Sydney Punksters

As the third drummer for Sydney punksters Peabody, Graeme Stanley considers himself to be somewhat of a musical equivalent of Liz Taylor. ``It's been a tale of many drummers which I always hate because it kind of makes me feel like the third wife,'' Stanley said. ``It's like being married to Liz Taylor or something.'' Founding members Bruno Brayovic and Ben Chamie formed Peabody during high school in 1995 and `wooed' Stanley to join the band in 1999. Staley remembers begin almost `seduced' by the band who were desperate for him to leave his band Starky to join the Peabody line up. ``I refused at first because I was committed to this other band, but they were persistent and after a few rehearsals they kind of swept me off my feet.'' Now a fully fledged member of the group, Stanley and his counterparts have begun to taste the fruits of fame. The band released its debut album Professional Againster in October and have enjoyed airplay on Triple J with the single Rockwell, a dream which they thought would never come true. ``There's always that age old thing of bands hoping Triple J would play them and we've been really lucky, we're almost a bit freaked out by it.'' ``I remember the first time I heard us on radio, I was driving and I stupidly thought it was another song - I honestly didn't expect to hear it at all - and I turned it up and then I went ``Oh shit, this is us'' and I went ballistic, shouting along.'' Another highlight came for the band last month when it supported Scottish act Idlewild at the Hopetoun Hotel. Peabody will return to Newcastle to perform at the Cambridge Hotel on Saturday night. Professional Againster is out through Nonzero Records.