SUNNY COAST RUDE BOYS: STILL RUDE, STILL DANCING, STILL WONDERING WHERE THE RUM WENT
- Mick Hughes
- 15 hours ago
- 3 min read
Alright. First things first.
A massive, sweaty, skanking THANK YOU to everyone who’s come out, leaned in, danced hard, shouted louder than the brass section and generally shown us love as we keep firing out more original surfy NEW TONE.
That’s right — not Two Tone… New Tone. Same bounce, more sunscreen.
Brisbane. Sydney. Melbourne. Gold Coast. Sunshine Coast. You lot have turned up in force, backed us, streamed us, shouted our choruses back at us and danced like it’s 1981 and tomorrow’s someone else’s problem. Respect. Proper respect.
This year’s been big.We headlined The Triffid in Brisbane (yes, that Triffid) with the legends Fat Picnic bringing the heat. We had the absolute pleasure of supporting Painters & Dockers, which felt like being invited to sit at the grown-ups table and not spill your drink. Nearly.
Then… the UK.Yep. We took the rude on tour, played shows, survived British weather, and somehow blagged our way into meeting Neville Staples from The Specials. Actual ska royalty. Lovely bloke. Zero security. Just vibes and history.
We also hit SKAGATE Festival alongside our mates Death of Guitar Pop, proving once again that ska friendships are forged somewhere between soundchecks, warm beer and deep conversations about snare drums. CHECK IT OUT HERE
Now — the team.Because bands don’t run on vibes alone (sadly).
Bailey – social media wizard, algorithm whisperer, keeper of the content.
Kim Grimley – photographer extraordinaire, touring with us through the UK and all over Oz, capturing us at our best… and occasionally just before it all went wrong.
Joel Tomkins – sound tech, tone tamer, fixer of things that “were working five minutes ago”.
Angus Woodhead & Terry – Six String Studios & Glass House Studios legends for the recording days. Calm, patient, saints.
Paulie Bromley (Yama-Nui Studio) – producer, guru, game-changer. Has made a massive difference to how we sound and how we think. Namaste, Rude Boy x
Nicky Bomba (Melbourne Ska Orchestra) – advice, guidance, songwriting wisdom. Basically ska Yoda, but louder.
Silky from Death of Guitar Pop (Essex UK) – chats, mentoring, wisdom, and the occasional “that's blindin' geezer!"
Dicko (yes, that Dicko – I’m A Celebrity, actual human legend) – for the encouragement, belief, industry wisdom and proving that even jungle survivors have time for ska bands.
Asher Chapman, Jay Thomas & Hayden Andrews – co-writers on the new tunes for 2025/26. Absolute weapons. love yer work. Thank you!
Song-wise? Our single RUDEBOY TAKEOVER cruised past 200,000 streams on Spotify (cheers for that), and the new track BIG NIGHT OUT is climbing even faster. Honestly, we’re watching the numbers go up like proud parents pretending we understand analytics.
I also wrote “Moonlight” for my missus. (with a lil help from Asher!)
Yes.
Romantic.Yes.
Still got points for that.Yes.
I’ll be dining out on that forever.
The shows lately? Unreal. Crowds going off. Skanking, sweating, smiling — like the rent’s due but the band’s too loud to worry about it. And the best bit? We’ve picked up a younger crowd joining our old-skool Two Tone crew. Same dancefloor, different birth certificates. We absolutely love that.
We wrapped the year up locally at The Imperial Hotel, Eumundi — sold out — then followed it with a blurry-eyed band BBQ at the beach the next day. Jamaican Rum Punch (thanks George), espresso martinis (because it’s an SCRBoys tradition and also a cry for help), and enough caffeine to legally qualify as machinery.
Looking ahead…We’ve got heaps of new music in the bank for 2026, we’re aiming bigger, better, louder, tighter, and slightly more organised (no promises).
That’s going to be massive.Get yer tickets. Bring yer mates. Wear comfy shoes.
From the bottom of our skanking hearts — thank you for being part of this ride. Same rude boys. Bigger nights. New Tone. ps. We have SUNNY COAST RUDE BOYS PANTS now. Yes, Pants. LOOK!
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