MELBOURNE SKA ORCHESTRA SHARE CHARISMATIC CALL TO ARMS ‘BOM BOM BOM’ SINGLE TAKEN FROM FORTHCOMING NEW ALBUM ‘THE BALLAD OF MONTE LOCO’ DUE OUT FRIDAY JUNE 27
An upbeat coalescence of dub, Spaghetti Western hues and revolution, today ARIA Award-winning ska collective Melbourne Ska Orchestra unveil a brand new track Bom Bom Bom; a charismatic sonic powder keg that also accompanies a music video and the announcement of a new forthcoming Melbourne Ska Orchestra album, with The Ballad Of Monte Loco set for release on Friday June 27. And with a huge global tour set to span Australia, Japan and Canada from July to October 2025, the arrival of The Ballad Of Monte Loco kicks open the doors to a thrilling new MSO musical saga ahead of a huge run of shows.
Opening with the whirring sound of a film projector and hypnotic hooks, Bom Bom Bom swings into a track punctuated by tremolo guitar picking, dub beats and smoky soundscapes, perfectly setting the scene both for a dusky desert caper as well as a call to action, with Bom Bom Bom’s lyrics soaked in powerful protest as Melbourne Ska Orchestra leader Nicky Bomba elaborates, “Bom Bom Bom is a rally cry wrapped in rhythm. It’s about waking up, standing up, and remembering that the power belongs to the people. There’s a fire underneath it all—a deep frustration with systems that divide and distract—but also a joy in coming together to shake the walls with music. It’s protest through party. It’s a revolution… with a horn section.”
“There’s definitely a nod to The Skatalites and Toots,” adds Bomba, “but also the storytelling vibe of Gil Scott-Heron, the space-dub of Lee Scratch Perry, and that Spaghetti Western cinematic scope—Morricone still guiding us like a desert prophet. We utilise a few different languages too, Sally Ford bringing the Texacali spirit to the MSO sound.”
Produced by Nicky Bomba and the MSO crew, Bom Bom Bom was recorded in-house with a tapestry of sound design courtesy of award-winning composer Wally Maloney. And with soundscapes spanning the full gamut of the cinematic West including church bells, whips, horses and whistles (also extending to the broader The Ballad Of Monte Loco album), it’s fitting that the accompanying music video for Bom Bom Bom embraces a spirit befitting the silver screen, with the clip once again bringing on board a long-time MSO collaborator to bring the Western vibes to visual fruition. “We wanted to capture some of the cinematic energy of Sergio Leone classics like The Fistful Trilogy and merge it with some of the wilder, more surreal visions of the West,” shares Bomba. “We love the craziness of films by Alejandro Jodorowsky, so we hoped to bottle a bit of that energy as well. We figured a good tribute to these cinematic ideas would be a trailer to our fictional Western film The Ballad Of Monte Loco. We worked with long-time collaborator and friend Clayton Jacobson—he’s got the eye for mixing real grit with cinematic magic. He’s done some of our most popular music videos and he just gets it.”
Along with Bom Bom Bom, Melbourne Ska Orchestra’s most recent singles Walls of Jericho and John Wayne have steadily painted a picture of what lies at the heart of the group’s upcoming new album, The Ballad Of Monte Loco; a tantalising combo of Western badlands smoulder fused with reggae, horns and beyond across its 13 tracks. Opening with a haunting church bell, galloping percussion and ghostly melodies, The Brave, The Mean and the Wild Ones perfectly sets the scene, detailing “how the West was won” merged with perky saxophone solos, genuine horse gallops, sweeping horns and honky tonk piano. From here, The Ballad Of Monte Loco continuously feels like a full body immersion into a celluloid fever dream, with hazy dub swoon (No Doubt About It and Read Between The Lines), prowling Western soundscapes, Latin piano lines and sprinkling percussion (Pay No Mind), mesmerising grooves set against sparkling horns and commanding urgency that transcends language and time (No Me Mientas), as well as a whispered and haunting interlude (Fortune Teller). The second half of The Ballad of Monte Loco then immediately journeys between upbeat cinematic storytelling (John Wayne), jubilant positivity (Spring In My Step), funked-up jaunt (When Bootsy Came To Town), and a powerful call to arms coated with modern panache and vintage saloon vibes (Realidad). And while the entirety of The Ballad Of Monte Loco is equally eclectic yet cohesive, closing track One Thing ends on a commanding note, deftly balancing its languid vocals, cloudy arrangements and bewitching harmonies with a sturdy closing message to persevere against the odds.
