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For two years The Quills had been a perfect idea waiting to be brought to life.

It started when guitarist and singer/songwriter Dave Butler was introduced to drummer John Pickering. At the time Dave was studying law and writing songs in his bedroom. John hadn't touched his sticks for two years and was at the end of a psychology degree. Five minutes into their first jam they decided that they were starting a band and everything else could wait.

Bringing ideas into reality is often harder than expected, and this was the case when searching for the remaining band mates. It took twelve months to find Andrew Stone ..s, and twice that time for bassist Fergus Scott.

"When John and I started the band, we did it because we were inspired,” says Dave, “not because we went looking. When Andrew came along in 2007 we knew straightaway that he was the right guy and then when Fergus appeared earlier this year it felt like all the pieces we had floating around in our heads had fallen into place."

Their music is modern pop filled with longing, adventure and contemplation. At times gigantic, sometimes vulnerable, always melodic, The Quills create songs bursting with shimmering choruses and catchy instrumental lines, devoid of heavy guitars and straight rock beats. Rich, sincere vocals and lyrics complement a unique and varied instrumental track which soars with emotional content all of its own.

It is this sound which has already seen the band support exciting Australian acts such as Sparkadia and Operator Please, as well as playing headline shows of their own to audiences of 300+. But it was their appearance at the Woodford Folk Festival which showed the band that their music had widespread appeal.

"After our third show at Woodford," recalls Dave, "we were making our way to our official merch signing. We were almost embarrassed because we didn't expect anyone to come. As we approached the tent we walked past a lot of people lining up. The line stretched around the corner and out of sight and we wondered who the band was before us because they had a huge turnout. It turned out the lineup was actually for us! We were told later that it was one of the biggest signings of the festival and they even had to extend our time slot. It was at that point when we realised our music had the ability to reach a lot of people."

Not only had their music connected with a lot of people, it had connected with a broad range of people, due to the eclectic attendance of the Festival. This is not surprising, as The Quills' music, while modern and exciting, is built around solid foundations of quality songwriting and musicianship. Each of the band members grew up with their instruments: Dave and John have been playing since they could walk, while Andrew and Fergus had similar early starts and both studied jazz at uni. The band's sound is as much a product of the four individuals as it is their combination.

Restraint is something they achieve remarkably well. Their recorded material is concise and consumable. It is their live show, however, where they really come into their own. Call and response improvisation between Dave and Andrew has been described as some of the most exhilarating moments of The Quills live in concert, but they are never indulgent and ensure that their intelligent pop songs are always the main attraction.

Their first studio release in 2007 was an independently driven EP entitled "Some New Place". Recorded over six months at a number of different studios in Brisbane and with a couple of different engineers, there was a line-up change in the middle of recording and three separate trips to Sydney to have the tracks mastered. "So it wasn't exactly the most cohesive project," remarks Dave. "But we tried to make the most out of some awkward circumstances." When the band released the self-produced record independently in December 2007, it debuted at no. 1 on Brisbane’s 4ZzZfm top 20. They played a launch show to a 300-strong crowd and quickly sold out their first run of CDs through sales at shows and their website alone.

Since then they have grown exponentially as songwriters, musicians and performers. Their maturation is mainly due to the confidence that comes with knowing that after a long search, they have finally found the right people to make music with, as well as some help from seasoned industry veterans.

It is with a sense of starting anew that The Quills are approaching the final months of 2008. They are just about to embark on the first leg of their 'A Thought In Your Head' tour with shows across their native Queensland, preceding a leg down the entire east coast of Australia. Their future plans include a debut album in the New Year, further Australian touring and a trip to the UK summer of 2009.