Music:
Member Since: 7/22/2004
Band Website: bagsteronline.com.au
Band Members:
Koby - Vocals / Guitar
Paul - Bass
Mitch - Drums
Nick - Trumpet / Vocals
Dave - Trombone / Vocals
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Photos By Jess Bryan
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Influences: *For those who aren't interested in long-winded explanations, Bagster plays rock music, with brass.*
We are a rock band from various parts of Sydney, playing music that has been described as appealing to all kinds of ears. That can be backed up by the fact that we can slot into pretty much all kinds of shows, and keep whatever the audience is there for, entertained. We've played with metal bands, punk bands, ska bands, screamo bands, rock bands, funk bands and more. Our music comes from many backgrounds, culminating in a raucous, yet melodious rock/punk furor. (Your supposed to have those kind of "buzz" & "impact" words in a bio right?)
We have a website, you know those things everyone used to have before they got lazy and just used Myspace? You can check it out [ Here ]
Some of our influences include:
Film appreciation, MU330, Elvis Presley, Faith No More, Rx Bandits, Billy Talent, The Suicide Machines (RIP), The Mars Volta, Big D & The Kids Table, Rage Against The Machine, Blood Sweat & Tears, Genuine disdain, Reel Big Fish, Steve Vai, Chicago, Bad Religion, Billy Joel, Muse, Pennywise, Guns 'N Roses, Meshuggah, NOFX, Harry Connick Jr., Goldfinger, Billy Talent, Aphex Twin, Squarepusher, Skateboards, Strapping Young Lad, Faith No More, System Of A Down, Rise Against, Angst, Voodoo Glow Skulls, Frenzal Rhomb, Bodyjar and many more.
We have toured Australia for the last few years, both on our own, headlining shows to packed rooms, (and empty ones) and we've also been lucky enough to support some of the world's finest talents and some of our greatest influences. Bands like : The Suicide Machines, Lagwagon, Reel Big Fish, Guttermouth, Goldfinger, Less Than Jake, Pennywise, New Found Glory, Mad Caddies, Anti-Flag, Taking Back Sunday, Against Me!, Strung Out, Reggie & The Full Effect, The Real McKenzies, Streetlight Manifesto, Bad Manners, Crowned King, Fluxuation and many more.
We have played some pretty sweet festivals in various states of this country, including: Taste Of Chaos and Come Together (twice) in Sydney, Strikeback in Newcastle, Rapid in Brisbane and various youth / community festivals across Australia, (That's NSW to WA, people!) and one day, we hope to go beyond.
You can see a comprehensive list of shows we've played [ Here ], We've probably played in your town, so don't miss us when we come back. If we haven't been to your town, get in touch, tell us the best place we should come and play.
Various media outlets have been very supportive of our tunes over the years, enjoying airtime on Triple J (Short Fast Loud / Home & Hosed), Nova in Sydney, Triple M in Sydney and various community stations all over the nation.
TV has been kind to us as well, our video clip for 'There's Something In The Lake' has appeared on Rage, Fuel TV, Planet X TV, TVS, Channel 31 and more.
Surprisingly we have attracted substantial sales all over the world thanks to the wonders of iTunes, I guess that's because we make ipods much cooler or something. Triple that amount have probably downloaded us for free, but hey, who cares, so long as they like it, like they say, it's better to be heard than to hide in the shadows.
2008 will see us continuing to have good times. We hope you share them with us.