“This album was born in a time of uncertainty, but also one of reflection and fire,” says Bomba of the upcoming album. “The Ballad of Monte Loco is our imagined Western world, where rhythm is resistance, and people rise together through music. It touches on revolution, false prophets, joy as rebellion, and the power of truth when it’s sung loud. We wanted it to feel like both a warning and a celebration.”
One of Australia’s most commanding collectives, Melbourne Ska Orchestra amalgamate some of the country’s finest musicians and performers, helmed with formidable dexterity by Nicky Bomba (John Butler Trio, Bomba, Bustamento). Forming in the early 2000s, MSO are an energy-infested orchestra with a difference, with the group comprising up to 26 members spanning vocals, horns, keys, percussion, woodwind and more. Releasing their self-titled debut album in 2013, MSO would earn the first of many ARIA Award nominations, ultimately going on to take out Best World Music Album in 2016 for their second full-length, Sierra Kilo Alpha, as well as Best World Music Album in 2019 for their multi album box set One Year of Ska. And proving their relentless work-ethic alongside their world-class skillset, One Year of Ska also found Melbourne Ska Orchestra releasing a song every week for an entire year.
Over the years Melbourne Ska Orchestra have ticked off multiple sold out shows on home soil, dozens of major festival appearances, twelve international tours, and a sea of awards and nominations. But it’s not just the group’s prolific output that has found them so hotly in demand worldwide, with MSO’s explosive live performance and genre-defying genius generating acclaim and huge nods of approval from reggae and ska legends including Stranger Cole, Owen Grab, Carlos Malcolm, Ranking Roger and Neville Staples.
In 2025, Melbourne Ska Orchestra’s world domination continues, both via the upcoming release of The Ballad Of Monte Loco as well as an upcoming huge global tour that will see them travel through Australia, Japan and Canada throughout July, August, September and October 2025. And whetting the appetite with today’s new single, dropping Bom Bom Bom ahead of the release of The Ballad Of Monte Loco later this month, there are truly some unforgettable moments still to come, as Nicky Bomba concludes, “We’re buzzin’! There’s nothing like the full MSO experience live—up to 20 of us on stage, blasting brass, thundering percussion, and skankin’ til the roof lifts. It’s not just a gig—it’s a full-blown brass opera with boots, sweat, and soul. We’re bringing the world of Monte Loco to life in every town we hit.
“This isn’t background music. This is a dancefloor sermon. A brass-laced vision quest. A reminder that when we gather in rhythm, walls fall and hearts rise. Bom Bom Bom is just the beginning. Monte Loco awaits…”
Bom Bom Bom is out today.
The Ballad Of Monte Loco is due out Friday June 27.
Tickets for Melbourne Ska Orchestra’s ‘The Ballad Of Monte Loco’ Tour are on sale now from www.melbourneskaorchestra.com/.
BRAND NEW AUSSIE FESTIVAL FEATURING HILLTOP HOODS / DMA’S / MEG MAC AND MORE SET TO STORM TOWNSVILLE FOR JULY 26 – ONE STREET ONE DAY
ONE STREET ONE DAY has today announced the first of many planned street-style music events set to thrill towns across Australia, and 2025 sees the inaugural event kick off in Townsville next month on Saturday 26 July. Australian Hip Hop royalty, Hilltop Hoods will headline the event in the heart of Townsville with an exciting and diverse line up including DMA’s, Meg Mac, In Hearts Wake, Coterie, Brad Cox, Mia Wray, while also spotlighting local Townsville superstars.
Tickets go on sale Tuesday 3 June at 7am from www.onestreetoneday.com.au.
Set to take over Rooney Street (Central Park), Townsville, ONE STREET ONE DAY is proud to present world class music to this far north Queensland hub. ONE STREET ONE DAY is anticipated to bring up to 10,000 music lovers together in this vibrant town to celebrate an energetic bill of home grown music talent.
“It’s been way too long since we last played in Townsville. We can’t wait to get back to your friendly and warm town and be part of ONE STREET ONE DAY festival,” said DJ Debris from Hilltop Hoods.
“Thrilled to be rolling out these exciting new music events to the country’s outer regions and seeing locals get the opportunity to experience the best of Australian music in their very own township,” TEG’s Head of Global Touring – Tim McGregor said.
