The Bamboos are an Australian

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

and

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

band from

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

Biography

2000–2005: Formation and early releases

The Bamboos were formed in 2000 in

Melbourne, Australia Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metropol ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

-born producer/guitarist/songwriter, Lance Ferguson. The initial line-up consisted of Ferguson, Ben Grayson on Hammond organ, Stuart Speed on bass and Scott Lambie on drums. The band's first live performances were at The Night Cat in

Fitzroy, Victoria Fitzroy is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Yarra local government area. Fitzroy recorded a population of 10,431 at the 2021 census. Pl ...

, where over an evening they would play three sets of instrumental material drawn from artists such as The Meters,

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honor ...

Grant Green Grant Green (June 6, 1935 – January 31, 1979) was an American jazz guitarist and composer. Recording prolifically for Blue Note Records as both leader and sideman, Green performed in the hard bop, soul jazz, bebop, and Latin-tinged idioms ...

, Ivan 'Boogaloo Joe' Jones and

Reuben Wilson Reuben Wilson (born April 9, 1935) is a jazz organist. He performs soul jazz and acid jazz, and is best known for his title track "Got to Get Your Own". He was born in Mounds, Oklahoma and his family moved to Pasadena when he was 5. He played in ...

. In 2001 The Bamboos released their debut 7" single containing the original songs "Eel Oil" and "Blackfoot", earning them international acclaim from UK

Deep Funk Deep funk is a subgenre of funk music which features a "hard, lean" sound and emphasis on groove, improvisation, and musicianship over traditional songwriting. The term is also used to describe rare funk recordings sought out by collectors and D ...

DJs

Keb Darge Keb Darge (born 1957dirty interviews archives ...

Snowboy Snowboy (a.k.a. Mark Cotgrove) is an English percussionist, bandleader, DJ and journalist.Mr Scruff Andrew Carthy (born 10 February 1972), better known by his stage name Mr. Scruff, is an English record producer and DJ. He lives in Stretford, Greater Manchester and studied fine art at the Psalter Lane campus of Sheffield Hallam University. ...

Patrick Forge Patrick Forge (born Ipswich, Suffolk) is a British jazz, jazz-dance and soul music DJ who spent much of the late 1980s and early 1990s DJing alongside Gilles Peterson at the famous Dingwalls club in Camden, North London. In the 1980s, Patrick wo ...

and Russ Dewbury. The Bamboos second release was a remix for a side project of UK artist, Quantic called "The Limp Twins". It was released as a 7" B-side on the Brighton-based UK label

Tru Thoughts Tru Thoughts is a British independent record label founded in Brighton in 1999 by Robert Luis and Paul Jonas. Since the acclaimed first album release of Bonobo's debut ''Animal Magic'', the label has put out over 200 LPs, across genres from e ...

in 2003. By this point, Scott Lambie and Stuart Speed had left the band to be replaced by drummer Jamie Jones and current bassist Yuri Pavlinov. A horn section consisting of Ross Irwin (

The Cat Empire The Cat Empire are an Australian jazz/funk band, formed in Melbourne, Victoria, in 1999. For most of the band's duration, the core members were Felix Riebl (lead vocals, percussion), Harry James Angus (trumpet, vocals), Will Hull-Brown (drums), ...

) on Trumpet and Bruce Sandell on Tenor Sax & Flute expanded the line up to a six-piece. In 2004, the Bamboos released the single, "Tighten Up"/"Voodoo Doll". Both Jamie Jones and Bruce Sandell left the band in 2004 to be replaced by Daniel Farrugia and Tenor Saxophonist Anton Delecca. In November 2004 the band toured Australia and New Zealand with U.K artists Quantic and Alice Russell, performing as a substitute backing band for Will Holland's regular

The Quantic Soul Orchestra William Holland (born 1980) is an English musician, DJ and record producer. He is based in New York City, after spending seven years in Colombia. Holland records under various pseudonyms, including Quantic, the Quantic Soul Orchestra, The L ...

line up. A chance meeting between Lance Ferguson and label A&R Rob Luis in a Brighton club (where Ferguson was able to hand Luis a demo of new material) led to The Bamboos being signed to his

label full-time in 2005. In late 2005 the band embarked on a second tour of Aus/NZ with (now label mates) The Quantic Soul Orchestra, Alice Russell. Russell would record two vocal tunes during this time for the bands upcoming full-length debut album.

