Roaring Jack
Encyclopedia
Roaring Jack is an Australia
n Celtic punk
/Folk punk
band
of the 1980s and 1990s. The band formed in 1985 and played their first shows in Sydney
in 1986. Original members were Alistair Hulett
(acoustic guitar
and vocals), Dave Williams (bass), Steve Thompson (drums), Bob (Rab) Mannell (electric guitar and bouzouki) and Hunter Owens (accordion/mandolin and vocals).
Owens was later replaced by Steven (Steph) Miller on the same instruments and on vocals. Rod Gilchrist replaced Steve Thompson on drums after the recording of their first album.
The band built a cult following by playing the Sydney pub
circuit eventually scoring regular slots at the Harold Park Hotel in Glebe and the Sandringham Hotel
in Newtown. Their music had a strong political focus with emphasis on Scottish
sectarianism
, Aboriginal Rights and union
activism. In keeping with this the band gave many benefit performances for a diverse range of left wing causes, including the workers of Cockatoo Island
with fellow rebel rousers The Urban Guerillas
, Tim Anderson
and against the first Gulf War
.
The band went on to support the likes of Billy Bragg
, the Pogues and The Men They Couldn't Hang
during their Australian tours.
Roaring Jack recorded for independent Sydney label Mighty Boy Records. They released the Street Celtability mini-LP
in 1987, The Cat Among The Pigeons LP (1988) and Through The Smoke Of Innocence LP (1990). German label Jump Up Records released all of these as The Complete Works, a double CD package, in 2002.
Some of their best remembered songs include ‘Buy Us A Drink’, ‘The Old Divide And Rule’, ‘Destitution Road’ and ‘We Don’t Play No Elton Fucking John’. A video was made for the single 'Framed', the song which raised awareness of the Campaign Exposing the Frame-Up of Tim Anderson.
The band split in 1992. Alistair Hulett then enjoyed a successful solo career as an internationally recognised folk musician. Steph Miller formed his own band, The Wickermen in 1991 and spent most of the 1990s as a multi-instrumentalist in the successful Sydney band, Eva Trout. Steph released a solo CD, Strange Sea, in 2004.
Alistair Hulett died of liver failure and cancer on January 28, 2010.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n Celtic punk
Celtic punk
Celtic punk is punk rock mixed with traditional Celtic music. The genre was founded in the 1980s by The Pogues, a band of punk musicians in London who celebrated their Irish heritage. Celtic punk bands often play covers of traditional Irish folk and political songs, as well as original compositions...
/Folk punk
Folk punk
Folk punk , is a fusion of folk music and punk rock. It was pioneered in the late 1970s and early 1980s by The Pogues in Britain and Violent Femmes in America. Folk punk achieved some mainstream success in that decade...
band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
of the 1980s and 1990s. The band formed in 1985 and played their first shows in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
in 1986. Original members were Alistair Hulett
Alistair Hulett
Alistair Hulett, was a Scottish acoustic folk singer and revolutionary socialist, best known as the singer of the folk punk band, Roaring Jack.-Early life:...
(acoustic guitar
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
and vocals), Dave Williams (bass), Steve Thompson (drums), Bob (Rab) Mannell (electric guitar and bouzouki) and Hunter Owens (accordion/mandolin and vocals).
Owens was later replaced by Steven (Steph) Miller on the same instruments and on vocals. Rod Gilchrist replaced Steve Thompson on drums after the recording of their first album.
The band built a cult following by playing the Sydney pub
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
circuit eventually scoring regular slots at the Harold Park Hotel in Glebe and the Sandringham Hotel
Sandringham Hotel, Newtown
The Sandringham Hotel is a pub in the suburb of Newtown in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia.The pub has a long history and is the spiritual homeland to several of Sydney's bands, including Frenzal Rhomb and The Whitlams. It is known locally as The Sando.Before...
in Newtown. Their music had a strong political focus with emphasis on Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
sectarianism
Sectarianism
Sectarianism, according to one definition, is bigotry, discrimination or hatred arising from attaching importance to perceived differences between subdivisions within a group, such as between different denominations of a religion, class, regional or factions of a political movement.The ideological...
, Aboriginal Rights and union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
activism. In keeping with this the band gave many benefit performances for a diverse range of left wing causes, including the workers of Cockatoo Island
Cockatoo Island, New South Wales
Cockatoo Island is the largest island in Sydney Harbour in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Located at the junction of the Parramatta and Lane Cove rivers, Cockatoo Island is a former imperial prison, industrial school, reformatory and gaol. It was also the site of one of Australia's biggest...
with fellow rebel rousers The Urban Guerillas
The Urban Guerillas
The Urban Guerillas are an Australian pub rock band. Originally formed in Adelaide, the band is currently based in Sydney.-Beginnings 1981:A tough, punk-influenced band with a fiercely independent streak, The Urban Guerillas was formed in Adelaide in 1980 as a trio with Ken Stewart , Terry Burgan ...
, Tim Anderson
Sydney Hilton bombing
The Sydney Hilton bombing occurred on 13 February 1978, when a bomb exploded outside the Hilton Hotel in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. At the time the hotel was the site of the first Commonwealth Heads of Government Regional Meeting , a regional off-shoot of the biennial meetings of the heads...
and against the first Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
.
The band went on to support the likes of Billy Bragg
Billy Bragg
Stephen William Bragg , better known as Billy Bragg, is an English alternative rock musician and left-wing activist. His music blends elements of folk music, punk rock and protest songs, and his lyrics mostly deal with political or romantic themes...
, the Pogues and The Men They Couldn't Hang
The Men They Couldn't Hang
The Men They Couldn't Hang are a British folk punk group. The original group consisted of Stefan Cush , Paul Simmonds , Philip "Swill" Odgers , Jon Odgers and Shanne Bradley .- Controversy and success:Their first single, "The Green Fields...
during their Australian tours.
Roaring Jack recorded for independent Sydney label Mighty Boy Records. They released the Street Celtability mini-LP
Mini-LP
A Mini-LP or Mini-album is a short album, usually retailing at a lower price than an album that would be considered "full-length".-History:...
in 1987, The Cat Among The Pigeons LP (1988) and Through The Smoke Of Innocence LP (1990). German label Jump Up Records released all of these as The Complete Works, a double CD package, in 2002.
Some of their best remembered songs include ‘Buy Us A Drink’, ‘The Old Divide And Rule’, ‘Destitution Road’ and ‘We Don’t Play No Elton Fucking John’. A video was made for the single 'Framed', the song which raised awareness of the Campaign Exposing the Frame-Up of Tim Anderson.
The band split in 1992. Alistair Hulett then enjoyed a successful solo career as an internationally recognised folk musician. Steph Miller formed his own band, The Wickermen in 1991 and spent most of the 1990s as a multi-instrumentalist in the successful Sydney band, Eva Trout. Steph released a solo CD, Strange Sea, in 2004.
Alistair Hulett died of liver failure and cancer on January 28, 2010.