Uploaded February 2026 | Updated September 2026, 35 minutes ago
After years fronting Melbourne rock outfit The Mercy Kills, guitarist and singer Mark Entwistle is entering a new chapter with his latest band, Dose. Formed in mid-2025, the group has come together quickly but organically, driven by long-standing musical chemistry rather than any sense of reinvention.
Dose began when Entwistle finally found the time to collaborate with Max Shepherd from Dead Amigos, a connection that had been brewing for years. The pair had met some time ago and always talked about working together, but busy schedules meant the idea stayed on the back burner. At the start of this year, that changed. With space to focus and a shared creative instinct, they began writing and rehearsing, discovering an easy musical connection that immediately felt right.
The band is completed by bassist Jake Shembri, who plays double bass and also performs with Dracorex, and drummer Jarrod Medwin, a well-known figure on the Melbourne circuit with a reputation as a versatile and powerful player. In the band's early days, Dose found themselves rotating between drummers including Alejandro Adams and Spider from Electric Mary, while juggling recording sessions and live commitments, a situation Entwistle jokingly describes as “very Spinal Tap.” Despite the logistical chaos, the lineup locked in quickly and the sound solidified.
Australian Musician editor Greg Phillips caught up with Dose’s Mark Entwistle for a chat to find out more about this great new Melbourne-based rock band.
#australianmusician #dosedirtrock
After years fronting Melbourne rock outfit The Mercy Kills, guitarist and singer Mark Entwistle is entering a new chapter with his latest band, Dose. Formed in mid-2025, the group has come together quickly but organically, driven by long-standing musical chemistry rather than any sense of reinvention.
Dose began when Entwistle finally found the time to collaborate with Max Shepherd from Dead Amigos, a connection that had been brewing for years. The pair had met some time ago and always talked about working together, but busy schedules meant the idea stayed on the back burner. At the start of this year, that changed. With space to focus and a shared creative instinct, they began writing and rehearsing, discovering an easy musical connection that immediately felt right.
The band is completed by bassist Jake Shembri, who plays double bass and also performs with Dracorex, and drummer Jarrod Medwin, a well-known figure on the Melbourne circuit with a reputation as a versatile and powerful player. In the band's early days, Dose found themselves rotating between drummers including Alejandro Adams and Spider from Electric Mary, while juggling recording sessions and live commitments, a situation Entwistle jokingly describes as “very Spinal Tap.” Despite the logistical chaos, the lineup locked in quickly and the sound solidified.
Australian Musician editor Greg Phillips caught up with Dose’s Mark Entwistle for a chat to find out more about this great new Melbourne-based rock band.
#australianmusician #dosedirtrock