2006–2009: ''Step It Up'', ''Rawville'' and ''Side-Stepper''

Kylie Auldist performing with Bamboos at Manning Bar, Sydney, Australia

The Bamboos debut studio album, ''Step It Up'', was released by Tru Thoughts in 2006. The 11-track album included 9 instrumentals and two vocal tracks featuring Alice Russell. ''Step it Up'' received positive reviews within the Funk/Soul scene and enabled the band to embark upon their first headline Australian, U.K and European tour that year. The Bamboos live show had evolved by this time into a non-stop "live mix"-style set where each song segued into the next. It was a format influenced by artists such as

and

Breakestra Breakestra is a ten-piece funk "orchestra" from Los Angeles, California, formed by Miles Tackett in 1996. Tackett, also known as "Musicman", records, composes, plays bass, upright cello, guitar, keyboards and drums. He also sings along with the ...

. The album title track "Step It Up" gained visibility with its use in high-rating U.S TV shows ''

Greys Anatomy ''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series that premiered on March 27, 2005, on ABC as a mid-season replacement. The series focuses on the lives of surgical interns, residents, and attendings as they develop into sea ...

'' and ''

Ugly Betty ''Ugly Betty'' is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which was originally broadcast on ABC. It premiered on September 28, 2006, and ended on April 14, 2010. The series is based on Fernando Gaitán's Colombian t ...

''. Melbourne vocalist

Kylie Auldist Kylie Auldist is an Australian singer, best known as the singer of the Bamboos and Cookin' on 3 Burners. She has also released five solo albums. Career Auldist recorded her first song at the age of six. She is half Samoan. She moved from Brok ...

officially joined the band full-time in 2006 debuting on stage at

Meredith Music Festival The Meredith Music Festival (otherwise known simply as Meredith or MMF) is a three-day outdoor music festival held every December at the "Supernatural Amphitheatre", a natural amphitheatre located on private farmland near the town of Meredith i ...

. In 2007, The Bamboos released their second studio album ''Rawville'', which marked a stylistic move towards more vocal-based material and featured vocalists Kylie Auldist, Tyra Hammond, Fallon Williams and

Ohmega Watts Ohmega Watts, real name Milton Campbell, is an American hip hop producer and vocalist from Brooklyn, New York. He releases music under the name Ohmega Watts and as a part of the Lightheaded crew. Biography Campbell was born and raised in Broo ...

. ''Rawville'' was described by UK-based IDJ Magazine as "arguably the best funk album of the modern era". The band embarked on another tour that encompassed Australia and Europe. In 2008, The Bamboos released their third studio album, ''Side-Stepper''. The album included contributions from guest vocalists

Megan Washington Megan Alexanda Washington (born 7 January 1986) is an Australian musician and songwriter who has worked mononymously as Washington. Originally performing jazz music, her style shifted to indie pop and alternative rock. She has released three ...

, Paul Macinnes and TY. ''Side-Stepper'' featured the singles "King of the Rodeo" and "I Can't Help Myself", which was nominated in the "Blues & Roots Work of the Year "category in the

APRA Music Awards of 2010 The Australasian Performing Right Association Awards of 2010 (generally known as APRA Music Awards) was the 28th annual ceremony by the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) to award outstanding achievements in contemporary songwriti ...

. Original band member keyboardist Ben Grayson left the band at this point and was replaced by Dustin Mclean. Later in 2008, The Bamboos released a live album, ''Listen! Hear! The Bamboos Live!'', compiled from shows during a week-long residency supporting

at The Metro Theatre in Sydney.

2010–2014: ''4'', ''Medicine Man'' and ''Fever in the Road''

In 2010, The Bamboos released their fourth studio album, ''4''. Kano Hollamby produced the album cover artwork which depicts the band looking out of framed boxes, and two video clips were produced for the album's opening singles. UK's ''Blues & Soul Magazine'' called it "Simply Stunning" and "an Instant Classic". Once again, the band supported the album with an Australian and European tour. The song "On the Sly" was later used in a scene of the hit U.S movie ''

Crazy, Stupid, Love ''Crazy, Stupid, Love'' is a 2011 American romantic comedy film directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, written by Dan Fogelman and starring Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore, Emma Stone, Marisa Tomei and Kevin Bacon. It follows ...

