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Ben Gillies
Gillies performing 2007 in with Silverchair
Background information
Birth name	Benjamin David Gillies
Also known as	Tomohawk
Born	(1979-10-24) 24 October 1979 (age 45) Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
Genres	Alternative rock, grunge, art rock
Instrument(s)	Drums, percussion, guitar, vocals
Years active	1992–present
Labels	Murmur, Sony, Epic, Eleven

Benjamin David Gillies (born 24 October 1979) is an Australian musician, best known as the drummer of Australian rock band Silverchair from 1992 until the band went on hiatus in 2011. In 2003, Gillies formed Tambalane with Wes Carr, initially as a songwriting project; they released a self-titled album in 2005 and toured Australia but subsequently folded. By June 2011, after Silverchair's disbandment, Gillies was in the final stages of about 12 months of working on his solo album, and he said that it was not a continuation of his earlier work with Tambalane. In 2012, he formed Bento, in which he performs lead vocals, and released the band's debut album Diamond Days.

Career

Benjamin David Gillies was born on 24 October 1979 in Merewether, a suburb of Newcastle. He started as a quad drummer in the band The Marching Koalas, before forming a grunge group, Innocent Criminals, at the age of 12 with friends Daniel Johns, Chris Joannou, and Tobin Finnane. Playing originally at school and other venues in the Newcastle area, they came to attention after a weekend music workshop at the Tanilba Bay Progress Hall funded through the Arts Council of New South Wales in March 1994. By October 1994, under their new name Silverchair, their first EP Tomorrow had reached No. 1 on the ARIA Singles Chart. Silverchair went on to release five No. 1 albums, Frogstomp (1995), Freak Show (1997), Neon Ballroom (1999), Diorama (2002) and Young Modern (2007).

Gillies formed the band Tambalane in 2002 while Silverchair was in hiatus following Johns' illness, releasing a self-titled album featuring the singles "Little Miss Liar" and "Free" before the band folded in 2005. He then returned to work with Silverchair.

In May 2011, Silverchair announced an "indefinite hibernation" and that they were not likely to work together "in the foreseeable future". By June, Gillies was in the final stages of working on his solo album, he had been working on it for about 12 months and said that it was not a continuation of his earlier work with Tambalane.

In 2020, Gillies released the songs "Breathe In, Breathe Out" and "One Foot in Front of The Other".

In 2021, Gillies released the song "Yesteryear" which became a track on his five-song EP The Relative Relatives.

Personal life

In June 2010, Gillies married Jakica 'Jackie' Ivancevic. His wife, known as Jackie Gillies, works as a professional psychic and featured on the TV series The Real Housewives of Melbourne.

In February 2018, Gillies was charged with mid-range drunk driving. During an interview with the ABC's Australian Story in September 2023, Ben revealed he had been dealing with anxiety ever since experiencing an acute psychotic break at the height of Silverchair's fame, when his first ecstasy pill, combined with a heavy marijuana habit, "pushed me over the edge".

He said he was able to beat his addictions, including heavy drinking, following an ultimatum from his wife Jackie.

In September 2020, Gillies was interviewed as a special guest on an episode of the Too Much of Not Enough Silverchair podcast, produced by Australian fan Daniel Hedger.

In October 2021, Gillies and his wife welcomed twin babies after multiple rounds of IVF.

In 2023, Gilles and his wife competed on the seventh season of The Amazing Race Australia.

References

1. Larkin, Colin (27 May 2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. ISBN 9780857125958 – via Google Books.
2. New World Artists. "Artist Profile: Silverchair". Archived from the original on 5 January 2010. Retrieved 24 January 2010.
3. Hung, Steffen. "Silverchair Discography". Australian Charts Portal. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 23 October 2012. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
4. "There's a chair in there". The Sydney Morning Herald. 3 June 2005. Retrieved 24 January 2010.
5. "Chairpage News". Archived from the original on 2 October 2011.
6. Lau, Kristie (12 June 2011). "Silverchair drummer works on solo album". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 7 October 2011.
7. Ben Gillies - Breathe In, Breathe Out (Official Video), archived from the original on 22 December 2021, retrieved 16 September 2021
8. Ben Gillies - One Foot in Front of The Other (Official Video), archived from the original on 22 December 2021, retrieved 16 September 2021
9. Ben Gillies - Yesteryear (Official Video), archived from the original on 22 December 2021, retrieved 16 September 2021
10. The Relative Relatives - EP, 1 October 2021, retrieved 17 November 2021
11. BRANLEY, ALISON (13 June 2010). "Silverchair drummer Ben Gilles weds in Newcastle". Newcastle Herald. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
12. "'Real Housewives of Melbourne' Revealed, Catch Phrases Suggested". 27 July 2013.
13. "Australian Breaking News Headlines & World News Online | SMH.com.au".
14. "Silverchair drummer Ben Gillies reveals the ultimatum that would change his life after the band collapsed". ABC News. 24 September 2023. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
15. Cartwright, Lexie (17 October 2021). "Jackie Gillies welcomes twin babies". news.com.au. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
16. "The Amazing Race Australia Celebrity Edition: Meet The 11 Teams". 10Play. 9 June 2023. Retrieved 9 June 2023.

• 1979 births
• Living people
• APRA Award winners
• Australian rock drummers
• Australian memoirists
• Child rock musicians
• Australian male drummers
• Musicians from Newcastle, New South Wales
• Silverchair members
• Australian multi-instrumentalists
• 21st-century Australian drummers
• Participants in Australian reality television series
• The Amazing Race contestants