Silverchair Sell Out Two Shows in L.A. Despite Poor U.S. Sales

Ever since Silverchair released their first album, "Frogstomp," they have been the most popular rock band in their native Australia. Unfortunately, this has not been the case in the U.S. The band's album sales have lessened steadily in the United States since the release of "Frogstomp."

That album sold 1.9 million copies, while Silverchair's sophomore album "Diorama" sold a meager 77,000 copies, despite critical praise.

These figures make the fact that Silverchair has sold out two upcoming shows at Los Angeles' El Rey Theatre quite a surprise to some. Even lead singer Daniel Johns was caught off guard.

"I'm still baffled by it," he told reporters. "We didn't even know that people still cared."

While the sellouts may have shocked Silverchair's frontman, they were not a surprise to David Fricke, a critic for Rolling Stone. "He says that for some fans who were emotionally engaged early, the band has "almost been preserved as that band from the '90s, even though musically that's not the case." He says that Silverchair's talent and intentions inspire loyalty in much the same way Pearl Jam's do.

Silverchair's new album "Young Modern" will be released in Australia in March on Eleven/EMI. Right now, the band is unsigned in the U.S. The El Rey shows are being put on in part to showcase the and for U.S. labels.

"If [some label] wanted to give me $2 million, I'm going to take it, for real," says Johns. "I love the idea of being rich. I definitely don't do it for that reason, but I'm not going to be a chump."

Silverchair was originally signed after their song "Tomorrow" won a demo competition in 1994. The competition, held in Australia, led to a record deal. "Tomorrow" became the United States' biggest modern rock hit of 1995.

Daniel Johns has hinted that songs from Silverchair's first album, "Frogstomp," may not get played at the El Rey shows. He knows that the album means a lot to fans, but says, "I just don't relate to the songs."

Critics have stated that Silverchair's music as come a long way since "Frogstomp." Johns credits having time to absorb music after high school. Two musicians he studied extensively were David Helfgott (the pianist that inspired the film "Shine"), and Van Dyke Parks, who is best known for working with Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys.

According to Johns, the El Rey shows are the first step to Silverchair's reclaiming the success the band had in the U.S. a decade ago. He says that Silverchair would rather "be great than big," but he'd like the band to be remembered for something beyond "Frogstomp."

Source:

"Just Give Silverchair the Time To Gow Up"(http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/music/cl-wk-pop15feb15,1,5603085.story?coll=la-entnews-music)