When Rolling Stone’s Tim Duggan proclaimed The Potbelleez to be “the fastest rising stars of the dance scene” in 2006, he foresaw what would be almost unanimously obvious to the wider industry and music fans alike only 18 months later. Their first major single ‘Don’t Hold Back’ brought Aussie audiences to their knees and the band scored three ARIA nominations in October 2008. Couple this with a non-stop touring schedule across Australia and Europe and a gargantuan debut album released 1st November - The Potbelleez are on the success super highway with not a break-light in sight!

The Potbelleez are made up of DJ-producers Dave Goode and Jonny Sonic, sassy singer & Blue MC and vocalist Ilan Kidron. Both Irish, Dave and Jonny landed as backpackers in Sydney in 2002 and met shortly after to form the original dynamic duo. Blue joined the pair in 2005, having previously dropped rhymes for legendary UK act Hexstatic whilst living in London and Ilan Kidron, a classically trained musician and composer, made his entrance in 2006 as the band took about a legendary 2 year Saturday night residency at Moulin Rouge in Sydney’s red light district, Kings Cross.

In 2006 the band made its first momentous strike with the dancefloor killers ‘Junkyard’ and ‘Duuurty Dreemz’. ‘Junkyard’ stormed to No.2 on the Australian ARIA club charts. Both tracks feature on the debut EP ‘In the Junkyard’ which was released in April 2007. The Limited edition sold out in 6 weeks.

In October 2007 things took another massive step forward, when the band dropped ‘Don’t Hold Back’. It spent an incredible 17 weeks at No.1 in the ARIA dance charts and 29 weeks in the ARIA Top 40 singles chart. The single also went platinum selling over 100,000 units – gaining the band three ARIA nominations for 2008 in the categories of ‘Highest Selling Single’, ‘Breakthrough Artist – Single’ and ‘Best Dance Release’. It was also named the “Most Played Australian Song” on TV and radio in 2008.

With The Potbelleez’s reputation spreading like a bush fire, it was no surprise (but indeed a privilege) when Channel Ten requested the band open the world famous Sydney Harbour New Years Eve celebrations in 2007/08 with the performance being watched by over 2.2 million viewers nationally. A show stopping performance at the 2008 Australian MTV awards and taking out the Number 5 position in the National inthemix50 DJ poll again reinforced the high-demand for the band.

The momentum was starting to build globally also, with ‘Don’t Hold Back’ backed by BBC Radio One heavyweights Jo Whiley and Pete Tong in early 2008. The track was added to Radio One and Galaxy’s playlist a few months later. With all of the buzz building, legendary Ibiza super club Pacha signed up Jonny & Dave to mix a new compilation.

Amidst the excitement the band managed to produce an exceptional follow up single ‘Are You With Me’ which hit the ground running as Australian radio’s #1 Most Added Song to national playlists. This track was an instant hit on the ARIA Charts. Out of 16 weeks of ARIA airplay, 15 of those weeks were spent in the top 40, peaking at #15. It was also heavily featured during Channel 7’s broadcast of the Beijing Olympics.

Ministry of Sound Australia then snapped them up to record the platinum selling ‘Sessions 5’ mix which was released on 31st May2008. Seemingly everything The Potbelleez touch turns to platinum.

The Potbelleez live show is excitement plus, with Dave and Jonny displaying their breathtaking skills over four CDJ’s, two mixers and two FX units, while Blue and Ilan weave their magic up front. The set-up is a proven winner for music fans and promoters alike and today The Potbelleez stand unquestionably as one of Australia’s most in-demand acts. They performed over 300 gigs in 2007 and 2008 alone and have set the benchmark high with performances in front of 35,000 people at the A League Soccer Grand Final at Sydney Football Stadium plus Global Gathering, Godskitchen (UK), Future Music Festival, We Love Sounds, Electric Picnic (Ireland) plus MTV Snow Jam and Summadazye in New Zealand. And most recently Good Vibrations, Clipsal 500 (Adelaide), Grand Prix, (Melbourne), Sir Richard Branson’s exclusive V Australia Launch Parties in Sydney and Los Angeles plus support for Basement Jaxx on the Australian leg of their tour.

Overseas the hype for The Potbelleez continues to spread. They have two tours under their belt throughout Ireland and Germany. Their eagerly awaited first album was an international affair, having been recorded in Sydney, Melbourne and back in Dublin, Ireland. November 1st 2008 marked the debut of the self-titled album. It hit the charts at Number 17 and is out through legendary Aussie imprint “Vicious” the label they hold a multi-album deal with, also home to Dirty South, Vandalism and Madison Avenue.

It’s a daunting thought to imagine where The Potbelleez will be a year from now. The band’s 3rd single “Trouble Trouble” was unleashed to Australian radio in September 2008 and was the Top 10 Most Added Nationally for three weeks in a row. Plus an Andy Van remix of “Duuurty Dreamz” hit the Hot 30 charts on Austereo. The band are in the midst of touring their album throughout Australia and New Zealand. And if they have a few spare hours, Dave, Jonny, Blue MC and Ilan may just fit in a few hours of sleep, but there are no guarantees of that when you’re one of the hottest damn dance acts on the planet.