Defence

Defence Intelligence Organisation

DIO's own rock star destined for the big time

Dave Bishop has been to many rock shows while working for the Department of Defence. Ones with guitars, screaming fans and pounding drums, that is!

By Tony Pollock

Dave Bishop, front, reaches for the big time.
Photo by Tony Pollock

By day, he is a mild-mannered Defence Intelligence Organisation (DIO) employee working diligently at human resources. But by night, he dons a leather jacket, lets his hair down and fronts a microphone as lead singer for the popular Canberra pub rock band, Night Train.

For Dave, it's all about the fans.

"There is nothing better than standing in front of a full house, bashing out the music. Everybody has a good time," he said.

And he has seen it all. Rowdy crowds who push security to the limit. The demoralising experience of having only a few people turn up to shows. The buzz of writing your own material and hearing it played across the airwaves.

But when everyone's pumped, things can get a little crazy - and dangerous! Dave remembers one gig at a local pub. "We were mucking around on stage, playing to a pumped crowd. I was jumping to the beat... and accidentally elbowed my base player in the head. He staggered, almost passed out, but managed to keep the base line going!" Well, the show must go on!

So, would he ever consider leaving his job in DIO to pursue a full-time musical career? "No. It is a hobby at present... something I do out of hours. Of course, if we ever really hit it big in the United States (US) or United Kingdom, then that,s another story," he said.

The band has reinvented a new melodic feel to the traditionally hard-pounding beat of Aussie pub rock. "I've been told we sound like a cross between the Eagles and the Aussie rock band, Grinspoon," explained Dave, five years Night Train's lead singer and foundation member. "In the end, I guess we come from the pub rock tradition, but we have moved beyond that in many ways."

They must be good at what they do. The band has its own record label called SPE Records, and have released several singles that sell in record stores. They have had record contracts with major promoters who have looked after Marcia Hines, Rick Springfield and Daddy Cool. Their release single, Black Sally Lane, was the biggest Canberra launch for an EP single. And they have fronted with iconic Aussie bands and artists such as the Screaming Jets, Angels and Jimmy Barnes.

For the band, discovery by Wizard Records came almost by accident. "We had formed originally as 'Juggernaut 101', but changed the name soon afterwards. Robbie Porter, who has managed Marcia Hines and Rick Springfield, was driving through Canberra one day and heard one of our demos on the radio. He was interested, contacted us, and we signed."

After working with Wizard and Robbie Porter for a time, they later left to concentrate on establishing their own record label. "Robbie headed for the US and we didn't want to follow him at that point. So we parted company. Now we write, perform and produce our own stuff. It's a real feat to do this." And it is not cheap. It costs the band about $20 000 per EP single to release.

But the huge US market beckons. "We have plans to release our music in the US," explains Dave. "That is the next step, albeit a long-term one. We're realistic about the future. Our stuff could really take off, and that would be fantastic. Until then, we will continue to get gigs, build our profile and keep writing and performing music."

And coming to work at DIO!

Tony Pollock is Chief of Staff, DIO.

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