Speaking on Townsville snagging the inaugural festival location, Acting Townsville Mayor Ann-Maree Greaney said, “Council couldn’t be more proud to be supporting this brand new festival. Hosting ONE STREET ONE DAY in the heart of Townsville is a real boon for our city.”
“Townsville has a long history of championing the arts – our residents certainly know how to throw their support behind musicians from far and wide, as well as our burgeoning local talent,” Cr Greaney said.
Excited about the hype around Townsville, Townsville Enterprise CEO Claudia Brumme-Smith said, “We’re thrilled for what’s shaping up to be a blockbuster weekend in Townsville — from the Cowboys kicking off on Friday night, to Hilltop Hoods headlining Saturday, and chamber music echoing through the city. There’s truly something for everyone.”
ONE STREET ONE DAY is supported by the Australian and Queensland governments under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.
ONE STREET ONE DAY | ROONEY STREET, TOWNSVILLE | SATURDAY JULY 26 |12PM-10PM | 16+ | TICKETS
CHUCK SICS SHARES DYNAMIC DEBUT SINGLE + VIDEO ‘REDO’
Wavering between floaty psychedelia and punchy indie rock, today multi-instrumentalist and sonic shaman CHUCK SICSarrives armed with his track REDO, with the talented artist traversing unrequited love alongside helming the entire creative process from start to finish for his debut single.
Setting the scene with hazy sonic warmth and lyrical rumination, REDO kicks off with CHUCK SICS musing: “As the sun falls down onto my face I keep walking / And as the breeze flows through my open wound I keep talking”, driven by a charismatic nod to influences that span Radiohead, Tame Impala and Pixies. And alongside the dreamlike wonderland woven throughout, REDO also centres around a poignant yet inspiring narrative, as CHUCK SICS explains, “The song is about the aftermath of confessing love for a friend who doesn’t share those feelings, and wishing everyone could forget it happened. Wishing you could disappear, or do it over again. The shame of rejection surely drives this need to forget it ever happened, but in the song I also tried to address that the way I dealt with the rejection at that time had not been fair. So the song is also about the pitfalls of self-victimising. Wallowing in sorrow and feeling as though everyone is out to get you – you manufacture this reality to justify your attitude, when really it’s your attitude that’s the problem. It’s a pretty high school problem, and I wish I’d been mature enough to handle the situation differently.”
Writing, performing, recording, producing and mixing REDO entirely on his own, CHUCK SICS recorded the track in his home studio, and also sampled a friend’s drum kit to bring the crisp beats to life. An extremely gifted multi-instrumentalist, REDO sparkles with CHUCK SICS’ vibrant delivery throughout, from its percolating bassline through to its woozy synths and breezy vocals. “Everything on the song is all recorded in my house, rather haphazardly,” shares CHUCK SICS. “But I’m happy with how it turned out.”
Picking up the trumpet in primary school, CHUCK SICS soon moved on (because it hurt my face,” he reveals) to piano at the age of seven. Following in the footsteps of his older sister who also played piano, CHUCK SICS attributes the piano as his first official instrument, ultimately opening the floodgates to guitar at the age of 12, followed by bass, singing and, as he explains, the occasional foray into drums. “Before I picked up a guitar I wanted to be a concert pianist,” he says, “and overnight I abandoned that dream and wanted to be a rock god guitar virtuoso from the 70s. I remember thinking I was too old to start learning a whole new instrument, so I didn’t even bother for the longest time until eventually I caved. Bass was a natural evolution of that – as soon as I was friends with someone who owned a bass, I gave it a try and it was pretty much like guitar, provided I played with a pick. I did eventually get relatively comfortable with fingerstyle playing but that was tough. Throughout all of this I had played drums at friends’ houses occasionally, basically whenever I got the chance, but unfortunately I’ve never really had the time to develop that skill. It’s a shame because that’s my favourite instrument of them all. As for singing, I had done a bit in choirs through school but never seriously considered myself a singer until I realised I would have to sing the songs I was writing. In my first band I thought I could be the guitarist who secretly wrote the whole song. I was so terrified of singing by myself in front of people I’m amazed I willingly do it these days. Never thought that would happen.”
Surrounded by a love of music and creativity growing up, music would soon become a way of life for CHUCK SICS, culminating in 2025 with his new track, REDO, with plenty more tunes set to land before the year is out.
“It feels good, and a little surreal,” says CHUCK SICS of finally releasing REDO into the world. “This song has been kicking around for quite a while, so it felt good hearing it mastered for the first time.”
REDO is out today.