Peking Duk was formed in 2010 in Canberra, Australia, by Adam Hyde and Reuben Styles.[citation needed] The pair had started off in their local city of Canberra. Styles had been the bass guitarist for local indie rock group, Rubycon, from 2007 to 2010.[4][5] They released their debut single "Bingo Trippin'" in May 2011.[6] Upon the release of their Passion Pit bootleg remix in May 2012, the pair gained attention from music blogs.[2]
In February 2013 Peking Duk released "The Way You Are", their first international single.[7] Peking Duk placed 4th in the Australia wide InTheMix Top 50 competition in 2013. This was their second year in a row in the top 10 of the competition (6th in 2012).[8] 2013 also saw Peking Duk receive strong support from national youth broadcaster Triple J. Along with having their tracks added to rotation, Triple J also gave Peking Duk the opportunity to be a Triple J Mix Up resident which saw them present and host a weekly DJ Mix on Saturday nights for a month.[9] In August 2013, Peking Duk released "Feels Like".[10]
In February 2014, they had their first Top 40 hit on the ARIA Singles Chart with their track "High" featuring Australian vocalist Nicole Millar.[11] In August 2014, Peking Duk signed a worldwide record deal with Sony Music Entertainment in conjunction with RCA Records.[12] In July 2015, Peking Duk released the single called "Say My Name" featuring Benjamin Joseph. Peking Duk released an international EP titled Songs to Sweat To.
In December 2015, at a show in Melbourne, a fan named David Spargo accessed the backstage area by editing the band's Wikipedia article page and inserting himself as a family member. Upon showing the article and his ID to the security guards, he was granted access to the band with whom he shared a beer. The band reacted positively to this scheme, stating: "He explained to us his amazing tactic to get past security to hang with us and we immediately cracked him a beer. This dude is the definition of a legend." However, Hyde did add: "It goes to show, never trust Wikipedia".[13][14][15]
In March 2019, the pair embarked on their biggest national tour to date bringing along Kwame and Kira Puru as supports.[16][17] In April 2020, Australian radio station Triple J premiered a new song by the duo in collaboration with Ben O'Connor called "Stay The F*ck Home", as part of a COVID-19 self-isolation musical challenge nicknamed Quarantune.[18]
^"Fake Magic" did not enter the NZ Top 40 Singles Chart, but peaked at number four on the NZ Heatseeker Singles Chart.[28]
^"Let You Down" did not enter the NZ Top 40 Singles Chart, but peaked at number three on the NZ Heatseeker Singles Chart.[29]
^"Wasted" did not enter the NZ Top 40 Singles Chart, but peaked at number four on the NZ Heatseeker Singles Chart.[30]
^ abIn Australia, Reprisal appeared on the Australian Singles Chart; songs on the EP therefore could not chart separately.
^"Fire" did not enter the NZ Top 40 Singles Chart, but peaked at number five on the NZ Heatseeker Singles Chart.[32]
^"Fire" did not enter the NZ Top 40 Singles Chart, but peaked at number five on the NZ Heatseeker Singles Chart.[33]
^"Sugar" did not enter the NZ Top 40 Singles Chart, but peaked at number 10 on the NZ Hot Singles Chart.[34]
^"Ur Eyez" did not enter the NZ Top 40 Singles Chart, but peaked at number 28 on the NZ Hot Singles Chart.[36]
^"Move" did not enter the NZ Top 40 Singles Chart, but peaked at number 30 on the NZ Hot Singles Chart.[38]
^"Lil Bit" did not enter the NZ Top 40 Singles Chart, but peaked at number 28 on the NZ Hot Singles Chart.[41]
^"Chemicals" did not enter the NZ Top 40 Singles Chart, but peaked at number 20 on the NZ Hot Singles Chart.[43]
^"Spend It" did not enter the NZ Top 40 Singles Chart, but peaked at number 16 on the NZ Hot Singles Chart.[46]
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 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.
^"Dance Work of the Year". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) | Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS). 2015. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
^"Dance Work of the Year". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) | Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS). 2018. Retrieved 14 April 2018.
^ ab"Most Played Australian Work". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) | Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS). 2018. Retrieved 14 April 2018.