Australia’s Melbourne Ska Orchestra Celebrates 21st Anniversary With National Tour And New Single ‘John Wayne’

Australia’s largest and zaniest ska-reggae band, Melbourne Ska Orchestra, combines cabaret-style showmanship with snappy-dressing, sharp musicianship and joyful, exuberant humor. No strangers to touring at home and abroad, I caught up with the band’s frontman and founder, Nicky Bomba, to discuss the band’s travels, exploits and adventures.

The 2024 national tour has seen the band travel thousands of kilometers across the massive Australian continent and play over a dozen shows, from the northeastern tropical tourist mecca of Cairns to the western capital of Perth and back home to their southern namesake, Melbourne.

Nicky expresses his love for connecting with fans and lighting up dance floors across Australia and worldwide. With a band typically twenty members strong, that’s no easy feat. I asked him if it’s like herding cats sometimes.

“The band is a such a unique creation that it still baffles me how so many people travelling together actually works…. but it does! About half of the band have been there from the get go but no one ever truly leaves the orchestra. Career changes or moving countries is the main reason but we have over forty peeps on the books… not to mention all of our international substitutes. Sounds like a football team!”

One of the many members of MSO over the years is a name well known to the Australian and global reggae scene: Mista Savona. Known for his polished collaborations with Jamaican and Cuban artists, Jake was there in the early days of the band, before his solo career blew up. It turns out that Orchestra really functions like one big musical family of people who just love performing live.

“We still catch up (with Jake) occasionally and the comradery is always there. The band formed originally from all different ska, reggae, mento and dub bands that were active around 2003. The musicians in the band, much like the jazz cats from the 50’s and 60’s all play in numerous bands and always have.”

Including their debut eponymous album of 2013, Melbourne Ska Orchestra has released five original albums, a “ska classics” album of covers including a mix of Jamaican and UK hits, and a themed album of covers of TV and movie themes. The band’s original music is often personal, always playful and has a storytelling approach. I asked how a band of MSO’s size goes about writing and arranging their music.

“Anyone can offer an idea in any form (on the back of a napkin, via phone memo for example) and we listen to everything. A smaller committee usually fleshes out the ideas and brainstorms lyrics, melodies and arrangements. We then make choices based on what flavor we are seeking for the album at hand. In the early days, we had communal jams which were fruitful but hard to coordinate given the orchestra member count.”

The MSO is brimming over with highly skilled musicians who are also happy to play along with the cabaret style of performance, which includes some onstage skits and antics. The band also contains players of all ages and cultural backgrounds; a fitting reflection of Melbourne city.

“On this tour we welcomed a 16 year old Alto sax player from Brisbane, Australia. It’s great to see the younger folk getting moved by the genre. Everyone who joins us gets what we do and knows the play from seeing us live. You have to have a certain level of madness to join!”

The Melbourne Ska Orchestra cites Jamaican ska, UK two-tone and latin ska as core musical influences, and a familiar listener will pick those instantly. I asked Nicky which Jamaican artists have made an impact on the band’s sound.

“I mean you really have to start with the Skatalites as they defined the horn skank sensibilities which set the scene for things that followed. Toots and the Maytals, Prince Buster and Stanger Cole influenced our sound but we always added the hybrid formula as we are from Melbourne which is a multicultural melting pot. The possibilities are endless when you put that component in the mix.”

Recent MSO tours have taken the band as far as Turkey and more recently, Mexico.

“We were invited to play Mexico last year and didn’t realise how huge the scene was over there and how well they knew our songs. It’s great to know the international appeal of ska is alive and kicking. We plan to tour a lot more in the coming years as the band connects with other countries. It’s been 21 years and they are still finding out about us for the first time.”

Despite the band’s globe-trotting, it’s yet to visit the original source of ska music: Jamaica. Nicky is hopeful that the day will come, and hints that the prospect may be closer than ever.

“We have connections there with the Alpha Boys School in Kingston which was home to many of the greats. I would love to play Jamaica at some point but not at the expense of my mortgage… A couple of invitations from festivals would be sweet!”

Back home in Australia, the MSO is much loved and also highly decorated. With two ARIA’s for Best World Music Album and two Music Victoria Awards for best global or reggae act, the band has a trophy cabinet to be reckoned with. But Nicky, ever humble, reminds us that the most rewarding moments for the band come when the audiences faces are simply lit up with smiles. 

“International performances are right up there. For some members, touring is the first time they have been overseas. We have had some magical performances where the planets have aligned and the crowd and the band have connected on a higher level. All in all though, we still pinch ourselves that something so massive could have any legs. There is an inherent joy each time we hit the stage.”

Good news for Melbourne Ska Orchestra fans, old and new, is that the group is showing no signs of slowing down or stopping. 

“Far from it. There was a reason our most recent hits compilation was called 20 Years Young. We released a single John Wayne earlier this year to coincide with the Outlaws and Offbeats Tour and we are in the process of writing for our new album. There is so much creativity within the band that I still believe we are still scratching the surface of the musical and performance possibilities. Bless!”

This year’s lead single “John Wayne” has a classic ska sound, with a 4-4 kick drum semblant of a steppers beat, laced with horns that would sound at home played by a mariachi band. With lyrical references to bullets and spurs, the tune sets the mood perfectly for the final show of their Outlaws and Offbeats tour in Adelaide at the Hindley Street Music Hall on 19 October 2024. An official tour wrap party will follow at High Spirits, with DJ Sepia on the decks. You can find Melbourne Ska Orchestra’s music on streaming platforms, on the band’s website and to purchase via Bandcamp and on vinyl.