Thunderbirds Are Coming Out

"Thunderbirds Are Coming Out" is a single by TISM. It featured memorable video clip of 30 bands (plus TISM) all playing the song. The bands are shown one at a time by use of a dolly shot and ends just as TISM are on screen.
Song
The music is based around a sample of a library track titled Power Drive, which was also used for the theme from 1970s Australian police procedural drama Division 4.
Lyrically, the song deals with a troubled teenager who rebels against his (or her) parents and "sit for hours all alone, without an opinion to call my own". Eventually the teenager sees The Thunderbirds on television and is impressed. The teen is inspired by their appearance, stating "there's less to them than meets the eye" and from there joins various social cliques and adheres to norms of teenage life - in a sense giving up individuality, but yet transcending to the next level of teenage life.
Video
The video for Thunderbirds are Coming Out was directed by Craig Melville and contained 30 Australian bands - 31 including TISM - performing live, including Klinger, Mach Pelican, Blood Duster and 28 Days. A single, unedited camera tracking shot showed each band performing the song until the very end of the song when TISM appear masked. At this point, the song ends and TISM do not get to play any of the song. The video was shot on 11 October 1998 and a total of six takes were shot.
When New Waver are in shot, TISM bassist Jock Cheese dances unmasked with them, hiding the top half of his costume with a brown coat, though he is given away by his trousers.
Bands in the clip
The following is all the bands which appear in the video.
*Snubrocket
*The Sex Bombs
*Piffen Yonnies
*Dynamo & the Hornosexuals
*Fee Foe Fum
*Blood Duster
*Acetylene
*Funk X-Plosion
*Big Marble E-Fect
*Westgarth
*Busy Fingers
*GIT
*Cyclone Tracy
*Libido in a Bottle
*The Shine
*28 Days
*Ringwood Secondary College Choir & Orchestra
*Webster
*Where's Bec?
*Fatty Cramps
*Klinger
*Hyperno Way
*New Waver
*Ruby Doomsday
*Zoot Ax
*Tiltmeter
*20 Minutes
*Phone Sex Radio
*Guanomite
*Mach Pelican
*TISM
Trivia
* According to director Craig Melville, Blair McDonough of Neighbours and Big Brother Australia fame appears in the video as a member of one of the bands. He is the very first person seen in the video.
* The remix appearing on the CD single of this song was used as the theme song to BackBerner.
* By TISM's own account, this song caused them to disappear from the Australian 'youth radio' station Triple J; specifically due to their sly reference to youth radio itself.
* Every band in the clip is credited in the style of captioning used by ABC TV music video program rage, with the actual rage caption appearing as TISM, themselves appear on screen.
Track listing
# "Thunderbirds Are Coming Out (5! 4! 3! 2! 1! Mix)"
# "Untz (Original Version)"
# "I Go Off"
The music for track three was used as the backing track for "Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz... Untz...", a B-side to the Whatareya single, but the original backing vocals were left in the song.

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See Also

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