John Murphy (musician)
John Murphy (born 1959),
sometimes credited as "Jonh Murphy", is an
Australian drummer,
percussionist and multi-instrumental
session musician who has played in numerous Australian and British
post-punk,
ambient and
industrial music groups.
He was educated at
Scotch College, Melbourne, Australia, where he played in the school orchestra as well as Scottish pipe bands. Murphy's first major band was NEWS the seminal Melbourne punk band in which he performed as "John Smith from the Suburbs". From the late 1970s until the mid 1980s he collaborated with vocalist
Ollie Olsen in the post-punk bands
Whirlywirld, Hugo Klang,
Orchestra Of Skin And Bone,
NO, and
Max Q.
He formed, joined, or collaborated with, the following acts:
The Associates,
Dumb And The Ugly,
The Slub,
SPK,
Death In June,
Sword Volcano Complex,
Browning Mummery,
Current 93,
Kraang and
NON, in addition to playing on sessions for
Nico,
The The,
Gene Loves Jezebel and
Shriekback.
He composed the song "Spit" that was used as the theme in the 2002
Apple Switch ad campaign.
Today he records solo under the name
Shining Vril, as part of industrial electronic trio
Knifeladder, and as a member of folk-noise group
Foresta Di Ferro with Marco Deplano and
Ostara's Richard Leviathan. He splits his time between living in Australia and the UK.
*
IKONEN Magazine interview January 2005*
Compulsion magazine interview 2004, listing many recordings*
Knifeladder website*
Operative Records
