Leonardo's Bride

Did You Know?

• "Even When I'm Sleeping" was certified gold by ARIA for shipment of 35,000 units.
• In May 2001, "Even When I'm Sleeping" was selected by APRA as one of the Top 30 Australian songs of all time.
• In 2013, Dobson auditioned for Season 2 of The Voice (Australia) but was unsuccessful, and judge Delta Goodrem did not recognise her or the band's hit.

History

The origins of Leonardo's Bride trace to 1989, when Abby Dobson and Dean Manning performed together for the first time at an open mike night at the Crossroads Theatre in Sydney. The duo began writing songs in March 1990 and subsequently travelled through Europe and the United States, busking and playing in clubs and bars for sixteen months, completing around 250 shows. Venues included Sin-e in New York City, Les voultes de lutece in Paris, Hen & Chickens in London, and Zorba's bar in Santorini, Greece.

A New York performance was described as all acoustic, mostly original and startlingly beautiful, blending folk ballads with strong harmonies, upbeat pop with a faint rock edge, and standards from around the world. In 1992 the duo formed a folk-pop band in Sydney with Dobson, Manning, Alex Hewetson on double bass, and Antero Ceschin on drums. They independently released their first EP, Leonardo's Bride, in 1993; the title track, named after Leonardo da Vinci, was described by Drum Media's Craig Mathieson as spangly acoustic pop.

Later that year Mark Howard replaced Hewetson on bass and David Sanders replaced Ceschin on drums, with John Gauci added on keyboards and Hammond organ. By 1994 the line-up settled as Dobson, Manning, Gauci, Patrick Wong on bass, and Jon Howell on drums. Their second EP, Temperamental Friend, was issued in October 1994 on PolyGram's label Id. James Mayson of Drum Media noted the band drove a quirky acoustic highway and rode a carousel of emotions. In 1995 they toured Australia supporting The Badloves and in Ireland supporting Big Geraniums.