Once Upon a Time in early 2004, in the sleepy seaside town of Rosebud, three neighbours got together to make some music and The Warrains were born. Fifteen years, six original recordings and a couple of lineup changes later, The Warrains remain one of the Mornington Peninsula’s best-known and much-loved musical acts.
The original three members - Chris Swayn on guitar and vocals, Robert Pound on bass and Brad Ashdown on drums - quickly grew to five with the addition of Sophie Pound on keyboard and vocals, and Grant MacMillan on lead guitar and vocals. The Warrains soon began performing live at venues across the Peninsula, delighting punters with their infectious energy, engaging on-stage presence and distinctive blend of folk, country, reggae and coastal grooves.
2006 saw the release of their self-titled, self-produced debut album, The Warrains, with its tight vocal harmonies, layered instrumentation and uplifting themes to become signature features of The Warrains’ characteristic sound. The band teamed up with Two Tails Publishing in 2010 to produce Came to Life, which saw tracks such as Once Upon a Time (a sweet duet pondering the uncertainty of new love) and Socks and Sandals (a playful tribute to the fashion choices forced upon us as small children) becoming crowd favourites, still requested at live gigs today.
In 2012 five became four and current drummer Brendan White joined Chris, Sophie and Grant on their six track EP, Here to Stay. The Art of Listening came soon after in 2013 and featured guests such as local women’s choir Ling Marra.
2015 brought another lineup change, with Kelly Jean taking the baton from Sophie and joining the boys on EP number two, Taking on The World. Kelly quickly became aware of the band’s preoccupation with water, after being cajoled into jumping fully clothed from the Dromana pier in the film clip for opening track, Off The Pier, and almost freezing to death in a bathtub of cold water on Rosebud’s foreshore in the clip for A Wind That Doesn’t Blow, beautifully shot and produced by Yanni Dellaportas.
Their most recent release, To The Sea (2019), is in many ways a departure from The Warrain’s trademark sound, while retaining their favourite themes of love, loss, learning and of course, water. The Warrains’ connection to the local community sees them collaborating with the Southern Peninsula Ukulele Collective on sweet love song Two and title track, To The Sea, while Favourite Person Ever features local band Sugatree’s Nat Parker on trumpet.
A regular feature of the Mornington Peninsula’s thriving live music scene, their feel-good originals mixed with their unique take on a diverse range of covers ensure folks of all ages and musical persuasions will find something to love about The Warrains.
Chris Swayn (vocals, guitar)
Kelly Daymond (vocals)
Grant MacMillan (vocals, guitar)
Brendan White (cajon, percussion)