Rubher

Rubher was an Australian 90's indie band from Brisbane featuring singer Jane Gazzo, who later became well known in Australia as a music journalist, voice artist, DJ, television and radio presenter. Not much is known about the other band members and there isn't much information about the group on the internet, even including the discogs website, which does not even feature the ensemble.

Links To Peel
Peel played a track from the group when their indie label Lighthouse records sent him a record from the group, whose song title is Johnny Peel Is Dead. Peel initially thought Johnny Peel referred to somebody else, but later found out the song referred to him, which included samples of his voice on the track. On his 20 May 1995 show, Peel mentioned about the record:


 * Rubher - Johnny Peel Is Dead"Last week I got a record from Rubher, which is spelled R-U-B-H-E-R from Australia on Lighthouse records, it's an EP called Big Red Truck. I was looking at it, looking at the titles, one of them says Johnny Peel Is Dead and I thought that's a bit grim, it must have been some Australian bloke called Johnny Peel, a bit of a coincidence, but no it turns out this isn't the case at all and here's something from an Australian newspaper, it says the last song from the EP is titled Johnny Peel Is Dead. When I asked the origins of the song, I have a small history lesson thrust upon me by the band, my god, don't you know, and you call yourself a music journo. John Peel is the Radio 1 DJ, who discovered punk in the 70's and new wave in the 1980's, I certainly did everybody, in fact I was in all of those bands and he said, what does he go on to say, he started out doing pirate shows on the ships during the WAR !! it says, I mean that would make me like 75 or something, because they couldn't have music on, I don't know if you know the story, there was a time when no radio stations in England would play pop music, so all these DJ's used to get boats and go out to the middle of the sea where they could reach Europe and they used to play pop music and it was really successful and so it goes on in a similar vain, but the he record of course is really rather grim because Johnny Peel, nobody who knows me of course would call me Johnny, well at least not twice, but Johnny Peel Is Dead, well it's me and I'm sampled on it, but I thought I play it, you know, you feel safer way in a funny way."

On his 22 January 2002 show, a listener asks about a song that Peel played in the past called 'John Peel Is Dead'. Peel couldn't remember the song, but another listener later on the show supplied the information that 'John Peel Is Dead' was in fact called 'Johnny Peel (Is Dead)' by an Australian band called Rubher. No other tracks from the band were ever played on Peel's shows.

Shows Played
1995
 * 20 May 1995: Johnny Peel [Is Dead] (7 inch - Red Truck EP) Lighthouse
 * 27 May 1995 (BFBS): Johnny Peel [Is Dead] (7 inch - Red Truck EP) Lighthouse