in 1997 Australian musical trios Australian rock music groups Musical groups from Melbourne