The Beards (Australian band)

Australian comedy folk rock band

The Beards

The Beards at APRA Awards, May 2012

Background information
Also known as| The Dairy Brothers
Origin| Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
Genres|

* rock
* Folk rock
* comedy

Years active| 2005–2016, 2025
Labels| Unsigned
Past members|

* Tom Bettany (a.k.a. Nathaniel Beard)
* Michael Bidstrup (a.k.a. John Beardman, Jr.)
* Joshua Fielder (a.k.a. Facey McStubblington)
* Joel McMillan (a.k.a. Johann Beardraven)

Website| thebeards.com.au

The Beards are an Australian comedy folk rock band, which formed in 2005 in Adelaide and disbanded in October 2016. The group play music themed around the virtues of having a beard. They had developed from a four-piece rock band, the Dairy Brothers, which was established in 2003. In 2025, the band reunited for Byron Bay Bluesfest, and subsequently booked a national reunion tour.[1][2][3]

## Career

[edit]

### 2003–2007: The Dairy Brothers

[edit]

The Dairy Brothers were a four-piece rock band based in Adelaide, which formed in 2003, and performed at local pubs and clubs. The band members were Tom Bettany (a.k.a. Tom Rockchild) on bass keytar and vocals, Michael Bidstrup (a.k.a. Bam Bam Bidstrup) on drums, Joshua Fielder (a.k.a. J-Wah!) on guitar and Joel McMillan (a.k.a. Late Joel Milkowski or One Hundred Dollars) on vocals and keyboard.[4][5] The Dairy Brothers released a six-track extended play, Full Cream Ahead (2004), and followed with a second EP, Got Rock? (February 2007).

Andrew Crosbie of MediaSearch caught a performance in Melbourne in December 2006, "their sound, although not completely original, is a breath of fresh air into what can be a slightly stale Australian rock scene. They combine the humorous lyrical stylings of Tenacious D with the driving piano of earlier Ben Folds and a guitar sound that shifts through pinnacle elements of rock from the past thirty years, giving a performance that will keep you in a well humoured and merry state of being."[6]

### 2005-2009: Formation and early years

[edit]

Bettany, Bidstrup, Fielder and McMillan formed the Beards in 2005 in Adelaide to play a one-off show. They rose in popularity and developed a cult following with the release of their first album, The Beards, in July 2007. The band played at the Adelaide venue of Big Day Out in 2008 and 2009.[7] They were active in the Adelaide music scene but were largely unknown beyond their hometown.

In 2009 they released a follow-up album, Beards Beards Beards, and a music video for "If Your Dad Doesn't Have a Beard, You've Got Two Mums",[8] which received positive acclamations and garnered increased interest online, as well as airtime on Australian Broadcasting Corporation music video program, rage. The Beards travelled to Alaska to perform at the opening ceremony of the World Beard & Moustache Championships.[9][10] Upon returning to Adelaide, the band began to tour Australia for the first time.

### 2009-2016: Tours and further releases

[edit]

The Beards went on to tour Australia extensively, releasing their third album Having a Beard is the New Not Having a Beard and producing music videos for the tracks "Got Me a Beard",[11] "Beard Accessory Store",[12] and "You Should Consider Having Sex With a Bearded Man",[13] with the last of these coming 99th place in Triple J's Top 100 list of 2011.[14]

In 2012, "You Should Consider Having Sex with a Bearded Man" was nominated for an APRA Award (song of the year)[15] and the band's third album (Having a Beard is the New Not Having a Beard) was nominated for an ARIA Award (best comedy album).[16]

In 2013 the band travelled to North America, playing multiple performances at SXSW[17] and Canadian Music Week as well as performing showcase sets in LA, Houston, New York and Toronto. They returned to Australia, performing at Bluesfest in Byron Bay.[18] In May 2013, they embarked on the First World Tour,[19] playing shows in Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and the UK, where they appeared at the Bearded Theory Festival, before returning home for the Australian leg of the tour.

