Ratcat, the band born out of love for the way-out, now find themselves confronting a reality which would make most people pinch themselves twice!! They were the first ever Australian band to score a simultaneous Number 1 single and album on the national charts. Formed in 1986, “Danger Mouse” (as they were originally known) soon adopted their more dynamic moniker, and began hawking their infectious band of fuzzed-out pop around Sydney.

Ratcat’s first record, a self-titled mini LP immediately caught the attention of 2JJJ (now the Triple J Network) and was placed on high rotation, setting the pace for Ratcat’s ensuring expansion. After two more singles, 1989 saw the release of “The Nightmare” (*cough* - that would be This Nightmare - epod), Ratcat’s first full length LP, which hit the top of the independent charts and remained there for some 30 weeks! The LP received rave reviews and saw Ratcat placed in the top 10 of Triple J’s Listeners’ Poll for 1989 alongside the likes of The B52s and The Cure, as well as being voted by Rolling Stone’s John O’Donnell as one of the five bands “most likely to make it.”

The Ratcat world took a hectic turn around this time with their live shows being consistently sold out at most Sydney venues; and this together with their participation in numerous tours by international acts (supporting the likes of The Ramones, Concrete Blonde, P.I.L, Pop Will Eat Itself, The Buzzcocks, Jesus Jones, Mudhoney, Faith No More and others) saw Ratcat’s popularity skyrocket.

After winning the Drum Media readers’ poll for “Best Sydney Based Band” (1990) by a “landslide”, Ratcat embarked upon the INXS “X Factor” Tour, supporting INXS over 15 dates right across Australia. The tour coincided with the release of Ratcat’s single “Don’t Go Now”. May 1991 saw the release of the band’s album, “Blind Love”. To coincide with this, Ratcat undertook a national concert tour.

And what helped Ratcat’s dreams come true? We asked lead singer, Simon Day : “I’ve got a Bachelor of Arts in Design. Tertiary education helped me realise my own goals not only in my field of design but also in music as the experience teaches not only valuable information but also a discipline that you need to get ahead.”

And that goes for the other members of Ratcat too. Amr Zaid, the bass player has a Bachelor of Arts - Communication, and Andrew Polin, the drummer is half-way through his Law degree. All the guys are from the University of Technology, Sydney, where they met as students, played music for fun and started Ratcat.

The world is next…dream on!!!