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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Mika - Alto Sax
Since the age of 9, Mika has been passionate for tooting the saxophone. Despite being classically trained, she stepped into the jazz world at the Queensland Conservatorium performing as lead alto in 3 big bands. Since graduating, she has performed at QPAC with The Sunshine Club, at the Melbourne Saxophone Festival. Mika recently performed on the Woodford lineup with Rosa Mack and Pink Martini Caberet. She has inspired many little ones as part of a classical saxophone quartet which toured regionally across 15 schools. Mika, or Mikachu as she prefers, finds her way to toot with more than just saxophone. Oh you thought it ended there… She even doubles on flute, clarinet and headbangs it out on bass guitar. Hobbies include: Climbing big rocks (real or fake) and writing poetry.
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