1998–2002 : Formation and early EP The Sleepy Jackson formed in 1998 with the original lineup featuring Luke Steele (vocals and guitars), Jesse Steele (drums), and Matthew O'Connor (bass). This lineup recorded a self-titled debut EP and a subsequent single titled "Miniskirt." Both recordings were independently released.
Dan Bull joined the lineup in 1999 as the band's first live keyboard player (who later played keys with
Eskimo Joe at their live performances). In 2000, as a result of non-musical commitments, Luke suggested that his brother should redirect his attentions and concentrate on other happenings in his life which ultimately resulted in Jesse following his advice and departing the band. The void created by Jesse Steele's departure was filled by Paul Keenan (who later drummed with
Eskimo Joe at their live performances). Along with numerous shows in their hometown of Perth, in late 2000 The Sleepy Jackson toured nationally with
Jebediah. In March 2001, on the eve of the band's signing with
EMI Records, the band toured with
Magic Dirt and
Motor Ace with Ronan Charles on keyboards joining Steele, O'Connor and Keenan. Five weeks into the tour, with the band broke, exhausted, and sleeping in caravan parks rather than enjoying the luxuries their touring partners were enjoying, O'Connor, Keenan and Charles quit, leaving Luke Steele to complete the tour solo. Upon signing to EMI in 2000, pressure was soon placed on Steele to produce a recording. The result was the 2001 EP titled
Caffeine in the Morning Sun, which Steele recorded in
Sydney with a collection of session musicians. In addition to playing solo, Steele recruited drummer Malcolm Clark into The Sleepy Jackson fold and, when some serious touring was required in support of the release, the services of Justin Burford (guitar) and Rodney Aravena (bass) were enlisted. In addition to The Sleepy Jackson, Steele's three colleagues were also playing around their hometown with Jonathon Dudman under the name
End of Fashion. The Sleepy Jackson relocated to Sydney, where they recorded another EP,
Let Your Love Be Love, in late 2002. Songs from this EP and
Caffeine in the Morning Sun were compiled together to form a self-titled mini-album for release in the UK market in February 2003. A period of extensive touring quickly followed, which saw the band playing in Australia, the United States, and Europe. The latter brought the band some very enthusiastic attention from UK music magazine
NME.
2003–2005: Lovers In between live appearances, The Sleepy Jackson worked on recordings that were to become their debut album
Lovers, which was released in June 2003. During a series of UK appearances in 2003, Burford and Aravena left the band. With a support slot for
Silverchair's
Diorama tour looming back in Australia, replacements were quickly sought. Clarke called upon the only other
End of Fashion member not previously part of The Sleepy Jackson, Jonathon Dudman. Dudman joined the band in Sydney, where he took over bass duties, and the second guitarist position was filled by session musician Ben Nightingale. The Sleepy Jackson's revolving door continued when Nightingale was ultimately replaced by Jonathon Dudman's brother, Julian Dudman. But the Dudmans subsequently left the band, leaving Luke Steele and Malcolm Clark as the only official members of The Sleepy Jackson. In 2005, singer-songwriter
Ben Lee referenced The Sleepy Jackson in his hit song "
Catch My Disease".
2006–2007: Personality – One Was a Spider, One Was a Bird The Sleepy Jackson released their second studio album
Personality – One Was a Spider, One Was a Bird in Australia on 1 July 2006, where it debuted at number 10 on the
Australian Albums Chart the following week. Later that July, the album was nominated for a
J Awards. The band supported the new album's worldwide release with a series of live appearances in select markets. Joining Steele and Clark were Dave Symes and
Felix Bloxsom, who both worked on the album, and Lee Jones who was formerly in the Perth band
Spencer Tracy. Bloxsom has since been replaced by Luke's brother Jake and Luke's wife Jodi, a.k.a. "Snappy Dolphin," which also brought a change from organic percussion instruments to computer samples backing the band. In 2007, The Sleepy Jackson performed at the 2007
Big Day Out, the
Southbound festival, the
Falls Festival and the St. Jerome's Laneway festivals in
Melbourne, Sydney, and
Brisbane. Also in 2007, Steele provided slide guitar to the song "Waiting All Day" by
Silverchair on their fifth album
Young Modern. Steele also appeared on the
Pnau single "With You Forever," leading
Nick Littlemore to state on Pnau's website that "working with Luke Steele... was amazing, that inspired [me] to work on a separate project with him all together. It's another album we're doing." The Sleepy Jackson contributed to
Yoko Ono's album ''Yes, I'm a Witch'', in 2007 with a remix of the song "I'm Moving On".
2008 onwards Following the completion of touring for the second album, the band fell into a permanent state of inactivity and their website fell into dormancy. In late May 2013, as part of an interview for the second Empire of the Sun album
Ice on the Dune, Steele revealed that a third Sleepy Jackson album was heard by the band's record label but a lack of subsequent interest meant that it was never released. Steele stated that he intended to release the third album prior to 2023, and that a release date during 2013 was highly unlikely. This, however, never eventuated. ==Side projects==