One of Australia's hidden indie treasures of the 2000s, End Of Fashion will celebrate the 20th anniversary of their debut album with a special re-release alongside a national tour.
The main vehicle for singer-songwriter, guitarist Justin Burford (the band's only constant member) as well as guitarist Rodney Aravena, and originally drummer Malcolm Clark and bassist Jonathon Dudman (all four members also spending time with The Sleepy Jackson in the early-mid 2000s) before the band settled on the line-up of Mike Hobbs as drummer and Tom King as bass guitarist with Burford and Aravena, End Of Fashion announced themselves with their 2004 debut EP 'Rough Diamonds'.The title track crept into the Hottest 100 (#81), while it also contained uncut gems in 'Anything Goes', 'Be Like That' and the sublime 'She's Love' (the latter and title track re-recorded for their debut record).
End Of Fashion would truly make a name for themselves the following year with their eponymous first album peaking at #3 on the ARIA Album Charts and producing the band's signature tune, 'O Yeah' (that would eventually place #8 in the Hottest 100).
Recorded in Oxford, Mississippi, and produced by Dennis Herring, who had previously worked with Elvis Costello, Counting Crows and Modest Mouse, the record also featured contributions from Little Birdy's Katy Steele, and won two ARIA Awards (Breakthrough Artist and Best Video).
"When we made this album, we never dreamed it would still mean so much to people 20 years later," Justin says. "That's a real gift for us and we wanted to give something back."
The 20th anniversary edition (pre-order it) is a visually striking, high quality double LP – featuring vibrant coloured vinyl, archive artwork, a never-before-released lyric sheet, and a collage of fan-submitted photos.
The first disc features the original album, remastered and packed with hits like 'The Game', 'She's Love', 'Oh Strain' (featuring Katy Steele), and 'Rough Diamonds', while the second offers a treasure trove of rare demos, B-sides and unheard gems.
"We put this re-issue together with a lot of love – and a lot of memories; our own and most importantly, the fans," adds Justin, "which is why we got them involved.
"This is as much theirs as it is ours. To have this out in the world again, on vinyl, with all this amazing material from the archives that we never thought would see the light of day, feels really special."
For diehard fans and lovers of emotive power pop songwriting, the jubilation doesn't end there with Burford getting the band back together for a national run of dates (Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth) this August performing the album live and in full, plus an encore of fan favourites and more.
"There's a lot of history in this album, and a lot of love too. We still feel that love and it's a huge privilege to be able to hit the road and share that with the fans," Justin says.
"I really feel like this tour is going to be something special. Not only do we get to celebrate the past, we also get to show what's coming next. I think people will love it!"
Tickets on sale from 10am AEST on 29 May.
End Of Fashion 2025 Tour Dates
Fri 15 Aug - The Brightside (Brisbane)Sat 16 Aug - Crowbar Sydney
Fri 22 Aug - The Night Cat (Melbourne)
Sat 23 Aug - Jive (Adelaide)
Sat 30 Aug - Rosemount Hotel (Perth)
