Folk ‘Til Ya Punk Records present: HOBOFOPO 2018

September press release:

HOBOFOPO (Hobarts Original Folk Punk Orgy festival) beckons folkies, gypsies, punks, stragglers, vagabonds and a plethora of local musos to alongside international acts at the forefront of the hobo folk scene. The four-day gig crawl is a raucous celebration, a DIY grassroots festival with gigs ricocheting across iconic music venues throughout Hobart and Tasmania. Up a misty mountain, singing by the fireside, in a bush tavern, acoustic park jams. The 2018 line-up showcases convict punk, cowpunk, anarcho bush pub punk, stoner bluegrass, bushrangercore, hungover yoga and a contortionist. It is a different magical upside-down world where just like through the looking glass, we’re all a bit mad here.

This year Folk ‘Til Ya Punk Records is beside itself with excitement to announce two headliners for 2018:
Houston Texas thrashgrass crusty legends DAYS N DAZE will front HOBOFOPO as part of their first ever Australian tour. DAYS N DAZE have been busy heading the bill of punk and folk-punk festivals across Europe and America, while relentlessly touring with the likes of Leftover Crack, Goddamn Gallows and Bridge City Sinners.

Ten years back you could have been in a tattered pub, packed to capacity, drinking and dancing until the walls ran with sweat and beer. And the band playing could well have been a collection of country-punk hicks called SYNDEY CITY TRASH. HOBOFOPO is thrilled to reveal SYDNEY CITY TRASH are reuniting for the first time in seven years to perform at HOBOFOPO in December.

Stalwarts of the Sydney scene for fourteen years, HANDSOME YOUNG STRANGERS feature four singer-songwriters, a cracking live show, and millions of YouTube views. HYS perform a blazing blend of colonial, bush punk/rock that is lairy, thumpy and uniquely Australian. Bushrangercore say no more.

ESS-EM is a Sydney-based, piano lead, folk punk collective. They have toured Australia extensively alongside Lindsay McDougall, Paddy McHugh, The Coronas, and Topnovil, captivating audiences from go to woe with vivacious, theatrical chord-thrashing sound an effervescent journey that traverses folk, gypsy, pop and punk.

Hailing from debauched Brisvegas, three-time HOBOFOPO veterans FOX N FIRKIN return from touring their new single “Sail Away” across Japan, bringing their riotous live set of celt-punk mashed with every other sub-genre.

PADDY MCHUGH’s song writing is textured by raw honesty, nostalgic tales of life in Australia told by a man who’s grown up in same, as raw and real as the country in which he took his first steps.

THIS IS A ROBBERY is the current project from Chris Burrows (Asking For It, Anorexic Olsen Twins), back from the gutter with more anarcho psychosis, raw and real and reminiscent of being drunk at the circus.

THE DEAD MAGGIES (“We sing songs about dead people”) are Tasmanian pioneers of anarchic convict punk. They’ve been spreading oppressive tales disguised as lively music all over the world for the last four years.

THE STRAGGLERS came to Tasmania on tour, their car broke down and they never left. Since their migration to Van Diemens Land they have shared their booze-soaked country-folk and rollicking bluegrass bangers on the Tassie festival circuit, making waves at Falls, Dark Mofo, Cygnet and Panama.

QUINTON TREMBATH will play with a full band at HOBOFOPO2018, performing  his uplifting, deeply felt and personal songs about lost love, sleeping in vans, toasting to mates, life and longnecks.

SEMEN AND GARFUCKEL are a barking acoustic duo from Canberra who have been putting the poke fun into folk punk since 2016. Story goes that one day Garfuckel met Semen and asked him for a smoke and a harmony.

Full line-up:
Days N Daze (USA); Sydney City Trash (reunion); Handsome Young Strangers (NSW); Ess-Em (NSW);  Paddy McHugh (QLD); The Berkeley Hunts (VIC); Fox N Firkin (QLD); Wheat Paste (QLD); Quinton Trembath (VIC); Medusas Wake (NSW); Semen & Garfuckel (ACT); This Is A Robbery (TAS); The Dead Maggies (TAS); The Stragglers (TAS); The Prickly Grapes (TAS); Jude Joseph (VIC); Andy Paine (QLD); The Dead Peasants (VIC); Jim Mongrel (NSW); BrodyGreg (VIC); Just Asta (VIC); Ragged Hollow (TAS); Zac Henderson + band (TAS); Hairyman (TAS); The Black Swans of Trespass (TAS); Mayers & McNamara (TAS); Teresa Dixon (TAS); GT Mongrel (TAS); Samara Cullen (TAS); Samora Squid (TAS)

Tickets on sale now through Oztix.

$50+bf for ‘festival pass’ granting entry to all gigs. Pre-sales available for Sat night only (featuring Days N Daze) for $24+bf. Other shows are door cover only and vary from $10 to $15.

August press release:

Since Folk Til Ya Punk Records’ raucous and beautiful launch party in 2014, those hobo folk punks have spread and encouraged fopo music and hobo life; backing up their musical decadance with HOBOFOPO – HOBarts Original FOlk Punk Orgy: A dive into all things folk punk, and community get together. This year they’re overwhelmed with excitement to announce they are hosting Houston Texas thrashgrass crusty legends DAYS N DAZE, for their first trip to Australia.

Now in its third year, HOBOFOPO has seen acts such as; AJJ (formerly Andrew Jackson Jihad), The Go Set, The Ramshackle Army, Paddy McHugh and The Berkeley Hunts all descend on Hobart for a four-day folk-punk gig-crawl.