The Preatures are an Australian indie rock band from Sydney, New South Wales. They formed in 2010 and disbanded in 2021, following the launch of lead vocalist and keyboardist Isabella "Izzi" Manfredi's solo career. The group reunited in December 2024 for a one-off concert to commemorate their tenth anniversary, with a reissue of their 2014 debut album, Blue Planet Eyes. They have continued to tour around Australia in 2025. The band consists of Manfredi, guitarist and vocalist Jack Moffitt, bassist Thomas Champion, and drummer Luke Davison. Vocalist and guitarist Gideon Bensen was a member of the band until 2016. In 2013, the Preatures won the Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition with their song "Is This How You Feel?".
History Thomas Champion and Jack Moffitt were school friends at Newington College, Sydney, and they met Isabella Manfredi at the Australian Institute of Music in 2008. They formed as a trio first, before meeting vocalist and guitarist Gideon Bensen at the Lansdowne Hotel and asking him to write songs for them. In 2010, they met and added Luke Davison, calling themselves the Preachers.
In 2012, they changed the spelling of their name to the Preatures to avoid legal complications with other bands using similar names. They signed with Mercury Records for a five-album contract and recorded their debut EP, Shaking Hands, in Los Angeles. The EP featured the single "Take a Card", written by Manfredi, with Bensen on lead vocals. It was uploaded to Triple J Unearthed.
In 2013, they released their second extended play, Is This How You Feel?, which was preceded by two singles, "Is This How You Feel?" and "Manic Baby". "Is This How You Feel?" had considerable success, winning the $50,000 Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition, receiving a nomination for an ARIA Award for Best Pop Release, and being voted ninth in Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2013.
The band's debut studio album, Blue Planet Eyes, was released on 30 September 2014, peaking at No. 4 on the ARIA Albums Chart. At the 2015 ARIA Awards, the group were nominated in three categories.ARIA Music Awards for the Preatures: Search Results 'The Preatures': 2013 winners and nominees: 2014 winners and nominees: 2015 winners:
Bensen left the band on good terms in March 2016. Their second studio album, Girlhood, was released on 11 August 2017 by Island Records. It was nominated for an ARIA Award for Best Rock Album. The single "Yanada" was co-written with Darug musician Jacinta Tobin. Along with the release of the single, the Preatures launched a campaign to help the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies raise money to maintain the documentation of Indigenous languages.
Following a prolonged period of inactivity, Manfredi confirmed the band's breakup in May 2021. The end of her ten-year romantic relationship with Moffitt, along with a record contract they were unhappy with, were the main reasons for the split. Manfredi pursued a solo career, while Davison began playing drums for Australian artists Delta Goodrem and Dean Lewis. Moffitt pursued a career in production as well as playing guitar with Tyne-James Organ. Manfredi spoke at some length about the breakup of the band and her personal relationships with Rolling Stone Australia in 2021.
On 10 December 2024, the band reunited for a one-off performance at Sydney's Lansdowne Hotel, the first venue they had ever played, to commemorate their tenth anniversary, and reissued Blue Planet Eyes on vinyl to celebrate the occasion. Jem Cassar-Daley opened for the band. They have continued to tour into 2025, in commemoration of their debut album, starting on 5 June and finishing on 16 August 2025.
Discography Studio albums Title Album details Peak chart positions Certifications AUSPeaks in Australia: All except noted: Blue Planet Eyes... Live!: Blue Planet Eyes Released: 30 September 2014 Label: Mosy, Mercury Records (4701511) Formats: CD, LP, digital download, streaming 4 ARIA: Gold Girlhood Released: 11 August 2017 Label: Universal Music Australia (5775087) Formats: CD, LP, digital download, streaming 13
Live albums Title Album details Peak chart positions AUS Blue Planet Eyes... Live! Released: 12 December 2025 Label: Impressed Recordings (IMP213B) Formats: 2×LP 84
EPs Title EP details Shaking Hands Released: 12 October 2012 Label: Mosy, Mercury Records (3717118) Formats: CD, digital download Is This How You Feel? Released: 9 August 2013 Label: Mosy, Mercury Records (3747799) Formats: CD, digital download
Singles Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album AUS "Take a Card" 2012 — Shaking Hands "Young Brave Me" — "Is This How You Feel?" 2013 46 ARIA: Platinum Is This How You Feel? "Manic Baby" — "Better Than It Ever Could Be" 2014 — "Two Tone Melody" — Blue Planet Eyes "Somebody's Talking" 79 "Cruel" 2015 — "I Know a Girl" 2016 — "Girlhood" 2017 — Girlhood "Yanada" — "Magick" 2018 —
Awards and nominations APRA Awards The APRA Awards are presented annually from 1982 by the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA), "honouring composers and songwriters". They commenced in 1982.
! |- | 2014 || "Is This How You Feel" (Thomas Champion, Luke Davison, Isabella Manfredi, Jack Mofitt)|| Song of the Year || || |- | rowspan="2"| 2015 | "Somebody's Talking" (Gideon Bensen, Thomas Champion, Luke Davison, Isabella Manfredi, Jack Mofitt) | Song of the Year
| The Preatures (Gideon Bensen, Thomas Champion, Luke Davison, Isabella Manfredi, Jack Mofitt) | Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year
ARIA Music Awards The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music.
! |- | 2013 | Is This How You Feel? | Best Pop Release
| 2014 | Two Tone Medley Tour | Best Australian Live Act
| rowspan="3"| 2015 | rowspan="2"| Blue Planet Eyes | Best Group | | rowspan="3"| |- | Best Rock Album
| The Cruel Tour | Best Australian Live Act
| 2017 | Girlhood | Best Rock Album
J Awards The J Awards are an annual series of Australian music awards that were established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio station Triple J. They commenced in 2005.
! |- ! scope="row| 2014 | Blue Planet Eyes | Australian Album of the Year
National Live Music Awards The National Live Music Awards (NLMAs) are a broad recognition of Australia's diverse live industry, celebrating the success of the Australian live scene. The awards commenced in 2016.
! |- ! scope="row"| 2018 | The Preatures | Live Pop Act of the Year
Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition The Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition is an annual competition that "acknowledges great songwriting whilst supporting and raising money for Nordoff-Robbins"; it is coordinated by Albert Music and APRA AMCOS. It commenced in 2009.
! |- ! scope="row"| 2013 | Isabella Manfredi for "Is This How You Feel?" | Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition | style="background:gold;"| 1st
References
External links (archived at the Wayback Machine)