Silverchair's Ben Gillies Introduces New Band Alongside Support Act Charity Auction

The self-titled debut from The Kiln – comprising Ben Gillies and Joseph Prielozny – arrives next year, but a charitable fan will have the chance to hear it long before then.

Ben Gillies Profile

Ben Gillies, the co-founding drummer of iconic Newcastle rockers Silverchair, has launched a new band, giving fans a charitable way to nab the first listen of their debut album.

Announced over the weekend, Gillies and his bandmate – producer and multi-instrumentalist Joseph Prielozny – revealed they make up the new musical project called The Kiln.

According to their website, they offer up "songs about staying when every instinct says run," with their collaboration built upon a shared love of "songwriting, experimentation and honest storytelling".

The self-titled debut is currently scheduled to arrive in 2027, with the songs exploring "the tension between holding on and letting go".

However, fans who aren't that eager to wait until the changing of the calendar might not need to wait that long.

On Saturday, Gillies took to social media to announce that, despite it being his 47th birthday, he was giving a present back to the fans.

With the pair's new record limited to 250 copies on vinyl, four test pressings of the album were made. Test pressings, by their very nature, are limited to a small number, being created to check the quality of the sound on the final product before its release.

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Two of the test pressings will be staying in the possession of Gillies and Prielozny, while another has been signed and put up for auction, with half of the proceeds going towards Support Act.

"This test pressing is incredibly special to us, 'cause it's one of four, and one of you will get to hear it before it's released to the public," Prielozny explains.

"We're auctioning this signed copy, and half of whatever it sells for goes to Support Act," Gillies added.

Bidding for the record opened over the weekend, and will close at 12pm AEDT on Saturday, October 31st.

While the winning bidder will get the chance to hear the new record early next month, the rest of the world will have to wait until 2027 to hear The Kiln's debut.

Head along to AirAuctioneer to bid on the test press, and keep up to date with The Kiln on their website and socials.