In early 2014, The Beards travelled Europe on the Euro-Bout To Grow A Beard Tour[20] with stops in Britain (Stereo, Glasgow;[21] The Glee Club, Nottingham;[22] The Black Box, Belfast[23]), Denmark, The Netherlands and Germany. In Cologne a 90-minute show was recorded for Rockpalast.[24]

On 9 May 2014, The Beards released their fourth studio album, The Beard Album. This coincided with an Australian launch tour, which continued on to Europe in November and December. They stopped again in UK, Denmark, The Netherlands and Germany with additional stops in France, Sweden, Norway and Switzerland.[25] The Beards released the music video of Strokin' My Beard in July 2015. It consists of footage of their last tour shot by fans in the audience.[26]

To celebrate their 10th anniversary as a band, The Beards released a 2-disc compilation/live album Ten Long Years, One Long Beard, featuring never before heard songs and versions, as well as a live concert recording. A new single, also called "Ten Long Years, One Long Beard" was released with an accompanying music video.[27] The Beards' anniversary tour Ten Long Years, One Long Beard started in September 2015 with stops in Sweden, Denmark, Germany, The Netherlands, Switzerland and the UK,[28] before returning home to finish the tour in Australia.[29]

In 2016, the band members announced their decision to discontinue the band as a live touring act. A Farewell Tour commenced in February 2016, with the final date booked for 28 October at The Governor Hindmarsh Hotel ("The Gov") in Adelaide.[30] Bettany later recalled, "After cutting our teeth on the local scene following high school and during uni we formed a band called The Dairy Brothers which actually landed us a Front Bar residency at The Gov. At the time were so stoked to be actually playing at The Gov; was a bit of a dream to be playing there. The Dairy Brothers slowly morphed into The Beards and that became our life for over a decade; something we never could have predicted happening!"[30]

### 2025: Bluesfest reunion

[edit]

In September 2024, the band announced they would be reuniting for the final Byron Bay Bluesfest in 2025.[1][2] In April 2025, the band announced a run of four shows scheduled for August.[31]

## Members

[edit]

* Johann Beardraven (Joel McMillan) – lead vocals, keyboards, keytar, saxophone
* John Beardman, Jr. (Michael Bidstrup) – drums[32]
* Nathaniel Beard (Tom Bettany) – bass guitar, backing vocals
* Facey McStubblington (Joshua Fielder) – guitar, electric guitar, backing vocals

## Discography

[edit]

### Studio albums

[edit]

Title  | Details  | Peak chart positions

|
|

AUS
[33][34]
The Beards |

* Released: 21 July 2007[35]
* Label: Spare Room Audio

| —
Beards, Beards, Beards |

* Released: 7 May 2010[36]
* Label: Spare Room Audio (BBB-01)

| —
Having a Beard is the New Not Having a Beard |

* Released: 9 March 2012[37]
* Label: Spare Room Audio (BBB-03)

| 63
The Beard Album |

* Released: 9 May 2014[38]
* Label: Spare Room Audio (BBB-04)

| 30

### Compilation albums

[edit]

Title  | Details

|

Ten Long Years, One Long Beard |

* Released: 4 September 2015[39]
* Label: Spare Room Audio (BBB-05)

The Final Show |

* Released: 2017[40]
* available on Limited Edition USB-Stick "Comb"
* filmed 28 October 2016 at The Governor Hindmarsh Hotel, Adelaide

### Singles

[edit]

Title  | Year  | Album

|
|

"Growing a Beard"[41] | 2007  | The Beards
"If Your Dad Doesn't Have a Beard, You've Got Two Mums"[42] | 2009  | Beards, Beards, Beards
"You Should Consider Having Sex with a Bearded Man"[43][44] | 2011  | Having A Beard Is the New Not Having a Beard
"I'm in the Mood... For Beards" [45][46] | 2012
"Got Me A Beard"[47]
"All the Bearded Ladies"[48][49] | 2014  | The Beard Album
"Stroking My Beard"[50] | 2015
"I'm Growing a Beard Downstairs for Christmas" (with Kate Miller-Heidke)[51] | non album single

## Awards and nominations

[edit]

### APRA Music Awards

[edit]

The APRA Awards are held in Australia and New Zealand by the Australasian Performing Right Association to recognise songwriting skills, sales and airplay performance by its members annually.