''. "You Ain't No Good" featured on the U.S TV show ''

Hellcats ''Hellcats'' is an American cheerleading comedy-drama television series that originally aired on The CW in the United States from September 8, 2010, to May 17, 2011. Based on the book ''Cheer: Inside the Secret World of College Cheerleaders'' b ...

''. In 2012, The Bamboos released their fifth studio album, ''Medicine Man''. The album consisted of 12 vocal tracks, featuring Kylie Auldist and guests including

Aloe Blacc Egbert Nathaniel Dawkins III (born January 7, 1979), known professionally by his stage name Aloe Blacc (), is an American singer, songwriter and rapper. He is best known for his singles "I Need a Dollar", " The Man", which topped the charts in th ...

Daniel Merriweather Daniel Paul Merriweather (born 17 February 1982) is an Australian R&B recording artist. Merriweather's debut solo album, '' Love & War'', was released in June 2009. It entered the UK Albums Chart at number two. It was preceded by two sing ...

, Tim Rogers, Megan Washington,

Bobby Flynn Robert Andrew "Bobby" Flynn (born 22 January 1981) is an Australian singer-songwriter. In the fourth season of the singing competition ''Australian Idol'', he placed seventh. With his band, The Omega Three, he made a nationwide tour through ...

and Ella Thompson (the latter who would join the band as a full-time member in the same year). Current drummer Graeme Pogson replaced Daniel Farrugia in 2011. ''Medicine Man'' peaked at number 28 on the

ARIA Charts The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...

. The album's lead single "I Got Burned" was the band's most commercially successful single to date, gaining crossover success with airplay on commercial stations such as Triple M and Nova and featured in the opening scene of successful Australian TV show

House Husbands ''House Husbands'' is an Australian television comedy drama. The show debuted on the Nine Network on 2 September 2012. Set in Melbourne, ''House Husbands'' stars Firass Dirani, Gyton Grantley, Rhys Muldoon and Gary Sweet as four fathers who sta ...

. The song would later rank at No. 54 on the

Triple J Hottest 100, 2012 The 2012 Triple J Hottest 100 was announced on Australia Day 26 January 2013. It was the 20th countdown of the most popular songs of the year, as chosen by the listeners of Australian radio station Triple J. Voting commenced on 19 December 2012 ...

. ''Medicine Man'' would go on to receive three

ARIA Music Awards The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austr ...

nominations at the

ARIA Music Awards of 2012 The 26th Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (generally known as ARIA Music Awards or simply The ARIAs) were a series of award ceremonies which included the 2012 ARIA Artisan Awards, ARIA Hall of Fame Awards, ARIA Fin ...

. They recorded a cover version of the Rolling Stones' "Can't You Hear Me Knocking" for

Mojo Magazine ''Mojo'' is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom, initially by Emap, and since January 2008 by Bauer. Following the success of the magazine '' Q'', publishers Emap were looking for a title that would cater for the bur ...

(U.K) and released the free four-track EP ''Live at the Metro'' through their Facebook page in November 2012. In late 2012, Ferguson rented a studio in the inner Western Melbourne suburb of

Yarraville Yarraville is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Maribyrnong local government area. Yarraville recorded a population of 15,636 at the . Yarraville i ...

, where he co-wrote a new record with Thompson and Auldist. The album was co-produced with longtime Bamboos studio and live engineer John Castle, and had a dense, layered and 'darker' sound. Ferguson cited influences including the music of

Stereolab Stereolab are an Anglo- French avant-pop band formed in London in 1990. Led by the songwriting team of Tim Gane and Lætitia Sadier, the group's music combines influences from krautrock, lounge and 1960s pop music, often incorporating a repetit ...

Beck Beck David Hansen (born Bek David Campbell; July 8, 1970) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He rose to fame in the early 1990s with his Experimental music, experimental and Lo-fi music, lo-fi style, and became ...

and

Tame Impala Tame Impala is the psychedelic music project of Australian multi-instrumentalist Kevin Parker. In the recording studio, Parker writes, records, performs, and produces all of the project's music. As a touring act, Tame Impala consists of Parke ...

. Keyboardist Simon Mavin performed on the album, but would leave the band shortly after due to the burgeoning success of his group

Hiatus Kaiyote Hiatus Kaiyote () is an Australian jazz/funk band formed in Melbourne in 2011, made up of singer/guitarist Nai Palm, bassist Paul Bender, keyboardist Simon Mavin, and drummer Perrin Moss. History 2011–2013: Formation and ''Tawk Tomahawk'' I ...

