The Mouldy Lovers are an Australian Queensland Music Award nominated musical group with seven members, which formed in early 2010. They perform gypsy-influenced

ska Ska (; ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a walki ...

music with

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 ...

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

Romani music Romani music (often referred to as gypsy or gipsy music, which is sometimes considered a derogatory term) is the music of the Romani people who have their origins in northern India but today live mostly in Europe. Historically nomadic, though n ...

and

Klezmer Klezmer ( yi, קלעזמער or ) is an instrumental musical tradition of the Ashkenazi Jews of Central and Eastern Europe. The essential elements of the tradition include dance tunes, ritual melodies, and virtuosic improvisations played for l ...

elements. The band came to prominence in 2011 with the release of their second

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

, ''Kakistocracy'', and frequent performances and festival appearances in

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

and

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

. Their debut album, ''Yonder Ruckus,'' was released in January 2013, receiving national Australian airplay on

Triple J Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian Radio in Australia, radio station intended to appeal to listeners of alternative music, which began broadcasting in January 1975. The station also places a greate ...

and charting at number one for multiple weeks on 4ZZZ. The band exhibits

gender Gender is the range of characteristics pertaining to femininity and masculinity and differentiating between them. Depending on the context, this may include sex-based social structures (i.e. gender roles) and gender identity. Most cultures u ...

and

cultural diversity Cultural diversity is the quality of diverse or different cultures, as opposed to monoculture, the global monoculture, or a homogenization of cultures, akin to cultural evolution. The term "cultural diversity" can also refer to having different cu ...

in their membership and have close ties with the

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

suburb of West End, often cited as 'West End favourites'. The group regularly busk and play at West End community events such as Laura Street Festival and West End Block Party and stores such as Jet Black Cat Music. In addition to musical collaborations, The Mouldy Lovers have also worked with local street theatre and circus cabaret performers. In 2011, the group collaborated with community circus group The Ice Cream Factory to hold 'The Mouldy Lovers Fresh Flesh Cabaret', a cabaret, circus, acrobatics and music event. In the same year, collaborated with street theatre troupe The Gremlins in a performance exhibition event, and again in 2012, at

Woodford Folk Festival The Woodford Folk Festival is an annual music and cultural festival held near the semi-rural town of Woodford, north of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is one of the biggest annual cultural events of its type in Australia. Every year ap ...

. The band have performed with international acts such as

The Skatalites The Skatalites are a ska band from Jamaica. They played initially between 1963 and 1965, and recorded many of their best known songs in the period, including " Guns of Navarone." They also played on records by Prince Buster and backed many othe ...

Babylon Circus Babylon Circus is a nine piece ska and reggae group founded in 1995 in Lyon, France. Since forming, they have released six full - length albums and one EP. They have played over 1500 shows throughout Europe, and have toured as far as Syria, Austr ...

Neville Staple Neville Eugenton Staple (born 11 April 1955), sometimes credited as Neville Staples, is a Jamaican-born English singer, known for his work with the 2 Tone ska band the Specials, as well as with his own group, the Neville Staple Band. He also per ...

, Kenta Hayashi, and

Hot 8 Brass Band The Hot 8 Brass Band is a New Orleans, Louisiana, New Orleans-based brass band that blends Hip hop music, hip-hop, jazz and funk styles with traditional Brass band#New Orleans, New Orleans brass sounds. It was formed by Bennie Pete, Jerome Jon ...

History

The Mouldy Lovers began in early 2010 in the

suburb of West End as a folk trio, composed of Louis Whelan, Jade Channells, and Matt Hsu, regularly performing at markets and venues. Seeking to expand their sound, the group enlisted Jen Horn, Nicholas Downing, Henri Paternoster, and Caroline Townsend later in 2010. Following the departure of Jade Channells and Henri Paternoster in March 2012, the group recruited Gavin Cook, guitarist and vocalist for The Vulture St Family Skiffle Band. In September 2012, Jessica McFadyen (daughter of

Ian McFadyen Ian McFadyen (born 8 July 1948) is an Australian television writer, actor, director and producer. He is best known as the creator and producer of the Australian television series ''The Comedy Company'', which he also directed and wrote episodes ...

) and

Queensland Greens The Queensland Greens is a Green party in Queensland, Australia, and a state member of the Australian Greens. The party is currently represented in all three levels of government, by Larissa Waters and Penny Allman-Payne in the federal Senate; ...

Councillor A councillor is an elected representative for a local government council in some countries. Canada Due to the control that the provinces have over their municipal governments, terms that councillors serve vary from province to province. Unl ...

Jonathan Sriranganathan Jonathan Sriranganathan ( ; Sri) is an Australian activist and politician. He was the first ever Queensland Greens councillor, representing The Gabba Ward on the Brisbane City Council from 2016 to 2023. Early life and education Sriranganathan ...

(then known as Sri) joined. In 2015, Brisbane musicians Kathryn Bermingham and Steph McIntyre joined the group. Since 2011, the group has begun playing at music festivals in Queensland and New South Wales, including Caloundra Music Festival, Island Vibe Festival, and Surfing the Coldstream Festival. The group returned to many of these festivals in 2012, with the addition of Snowy Mountains of Music, 2 High Festival, Wallaby Creek Festival and

. In 2016, the group performed at

Falls Festival Falls Music & Arts Festival (commonly known as Falls) is a multi-day music festival held annually in Lorne (Victoria), Marion Bay (Tasmania), Byron Bay (New South Wales) and Fremantle (Western Australia), Australia over the New Year's Eve ...

. In 2017, The Mouldy Lovers were nominated for a QMusic Queensland Music Award in the world music category.

Members

*Louis Whelan –

piano accordion A piano accordion is an accordion equipped with a right-hand keyboard similar to a piano or organ. Its acoustic mechanism is more that of an organ than a piano, as they are both aerophones, but the term "piano accordion"—coined by Guido Deiro ...

* Matt Hsu –

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

clarinet The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound. Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches ...

trombone The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the Brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the Standing wave, air column ...

*Kathryn Bermingham –

baritone saxophone The baritone saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of instruments, larger (and lower-pitched) than the tenor saxophone, but smaller (and higher-pitched) than the bass. It is the lowest-pitched saxophone in common use - the bass, contra ...

*Steph McIntyre –

drum kit A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player ( drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsti ...

alto saxophone The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones were invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846. The alto saxophone is pitched in E, smaller than the B tenor ...

*Caroline Townsend –

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

*Gavin Cook –

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

–

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while th ...

rapping Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

Former members: *Jade Channells – guitar/

banjo uke The banjo ukulele, also known as the banjolele or banjo uke, is a four-stringed musical instrument with a small banjo-type body and a fretted ukulele neck. The earliest known banjoleles were built by John A. Bolander and by Alvin D. Keech, both ...

*Henri Paternoster – tenor saxophone *Nicholas Downing – drum kit/

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

*Jen Horn –

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

electronic organ An electric organ, also known as electronic organ, is an electronic keyboard instrument which was derived from the harmonium, pipe organ and theatre organ. Originally designed to imitate their sound, or orchestral sounds, it has since developed ...

*Jessica McFadyen –

*Bodie Howell – trombone *Laura Kirkwood – drum kit

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mouldy Lovers Musical groups from Brisbane Musical groups established in 2010 Australian alternative rock groups Dark cabaret musicians Gypsy punk groups Gypsy punk 2010 establishments in Australia