2016–2022: Formation, Confident Music for Confident People and Tilt
The band was formed in 2016. The members had met on the Brisbane music scene, and had been in other bands including: The Belligerents, Moses Gunn Collective and The Jungle Giants,[2] and use pseudonyms in Confidence Man; McGuffie and Goodchild reportedly took their stage names from tombstones.[3] They started writing dance songs together, initially as a "kind of joke", but eventually realised the material was worth pursuing.[4]
Planet and Bones provide vocals and dancing while Goodchild and McGuffie, who appear as masked figures, play keyboards and drums. The band signed to UK label Heavenly Records and released their debut UK single, "Bubblegum", in March 2017.[4][5]
Confidence Man released their debut album, Confident Music for Confident People, on 13 April 2018.[6] They toured Europe extensively in the middle of the same year, with festival slots and a sell-out at London's Scala before returning to Australia for dates in September.[7]
The band released a Christmas single, "Santa's Coming Down the Chimney", in December 2018.[8]
On 17 November 2019, Janet Planet and Sugar Bones were guests on Richard Kingsmill's '2019' programme on Triple J to premiere their new single "Does It Make You Feel Good?" During the interview, they revealed they have made celebrity friends with U2 and had been partying with them and Noel Gallagher while in Melbourne. They continued to explain their plans to feature The Edge playing tambourine on a future recording.[9]
On 21 August 2020, Confidence Man released the non-album single, "First Class Bitch".[10]
On 10 November 2021, the band announce the forthcoming release of their second studio album, Tilt and released "Holiday" as its lead single.[11]Tilt was released on 1 April 2022 and peaked at number 7 on the ARIA charts. In late 2022, the band toured Australia, the United Kingdom and Europe, which also included a performance at Glastonbury Festival which received critical acclaim.[12][13]
In April 2023, Confidence Man released "On & On (Again)" with Daniel Avery. The single continued the shift from electro-pop towards a club-focused sound which had begun with Tilt, and marked their debut at new label home at Polydor.[15] In July, the band released a collaboration with Swedish producer DJ Seinfeld on dance-pop record "Now U Do".[16] Band member Sam Hales, who had initially been behind the pseudonym "Clarence McGuffie", stopped being credited on songs from this point forward; McGuffie's current identity is unknown.[17][18]
In November 2023, after releasing several bootlegs and mashups through their SoundCloud page, the band released "Firebreak",[19] and in February 2024, the band released a single in collaboration with DJ Boring, "Forever 2 (Crush Mix)".[20] In May, Confidence Man released ConMan Club Classics Vol. 1, a compilation EP featuring the non-album singles and their remixes, including a new remix of "Boyfriend (Repeat)" by Cowboy Rhythmbox.[21]
On 5 June 2024, the band announced their third album, 3AM (La La La), with the release of the single, "I Can't Lose You", along with a video of Planet and Bones singing the track in a helicopter naked over the London skyline.[22] The album is inspired by the band's move to London, and by British rave culture of the 1990s.
In August 2024, Fabric Presents Confidence Man, a DJ mix by the band, was released.
Members
Janet Planet (Grace Stephenson) – vocals
Sugar Bones (Aidan Moore) – vocals
Reggie Goodchild (Lewis Stephenson) – production
Clarence McGuffie (currently unknown, previously Lachlan McGeehan, Sam Hales[citation needed]) – production
^"Boyfriend (Repeat)" did not enter the Ultratop 50, but peaked at number 24 on the Walloon Ultratip chart.[27]
^"First Class Bitch" did not enter the UK top 100, but peaked at number 13 on the physical singles chart and 10 on the vinyl singles chart
^"On & On (Again)" did not enter the UK top 100, but peaked at number 63 on the physical singles chart
^"Now U Do" did not enter the UK top 100, but peaked at number 26 on the physical singles chart and 23 on the vinyl singles chart
Awards and nominations
AIR Awards
The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as AIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector.
The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music. They commenced in 1987.
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.
The Queensland Music Awards (previously known as Q Song Awards) are annual awards celebrating Queensland, Australia's brightest emerging artists and established legends. They commenced in 2006.[75]