. Luke Saunders joined on keyboards in mid-2013. In November 2013, The Bamboos released their sixth studio album, ''Fever in the Road'' on Lance Ferguson's own label Pacific Theatre. The album peaked at number 41 on the ARIA Charts. Upon released, Ferguson stated in the press "The last record was so guest heavy that I felt compelled to make a record like this...I'm certainly not ruling out collaborating with other people in the future, but I just felt that the right thing to do now was to make the musical statement that this is the sound of The Bamboos." Between recording ''Fever in the Road'' and its release, the band embarked upon a national Australian tour with vocalist Tim Rogers called ''The Rock 'n Soul Medicine Show''. The tour capitalised upon the success of the "I Got Burned" single and also included re-arrangements of some

You Am I You Am I are an Australian alternative rock band, fronted by its lead singer-songwriter and guitarist, Tim Rogers. They formed in December 1989 and are the first Australian band to have released three successive albums that have each debuted ...

(Rogers' band) songs alongside several new originals penned by Ferguson and Rogers. The two would continue their musical partnership in 2013 working on the

Foxtel Foxtel is an Australian pay television company—operating in cable television, direct broadcast satellite television, and IPTV streaming services. It was formed in April 2018, superseding an earlier company from 1995. The service was establi ...

Studio Channel TV show ''Studio at the Memo'', a music-oriented variety show with Rogers hosting and Ferguson acting as Musical Director. In mid-2014, Ella Thompson left the band to pursue her solo career and other projects. "Avenger" was nominated at the

APRA Music Awards of 2014 APRA or Apra may refer to: Places *Apra, Punjab, a census town city in Jalandhar District of Punjab, India * Apra Harbor, the main port of Guam Acronyms * American Popular Revolutionary Alliance (Alianza Popular Revolucionaria Americana), a Peruvi ...

in the Blues & Roots Work of the Year category. ''Fever in the Road'' was nominated for Best Blues & Roots Album at the

ARIA Music Awards of 2014 The 28th Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (generally known as ARIA Music Awards or simply The ARIAs) are a series of award ceremonies which include the 2014 ARIA Artisan Awards, ARIA Hall of Fame Awards, ARIA Fin ...

2015–2016: ''The Rules of Attraction'' and ''The Best of the Tru Thoughts Years''

A full collaborative album with Tim Rogers entitled ''The Rules of Attraction'' was released on

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...

on 22 May 2015. Recorded at both at The Shed Studios and Lance Ferguson's home studio, the album featured twelve songs co-written by Rogers and Ferguson. The album peaked at number 26 on the ARIA Charts. The album received 4-star reviews from

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

Magazine,

The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria (Australia), Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Austral ...

and

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...

. The Bamboos followed on from an Australian national tour in June with performances as house band on the ABC TV Saturday Night Crack Up'' TV Special hosted by

Eddie Perfect Eddie Perfect (born 17 December 1977) is an Australian singer-songwriter, pianist, comedian, writer and actor. Widely known for his role as Mick Holland in Channel Ten's TV series ''Offspring'' in which he performs his own music, he has record ...

, and the

AFL AFL may refer to: Sports * American Football League (AFL), a name shared by several separate and unrelated professional American football leagues: ** American Football League (1926) (a.k.a. "AFL I"), first rival of the National Football Leagu ...

Grand Final Eve Special Broadcast for

Triple M Triple M is an Australian commercial radio network owned and operated by Southern Cross Austereo. The network consists of 40 radio stations broadcasting a mainstream rock music format and 5 digital radio stations. The network dates back to th ...

. Celebrating the 15th Anniversary of the band, an official birthday show happened on 18 September 2015 to coincide with The Northcote Social Club's 10th anniversary. Guests on stage on the night included

Remi The Remi (Gaulish: ''Rēmi'', 'the first, the princes') were a Belgic tribe dwelling in the Aisne, Vesle and Suippe river valleys during the Iron Age and the Roman period. Their territory roughly corresponded the modern Marne and Ardennes and par ...

and previous Bamboos drummer Daniel Farrugia. In November 2015, a compilation album ''The Best of the Tru Thoughts Years'' was released to coincide with the 15th anniversary of the band. "Easy" was nominated for Blues & Roots Work of the Year category at the

APRA Music Awards of 2016 The Australasian Performing Right Association Awards of 2016 (generally known as APRA Awards) are a series of related awards which include the APRA Music Awards, Art Music Awards, and Screen Music Awards. The APRA Music Awards of 2016 was the 3 ...