Year  | Nominee / work  | Award  | Result

|
|
|

2012 | You Should Consider Having Sex with a Bearded Man" [52] | Song of the Year  | Nominated

### ARIA Music Awards

[edit]

The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music. They were nominated for three awards.[53]

Year  | Nominee / work  | Award  | Result  | Ref.

|
|
|
|

2012 | Having a Beard Is the New Not Having a Beard | Best Comedy Release | Nominated  | [54]
2014 | The Beards Album | Nominated
2016 | "I'm Growing a Beard Downstairs for Christmas" (with Kate Miller-Heidke) | Nominated

### Fowler's Live Music Awards

[edit]

The Fowler's Live Music Awards took place from 2012 to 2014 to "recognise success and achievement over the past 12 months [and] celebrate the great diversity of original live music" in South Australia. Since 2015 they're known as the South Australian Music Awards.[55]

Year  | Nominee / work  | Award  | Result (wins only)

|
|
|

2012  | "You Should Consider Having Sex with a Bearded Man"  | Best Video  | Won
2013  | The Beards  | Best Pop Artist  | Won
2014  | Won

### National Live Music Awards

[edit]

The National Live Music Awards (NLMAs) are a broad recognition of Australia's diverse live industry, celebrating the success of the Australian live scene. The awards commenced in 2016.

Year  | Nominee / work  | Award  | Result

|
|
|

2016[56] | Johann Beardraven (The Beards)  | Live Instrumentalist of the Year  | Won

