Meet The Band!
This band is about as much fun as you can have with your clothes on. We are honestly having as much fun as it looks like on stage! The band is built on friendship, a love of this music, and most of all ... having the best night we possibly can with our fantastic loyal following! As a wise man once said:
Enjoy yourself. It's later than you think!
Mick - Frontman/Singer/Guitar
Mick founded the band in 2013. He has a deep love of ska and reggae music born from a multi-cultural upbringing in London, and listening to The Specials, The Beat, Toots and the Maytals in the 70s and 80s. As well as being a Hilton-trained chef and a professional property auctioneer, Mick tours internationally with acclaimed Irish band Sásta, and is also the front man of 90s Britpop band Cool Britannia. He gets wicked heartburn after drinking booze.
Steve the Bass
Born in Sydney, Steve is a love child of the 60's who lived in Malaysia during the Vietnam War.
Once back on Aussie soil he unexpectedly found himself in the school choir which won the Eisteddfod at Brisbane City Hall in 1972 (yes, that old)
Self taught guitarist and bassist he has recorded two albums of his original songs and contributed to other recording artists as a musician and writer.
Originally blues and jazz-rock oriented, he has now been fully converted to Ska.
After several degrees in education and teaching for 30 years he has transitioned into writing, having published three children's books and a memoir.
Surfing is Steve's religion and he is never far from the beach. Cooks a mean curry and claims to have a Scorpio ascendant.
Tony
Tony on lead guitar is a natural musician with a great ear and can play just about anything he puts his mind to. Having played with rock and jazz bands in Brisbane and the Sunny Coast for over forty years he has now been the Rudies guitar soloist for years. Consevatorium (Music University) trained and a heck of a nice guy, he is probably the least rude of the Rude Boys....loves a good joke. You may mistake him for Doc from 'Back to the Future'.
Annie J - Saxophone
Multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, songwriter and all-round rude girl powerhouse - Annie J's got it all.
She's Sydney Conservatorium trained musical royalty who, by the age of 20, was working as a professional musician, had written over 50 songs and toured internationally.
Fun fact: in her first TV performance, she performed to John Paul Young who referred to her as 'Wilbur Wilde in a dress'. She's performed at the Sydney Opera House, Brisbane ANZ stadium, Darling Harbour and the Sydney Olympics. Give it up for Annie J – expert espresso martini drinker and the rude boy all the other rude boys are a little bit afraid of.
Govi G - Drums
Govi is a Moroccan-born punk drummer living in the Goldy. Not many of those about! The first real band he was in was Diversion at the Lismore Conservatorium of Music with Steve Cotterell (Rude Boys trumpet player), followed by metal band Noosphere. After playing in cover bands in Sydney, Govi moved back to the Gold Coast, got into roots reggae and blues music and started playing with Marshall and the Fro and Bo Jenkins before putting together a ska punk reggae band called Roots Above Ground. Following a stint playing in gypsy folk punk band Rogue Scholars, Govi has played with The Funaddicts, Roddy Byers from The Specials, Roddy Radiation and the Skabilly Rebels, UK ska artist Arthur Kay and the Clerks and UK act King Hammond and the Rude Boy Mafia.
P.s. Govi brings a GoPro camera to record most gigs from behind the drum kit. Occasionally, one of us remembers to turn it on.
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Steve the Trumpet - Trumpet/Band bad boy
Steve played and toured Germany with Iconic Brisbane punk outfit Blowhard, then spent several years with Qld ska band The Funaddicts. Steve is best known for being in the touring band for Bad Manners and Roddy Radiation from The Specials.
Steve has been around. Seriously. He has shared the stage with bands, such as Nofx, Area 7, Living End, Stiff Little Fingers, Melbourne Ska Orchestra, Voodoo Glow Sculls, Conflict, The Damned, Fishbone, Dub War, Moby and many more he can't remember. He's been blowing spit out of that feckin trumpet since the early 80s.
This handsome electrician specialises in martial arts, cold beer and jazz cigarettes. He's REALLY good at two of those...guess which.
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Wayne
Wayne the Trombone originally hails from NZ but has played with a long list of ska & punk bands including The Resignators in Melbourne, Blowhard, The FunAddicts and Bad Manners having also toured for many years in the UK and Europe. His on-stage antics are legendary amongst the Rude Boys gigs and he also has his own sideline cabaret show with a twist? One of the great bone players in the Australian Ska scene he may occasionally be seen sporting a coloured mohawk hanging off a rafter, as a throw back to his hectic punk days!
Sam - Trumpet
Since being introduced to trumpet at the age of 10, Sam grew up playing in any and every brass band, concert band and stage band he could possibly be part of. Since finishing his studies at JMI (Jazz Music Institute), he has found himself bringing his high energy (and high notes) to the stage with the Sunny Coast Rude Boys. Between that and playing with The Porkers and Tijuana Cartel, he also enjoys cosy nights in and long walks on the beach.
Sam is funny AF. Sam is the after party entertainment. Sometimes he has blue hair, and he is very, very tall.
Phil
Big Phil is an extraordinary musician who also plays with The Allniters, The Porkers, has played in the touring band for Neville Staples band (of The Specials), Bad Manners (UK), Mighty Mighty Bosstones (USA) and now, Sunny Coast Rude Boys. Phil has toured the world as a much sought-after sax player and recently supported Ska legend Stranger Cole on his Queensland leg of the Australian tour. Phil has a unique sound to his playing and can riff it with musicians of any genre but we are proud to have him as one of the Rudies.
Angus - Keys/Drums/Tech Whizz/Fancy Pants
Angus has been playing drums and keys in Brisbane indie bands since the 80s. He first discovered ska and reggae from a mate’s older brother’s two-tone record collection in his early teens. He got hooked and sneaked in underage to any ska gig in town, with The Strange Tenants and Furious Turtles being his first ever live gig. Arguably the most serious band member of the Rude Boys, Angus does all the tech stuff behind the scenes. In his spare time, he enjoys listening to Trojan ska and reggae much to the annoyance of his family. At work he is a big cheese in some 'green energy engineering' thing I can't spell. You'd never pick him for a super brain, would ya? He also brings a touch of class to the band, as he only drinks posh craft gins and beers. Fancy pants.
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Backstage at The Triffid, Brisbane.