2017–2019: ''Night Time People'' and ''By Special Arrangement''

In 2017, Lance Ferguson released his debut solo album ''Raw Material'', while several band line-up changes occurred, with tenor saxophonist Damon Grant joining after Anton Delecca moved to New York. Keyboardist Luke Saunders also left and was replaced by Daniel Mougerman. Percussionist Phil Binotto joined in 2017 to expand the group to a 9-piece lineup. In November 2017, the band released a cover version of

The Easybeats The Easybeats were an Australian rock band that formed in Sydney in late 1964. They enjoyed a level of success that in Australia rivalled The Beatles. They became the first Australian rock act to score an international hit, with the 1966 sing ...

hit "I'll Make You Happy", featuring vocalist

Montaigne Michel Eyquem, Sieur de Montaigne ( ; ; 28 February 1533 – 13 September 1592), also known as the Lord of Montaigne, was one of the most significant philosophers of the French Renaissance. He is known for popularizing the essay as a liter ...

, as part of various artists' Easybeats tribute ''Rebeat''. On 20 February 2018, The Bamboos released their first new original music in nearly three years with the single "Lit Up", which was accompanied by a video clip directed by Chris Nelius. The song was mixed by the legendary recording engineer

Bob Clearmountain Bob Clearmountain (born January 15, 1953) is an American recording engineer, mixer and record producer. He has worked with many major acts, including Bruce Springsteen, the Rolling Stones, Toto, Bon Jovi and Bryan Adams, with whom he has a very ...

. The band secured the opening support slot for

Robbie Williams Robert Peter Williams (born 13 February 1974) is an English singer and songwriter. He found fame as a member of the pop group Take That from 1990 to 1995, and achieved commercial success after launching a solo career in 1996. His debut stud ...

' ''Heavy Entertainment Show Australian Tour'', performing to their largest audiences ever in arena concerts in the countries capital cities. On 6 July 2018, The Bamboos released their eighth studio album ''Night Time People'', which received a 5-star reviews from U.K's ''

Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily tabloid. Founded in 1903, it is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was simply ''The Mirror''. It had an average daily print ...

'' and ''Blues & Soul Magazine''. ''

'' called it "instantly addictive" and ''

'' proclaimed its "undeniable Soul charms". The Bamboos spent the beginning of 2019 in the studio recording their 9th studio album. The first single from the new album was an orchestral ballad take on the song "I Never" featuring

Dan Sultan Daniel Leo Sultan (born 1983) is an Australian alternative rock singer-songwriter and guitarist, actor and author. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2010 he won ARIA Award for Best Male Artist, Best Male Artist and ARIA Award for Best Blues and Root ...

on vocals (originally performed by

on the ''Medicine Man'' album). It was premiered on Double J. The next singles "Stop" and "I Got Burned" were accompanied by live performance video clips filmed in a church hall in

Carlton Carlton may refer to: People * Carlton (name), a list of those with the given name or surname * Carlton (singer), English soul singer Carlton McCarthy * Carlton, a pen name used by Joseph Caldwell (1773–1835), American educator, Presbyterian ...

. ''By Special Arrangement'' was released on 2 August 2019. It featured eight newly recorded orchestral re-works of previously released songs, along with two new cover versions. Long-time band member Ross Irwin (trumpet) arranged the material. It was launched with a live performance at

Melbourne Recital Centre Melbourne Recital Centre is a venue for live music in Melbourne and welcomes over 200,000 visitors each year. The organisation programs and presents more than 500 concerts and events a year across diverse range of musical genres including classi ...

with the band accompanied by a 10-piece string section. Beat Magazine in their review of the show proclaimed that "The Bamboos are quickly becoming national treasures of the Australian music industry".

