The Bushwackers

The Bushwackers, established in 1971, play Australian music, much of it based on the traditional folk and working songs from the early 20th century, infused with their own brand of contemporary subject matter and instrumentation. With a laconic, distinctive Australian sound, Dobe Newton and Roger Corbett voice 50 years of songs, tunes and dance calls. As much as the music has changed, the spirit of the songs and stories that inspired the first Bushwackers have not. With their politics and social conscience proudly worn on their sleeve, the band combines original material with a traditional repertoire. Songs such as ‘Beneath The Southern Cross’ and ‘When Britannia Ruled The Waves’, sit easily alongside a musical setting of Lawson’s epic poem ‘Faces in The Street’ and ‘The Ballad of 1891’ celebrating the great shearers’ strike. Now in their 52nd year, The Bushwackers are led by the mighty lagerphone of Dobe Newton and the musical direction of Roger Corbett. Both are joined onstage with a great team of musicians wielding fiddles, accordions, mandolins, guitars, bass, and drums. Their shows are filled with an enthusiastic diversity of fans who dance, sing and enjoy this unique Australian music.