"Australia's biggest rock band, Silverchair, rose to stardom in 1995 with their debut album, Frogstomp. Since then they have seen international success in the last decade with more than six million albums sold worldwide and more top 20 hits than any other Australian artist.Formed in 1992, the group was originally called the Innocent Criminals by three friends - guitarist and vocalist Daniel Johns, bassist Chris Joannou, and drummer Ben Gillies. After they were together for just two years recording their demo tape, they won an Australian talent contest conducted by Nomand, an Australian music television show, and a local radio station. The prize was a radio station's recording studio and a video for the winning song. The boys took advantage of this studio time and after gaining a few fans from the show, recorded their winning single ""Tomorrow,"" which started a bidding war between Australian record labels, with Murmur Records winning out in the end. When ""Tomorrow"" was released the boys had changed their name to Silverchair; by that time their single had been released and eventually stayed at the number one spot on the Australian charts for six weeks. Their debut album, Frogstromp, received loads of attention not only for its great sound but also because the members were only 15 at the time it was recorded. The album hit the United States Top 10 charts and sold more than 2.5 million copies worldwide, allowing the youngsters to perform on the roof of Radio City Music Hall and with Red Hot Chili Peppers.As the boys stayed committed to their Newcastle schooling, they began recording their sophomore effort that same year. Freak Show was released in 1997 and eventually went gold in the US with sales exceeding 1.5 million worldwide. Graduating from high school, the boys concentrated full time on their sound and released Neon Ballroom in 1999. Touring in the US and Europe, 2002 saw Diorama before the band went into a hiatus, though they regrouped for a concert for victims of the tsunami and released Young Modern in 2007."