2020–present: ''Hard Up''

In October 2019 the band had set up recording equipment in a country house in the Victorian town of Lancefield, spending seven days recording the bulk of the material that would become their tenth studio album ''Hard Up''. The album was slated for release in mid-2020 to coincide with The Bamboos' 20th Anniversary, but the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

halted all touring opportunities throughout the year and the album release was subsequently pushed back to 2021. Between the ensuing two extended

lockdowns the group recorded additional material for the record. The band released three singles during 2020, including the album's title track "Hard Up", which featured a video clip shot during lockdown at each separate band members home. To celebrate their 20th Anniversary a special 2x7" gatefold vinyl single featuring four back catalogue songs was released on 29 August as an official

Record Store Day Record Store Day is an annual event inaugurated in 2007 and held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". The day brings together fa ...

2020 release. 11 March 2021 marked a return to the stage with two performances alongside The

Melbourne Symphony Orchestra The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO) is an Australian orchestra based in Melbourne. The MSO is resident at Hamer Hall. The MSO has its own choir, the MSO Chorus, following integration with the Melbourne Chorale in 2008. The MSO relies on f ...

at Hamer Hall in Melbourne. The group played songs from across their two decade-long career, arranged by band member trumpeter/arranger Ross Irwin and featuring the full 50-piece orchestra. Tim Rogers performed "I Got Burned" on the second night. A live-streamed show from The Corner Hotel followed in mid-April. The 'Hard Up' album was released on 7 May 2021 on Pacific Theatre/BMG. Its eleven tracks marked a stylistic shift back to the Bamboos's earlier

and Soul influences.

performed vocals on seven songs and guest vocalists

Durand Jones Durand Jones & The Indications is an American contemporary R&B and soul group founded by the core songwriting trio of singer Durand Jones, singer/drummer Aaron Frazer, and guitarist Blake Rhein. Formed in 2012, the band came to prominence as par ...

Joey Dosik Joey Dosik is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist based in Los Angeles, California. His most recent album, ''Inside Voice'', was released in 2018. Career Dosik grew up in Los Angeles, California. He started on piano at an ...

and Ev Jones performed on the remaining three tracks.

Blues & Soul ''Blues & Soul'' is a British music magazine, established in 1967 by John Abbey. ''The Independent'' has noted ''Blues & Soul'' as being the equal of magazines such as ''NME'' and '' Q''. ''Billboard'' magazine has called ''Blues & Soul'' "a r ...

U.K gave it a 4-star review and '' Echoes'' called it "One of their best". It was feature album on

PBS 106.7FM PBS 106.7FM (call sign: PBS FM), also known as the Progressive Broadcasting Service, is a cooperatively owned community radio station in Melbourne, Australia, that broadcasts on 106.7FM, Digital radio and online. PBS celebrated its 40th year ...

and went to #1 on the Australian

iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...

Soul/R&B chart upon release. The album debuted at the #13 position on the official

Vinyl Albums Chart during its first week of release. In August 2021 an official Deluxe Edition of the 'Hard Up' album was announced, which will include 6 previously-unreleased songs recorded during the 2019 "Lancefield Sessions".

Discography

Studio albums

Live albums

Compilation albums

Singles

Awards and nominations

APRA Awards

The APRA Awards are held in Australia and New Zealand by the

Australasian Performing Right Association APRA AMCOS consists of Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS), both copyright management organisations or copyright collectives which jointly represent over 100,000 songwr ...

to recognise songwriting skills, sales and airplay performance by its members annually. , - ,

, "I Can't Help Myself" , Blues & Roots Work of the Year , , - , APRA Music Awards of 2013 , "I Got Burned" (Lance Ferguson) , Song of the Year , , - , rowspan="2",

, rowspan="2", "Avenger" (Lance Ferguson / Ella Thompson) , Blues & Roots Work of the Year , , - , Song of the Year , , - ,

, "Easy" , Blues & Roots Work of the Year , , - , APRA Music Awards of 2022 , "Power Without Greed" , Most Performed Blues and Roots Work , , -

ARIA Music Awards

The

are a series of annual ceremonies presented by the

Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing th ...

(ARIA) since 1987. The Bamboos have been nominated for five trophies.ARIA Music Awards for the Bamboos: * Search Results 'Bamboos': * 2012 winners and nominees: * 2014 winners and nominees: * 2015 winners: , - , rowspan="3",

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

, , The Bamboos – Medicine Man Tour , , Best Australian Live Act , , , - , rowspan="2", ''Medicine Man'' , , Best Independent Release , , , - , Best Urban Album , , , - ,

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, , ''Fever in the Road'' , , Best Blues & Roots Album , , , - ,

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

, , ''The Rules of Attraction (with Tim Rogers)'' , , Best Blues & Roots Album , , , - ,

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...

