The Rumjacks are a punk-folk band originally formed in Sydney, Australia in 2008. Known for their loud and energetic live shows, the band has released five studio albums, two live albums, and a series of EPs and singles. In 2016, the Rumjacks relocated to various parts of

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

, where they currently live and tour. One of the band's best-known songs, "An Irish Pub Song", became a viral hit and has earned over 80 million views on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

History

Formed in 2008, the Rumjacks combine a variety of musical influences, including elements of punk rock and traditional

Celtic folk Celtic music is a broad grouping of music genres that evolved out of the folk music traditions of the Celtic people of Northwestern Europe. It refers to both orally-transmitted traditional music and recorded music and the styles vary considerab ...

. They released their debut EP ''Hung, Drawn & Portered'', which was followed by their second EP ''Sound as a Pound'' later that year. The Rumjacks secured international support from

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

legends like U.K Subs, GBH, and Gypsy punk legends

Gogol Bordello Gogol Bordello is an American punk rock band from the Lower East Side of Manhattan, formed in 1999 by musicians from all over the world and known for theatrical stage shows and persistent touring. Much of the band's sound is inspired by Ro ...

. After early lineup changes, the band maintained their lineup of lead singer Frankie McLaughlin, bassist Johnny McKelvey, drummer Anthony Matters, guitarist Gabriel Whitbourne and banjo/mandolin/bouzouki player Adam Kenny, recording three critically acclaimed albums together: ''Gangs of New Holland'' (2010), ''Sober and Godless'' (2015), and ''Sleeping Rough'' (2016), before Matters' departure after their 2016 European tour. The Rumjacks have also performed on European tours. The first European tour, in 2015, included the

Jarocin Festival Jarocin Festival was one of the biggest and most important rock music festivals in 1980s Europe, by far the biggest festival of alternative music in the Warsaw Pact countries. Founded in 1980, the festival was based on the earlier ''Wielkopolskie ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

and

Boomtown A boomtown is a community that undergoes sudden and rapid population and economic growth, or that is started from scratch. The growth is normally attributed to the nearby discovery of a precious resource such as gold, silver, or oil, although ...

in the UK, and was followed by their 2016 Euro tour, where they performed at festivals like Woodstock Poland, Mighty Sounds, Punk Rock Holiday, and the

Lowlands Festival A Campingflight to Lowlands Paradise (commonly called Lowlands or Lowlands Festival), is an annual three-day music and performing arts festival, held in the Netherlands. The festival is held east of Amsterdam in Biddinghuizen, at Spijk en Brem ...

. The Rumjacks embarked on their first US tour in March 2017, which included performances at

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...

's Get Shamrocked Festival Launch Party and Austin's South by Southwest Music Festival. The band later toured across Europe in 2019. Rivkees began filling in for Dropkick Murphys singer

Al Barr Alexander Barr (born January 21, 1968) is an American musician. He has been the lead singer of the Dropkick Murphys since 1998. He was also a founder and lead singer for The Bruisers, which he helped form in 1988 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Hi ...

in February 2022. Barr was forced to drop off of his band's tour to take care of his ailing mother.

"An Irish Pub Song"

An international breakthrough for the band came with their 2011 single, "An Irish Pub Song", which was taken from the 2010 album ''Gangs of New Holland''. The song is an observational commentary on the fact that there are Irish-styled pubs in every part of the world, and a protest against what the band saw as a commercialization and inauthentic expression of Irish diaspora culture. The song's official music video amassed over 77 million views on

. In 2016 Billboard published an article stating the song was #4 of the 25 "Most Popular St Patricks Day" songs on

for the US demographic, before becoming #5 in 2017, #3 in 2018, and #5 in 2019.

''Saints Preserve Us''

In early 2018 the band recorded their fourth studio album ''Saints Preserve Us'' over two weeks in

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

, Italy at Crono Sound Factory. It was the first album to feature new drummer Pietro Della Sala. Paul McKenzie from the Real McKenzies was featured on the duet "The Foreman O’Rourke", and Mickey Rickshaw appeared on the song "Billy McKinley". The album includes a version of the Irish classic (The Mad Puck Goat), which is sung in Irish. The album was released on 12 October 2018. At the end of 2018, the band toured Southeast Asia for the first time and went to Japan, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

Collaborations

* The Rumjacks featured on the song "Shandon Bells", from The Moorings' 2014 EP ''Nicky's Detox''. * The band also featured on the Rumpled's "The Ugly Side", from the 2018 album ''Ashes & Wishes''. * In 2019 the Rumjacks recorded their version of "Christmas in Killarney" for ''Punk Rock Christmas, Volume 2'' released by USA label Cleopatra Records. * McLaughlin featured on the song "True Story", from The Clan's 2016 album ''All In The Name Of Folk'', and also on Maleducazione Alcolica's song "Hometown", from the band's 2019 album ''Chiacchiere da bar''.

Legal issues

McLaughlin was sentenced for three domestic violence offences in 2012: an assault occasioning actual bodily harm committed on 2 March 2010; a further assault occasioning actual bodily harm committed on 18 August 2010; and a common assault committed on 26 September 2010, which the band addressed publicly through their Facebook page at the time. Due to public backlash, the Rumjacks released another statement in 2016. He was removed from the band in April 2020 due to bad behaviour and violent acts towards band members and support crew.

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

Live albums

Singles

*''Crosses for Eyes'' (2012) *''Blows & Unkind Words'' (2014) *''Plenty'' (2014) *''Home'' (2015) *''A Fistful O’ Roses'' (2016) *''Fact’ry Jack'' (2016) *''One For The Road'' (2021) *''Bloodsoaked in Chorus'' (2021) *''Bounding Main'' (2022) *''Kicking Soles'' (2022)

Music videos

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rumjacks Australian punk rock groups Celtic punk groups Irish-Australian culture Musical groups from Sydney Musical groups established in 2008