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 25 February 2025.
2. ^ a b "The Beards". Bluesfest. Retrieved 25 February 2025.
3. ^ "THE BEARDS – The Beards official website". 17 April 2025. Archived from the original on 17 April 2025. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
4. ^ Dairy Brothers (2004), Full Cream Ahead, The Band, retrieved 26 February 2018
5. ^ "The Dairy Brothers". Unearthed. Triple J. Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). Retrieved 26 February 2018.
6. ^ Crosbie, Andrew (December 2006). Carmine Pascuzzi (ed.). "The Dairy Brothers – The Green Room, Melbourne". MediaSearch. Archived from the original on 3 September 2008. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
7. ^ "Premier Artists - Artist Roster". Archived from the original on 28 February 2015. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
8. ^ TheBeardsAustralia (27 October 2009). "THE BEARDS - If Your Dad Doesn't Have a Beard, You've Got Two Mums (Film Clip - 2009)". Retrieved 31 October 2016 – via YouTube.
9. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 8 March 2011. Retrieved 1 October 2011.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) dbMagazine Issue #469
10. ^ "The Beards". Archived from the original on 5 January 2010. Retrieved 1 October 2011.
11. ^ TheBeardsAustralia (11 September 2012). "The Beards - Got Me a Beard (Film Clip - 2012)". Retrieved 31 October 2016 – via YouTube.
12. ^ TheBeardsAustralia (3 October 2013). "The Beards - The Beard Accessory Store (Film Clip - 2013)". Retrieved 31 October 2016 – via YouTube.
13. ^ TheBeardsAustralia (22 January 2012). "The Beards - You Should Consider Having Sex With a Bearded Man (Film Clip - 2011)". Retrieved 31 October 2016 – via YouTube.
14. ^ "triple j's Hottest 100". abc.net.au. 12 July 2011. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
15. ^ AMCOS, APRA. "Song of the Year - APRA AMCOS Australia". apraamcos.com.au. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
16. ^ "Aria Awards - History". ariaawards.com.au. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
17. ^ "The Beards - Schedule - sxsw.com". sxsw.com. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
18. ^ "Previous Lineups". bluesfest.com.au. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
19. ^ "The Beards – The Beards First World Tour". thebeards.com.au. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
20. ^ "The Beards – Grab Your Tickets Now for the EURO-BOUT TO GROW a BEARD Tour!!". Archived from the original on 14 April 2014. Retrieved 13 April 2014. Tour Announcement
21. ^ http://soundthecharge.com/2014/03/09/review-the-beards-glasgow-stereo-1314/ Glasgow Report
22. ^ http://www.rock-regeneration.co.uk/wordpress/2014/03/beards/ Beards in Nottingham
23. ^ http://www.giggingni.com/2014/02/live-beards-black-box-belfast/ \- Gigging Northern Ireland live review
24. ^ http://www.wdr.de/tv/rockpalast/extra/videos/2014/0212/the_beards.jsp Rockpalast recording
25. ^ "The Beards – The Beard Album Euro Launch Tour". thebeards.com.au. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
26. ^ TheBeardsAustralia (18 January 2015). "The Beards - Strokin' My Beard (Film Clip - 2015)". Retrieved 31 October 2016 – via YouTube.
27. ^ TheBeardsAustralia (30 August 2015). "The Beards - Ten Long Years, One Long Beard (film clip - 2015)". Retrieved 31 October 2016 – via YouTube.
28. ^ "The Beards – It's Been Ten Long Years, so We're Setting Off on One Long European Tour". thebeards.com.au. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
29. ^ "The Beards – The Anniversary Tour Will Be Rolling Down Under In October". thebeards.com.au. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
30. ^ a b "Introducing the Gov's Open Mic Night Host – Tom Bettany". Gov News. Governor Hindmarsh Hotel. 29 September 2017. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
31. ^ "The Beards Return with 2025 Australian Tour". The Note - Your Guide to Music, Culture and Gigs in Adelaide. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
32. ^ "Stateline South Australia". abc.net.au. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
33. ^ Peak positions for albums in Australia:
* All except noted: "The Beards discography". australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
34. ^ "Chart Watch". March 2012. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
35. ^ "The Beards (DD)". Apple Music. 2007. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
36. ^ "Beards, Beards, Beards (DD)". Apple Music. 2010. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
37. ^ "Having a Beard is the New Not Having a Beard (DD)". Apple Music. 2012. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
38. ^ "HThe Beard Album (DD)". Apple Music. 2014. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
39. ^ "Ten Long Years, One Long Beard (DD)". Apple Music. 2015. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
40. ^ "Ten Long Years, One Long Beard (DD)". Apple Music. 2015. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
41. ^ "The Beards - Growing a Beard (Film Clip - 2007)". YouTube. 2010. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
42. ^ "THE BEARDS - If Your Dad Doesn't Have a Beard, You've Got Two Mums (Film Clip - 2009)". YouTube. October 2009. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
43. ^ http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/media/s3310059.htm Triple J Radio interview
44. ^ "You Should Consider Having Sex with a Bearded Man". Apple Music. July 2011. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
45. ^ "I'm in the Mood... for Beards". soundcloud.com. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
46. ^ "I'm in the Mood... For Beards". Apple Music. February 2012. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
47. ^ "The Beards - Got Me a Beard (Film Clip - 2012)". YouTube. September 2012. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
48. ^ "All The Bearded Ladies". soundcloud.com. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
49. ^ "All the Bearded Ladies". Apple Music. 2014. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
50. ^ "The Beards - Strokin' My Beard (Film Clip - 2015)". YouTube. January 2015. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
51. ^ "Kate Miller-Heidke Teams Up With The Beards For Awesome Charity Xmas Single". themusic.com.au. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
52. ^ "SONG OF THE YEAR". APRA. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
53. ^ "ARIA Awards Search". ARIA Award. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
54. ^ "ARIA Awards Best Comedy Release". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved 17 April 2022.
55. ^ "Past Winners". South Australian Music Awards. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
56. ^ "Nominees 2016". NLMA. 2016. Retrieved 5 September 2020.

Authority control databases: Artists |

* MusicBrainz

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*[Ref.]: Reference