, ''Hard Up'' , Best Blues and Roots Album , , -

EG Awards/Music Victoria Awards

The

Music Victoria Awards The Music Victoria Awards (previously known as The Age EG Awards and The Age Music Victoria Awards) are an annual awards night celebrating music from the Australian state of Victoria. They commenced in 2006 and are awarded in Melbourne Music W ...

(previously known as The Age EG Awards and The Age Music Victoria Awards) are an annual awards night celebrating Victorian music. ! , - ,

EG Awards of 2012 The EG Awards of 2012 are the seventh Annual The Age EG (Entertainment Guide) Awards and took place at Billboards on 20 November 2012. The event was hosted by Myf Warhurst. It was the last time under the title of EG Awards before changing its na ...

, "I Got Burned" (featuring Tim Rogers) , Best Song , , rowspan="4", , - ,

Music Victoria Awards of 2014 The Music Victoria Awards of 2014 are the ninth Annual Music Victoria Awards and consist of a series of awards, presented in October and November 2014. The Genre awards were awarded on 16 October 2014 in The Age building, while the public voted, ...

, ''Fever in the Road'' , Best Soul, Funk, R'n'B and Gospel Album , , - ,

Music Victoria Awards of 2015 The Music Victoria Awards of 2015 are the tenth Annual Music Victoria Awards and consist of a series of awards, culminating in an awards ceremony on 11 November 2015. For the first time, the public awards and the genre specific awards, were all ...

, The Bamboos , Best Live Act , , - ,

Music Victoria Awards of 2018 The Music Victoria Awards of 2018 are the 13th Annual Music Victoria Awards and consist of a series of awards, presented on 21 November 2018, during Melbourne Music Week. The Melbourne Recital Centre hosted the event for the first time, and, al ...

, ''Night Time People'' , Best Soul, Funk, R'n'B and Gospel Album , , -

Music Victoria Awards

The

, are an annual awards night celebrating Victorian music. The commenced in 2005. ! , - ,

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

, Lance Ferguson (The Bamboos) , Best Musician , , , -

National Live Music Awards

The

National Live Music Awards The National Live Music Awards (NLMAs) are a broad recognition of Australia's diverse and successful live industry, celebrating the diversity and success of the Australian live scene – recognising the best vocal talents and musicians alongside ...

(NLMAs) are a broad recognition of Australia's diverse live industry, celebrating the success of the Australian live scene. The awards commenced in 2016. , - ,

National Live Music Awards of 2018 The National Live Music Awards of 2018 are the third National Live Music Awards. The event took place on 6 December 2018. The event moved its gala event to Brisbane – following events in Sydney and Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ W ...

, The Bamboos , Live R&B or Soul Act of the Year , , -

Members

* Lance Ferguson (Guitar; 2000–present) *

(Vocals; 2006–present) * Graeme Pogson (Drums; 2011–present) * Yuri Pavlinov (Bass; 2002–present) * Ross Irwin (Trumpet/Tambourine; 2003–present) * Phil Noy (Baritone Sax; 2007–present) * Damon Grant (Tenor Sax/Flute; 2017–present) * Daniel Mougerman (Hammond Organ; 2017–present) * Phil Binotto (Percussion; 2017–present) * Anton Delecca (Tenor Sax/Flute; 2004–2017) * Luke Saunders (Hammond Organ; 2013–2017) * Ella Thompson (Vocals; 2012–2014) * Simon Mavin (Hammond Organ; 2012–2013) * Ben Grayson (Hammond Organ; 2000–2008, 2011–2012) * Stevie Hesketh (Hammond Organ; 2009–2010) * Dustin McLean (Hammond Organ; 2008–2009) * Bruce Sandell (Tenor Sax/Flute; 2003–2004) * Danny Farrugia (Drums; 2004–2011) * Jamie Jones (Drums; 2003–2004) * Scott Lambie (Drums; 2000–2003) * Stuart Speed (Bass; 2000–2003)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bamboos Musical groups established in 2000 Ubiquity Records artists Musical groups from Melbourne Australian funk musical groups 2000 establishments in Australia Nettwerk Music Group artists Tru Thoughts artists