Sounds Like: 'Wellkumn To The Show Tonight' Reviews -
"Not what I was expecting. The name and brass backed lineup suggested some sort of ska-flavour was probably on offer, but far from this, the opening Wellkumn this has a firmer rock - even punk - grip to it. When it does work it is a distinctive accent to the pretty much cliched style that is called 'hardcore' (but often isn't). 'Bad News' is pretty typical TV news as horror movie imagery, but goes well. Same with 'Show Tonight', the struggling band motif nothing new, but the trumpet and trombone give it a slightly fresh spin" DRUM MEDIA
"Western Sydney's rock-with-horns outfitneeded this release. Constant touring has ensured regular demand for recordings, and their last EP, 'Brutiful' was becoming dated. Recorded partly with Phil McKellar and partly with Shane Edwards & Dave Petrovic, Wellkumn To The Show Today improves on previous Bagster releases, which haven't always matched the group's on-stage spark. 'There's Something In The Lake' is the standout, a slower number that sees singer Koby busting out in a way he hasn't before" BLUNT MAGAZINE
- Live Reviews -
"An early start on the line up was made at 730 when Bagster took to the stage. I’m always impressed with the enthusiasm that these guys play with, and the amount of fans they manage to attract to every show. Their set was a mixture of old and new material. Last song of the set was their new single 'Wellkumn', which I have to admit is a firm step forward for these guys. All elements successfully worked in to form a foot stomping, skank dancing good tune." FASTERLOUDER [Sydney Reel Big Fish Support]
"Rewind to the beginning of the night, and locals Bagster are treating a rapidly growing crowd to half an hour of Less Than Jake-style punk. And though the sight of a trombone and trumpet player walking on stage is enough to have you heading for the bar, those who resist the temptation aren't disappointed by the talented five piece." KERRANG [New Found Glory Support]
"Nice four-to-the-floor rhythms mixing it with a horn section, it's more rock than ska and the huge turnout for their set was deserved. At times in their set the floor even opened into circle pits, seeming to surprise the band members" DRUM MEDIA [New Found Glory Support]
"Bagster were next on the stage and managed to please all in the crowd. With a few crazy ‘skank circles’ opening up to the shock of security, they tried out some new songs as well as pleasing the faithful with some old classics" FASTERLOUDER [Manly Youth Centre Show]
"Bagster sparked movement amongst the masses that had now gathered front of stage, punters bouncing up and down, circle pits breaking out all over as the band picked up the pace and combined fast, powerful punk rock with a loud, tight two piece horn section, making the most of their 20 minutes on stage." BOMBSHELL [Come Together Festival 2]
"Bagster are another one of those bands that leave an indelible stamp on your brain from the very first encounter. They've got a hard act to follow tonight, but they know how to throw it all together with that blend of semi-ska-ed, brass-etched rock that they do so well. Big bold, brass riddled balls that come wrapped in a five way package that ramrods with its own incessant energy and in-your-face rock deviations. Plenty of punch all the way, with some cool dropouts. Tight as and professional to boot, these guys know how to put on a show as they squeeze out every last inch of that sweaty, mega-brassed musicarama. Ratatat brass-laced rock that sweats, threatens, deviates in its own affable way, and then sticks it to ya! Dance yourself stupid and then some!" REDBACKROCK
"Locals Bagster opened proceedings, getting a mini mosh started, and generally firing up the crowd well." THE DWARF [Pennywise Support]
- 'Brutiful' Reviews -
"High energy punk and rock sounds offset by sharp ska horns, Sydney's Bagster manage to transfer the fun aspect of their live sound into the studio and onto thousands of stereos across Australia - hopefully. If these five guys came out of SoCal the industry would probably be throwing trucker caps full of cash at them. But it's clear these guys wouldn't sound any different if they were billionaires or bums. Bringing a skill for injecting their energetic tunes with good-time poptastic tinges and metal edges means this sits well above the likes of Area 7. And nice cover art from Nancy Vandal psycho Fox Trotsky as well!" - 7/10 - BLUNT MAGAZINE
"Ska that doesnt sound like a shareware version of reel big fish? Impossible! Yet that's what Bagster have delivered with their latest EP. Defining it as ska cheapens it somewhat, The tracks on offer span many different worlds with The Conquest Of sounding like the best song the Offspring never wrote. It strays from the usual formula, with a sombre sounding lyric and a serious punk-style attitude towards the world, before giving up and blasting into a massive brass and lead break. It's alot of fun and you can hear every ounce of how much this band loves what they do."- 4/5 - HOTPRESS MAGAZINE
"One thing that has always impressed me about Bagster is their ability to create music which is not in the slightest bit generic, but easily digestable for the average listener. It's no easy feat, and I think part of it has to do with their wide array of influences that creep in here and there, but are never blatant or too obvious. There's parts that sound a little like Rage Against The Machine style breakdowns, then there will be a big brassy melody that reminds me more of Blood, Sweat and Tears, and then maybe a Bodyjar style pop-punk harmony. It's basically a whole lot of influences that have come together to create something fresh." RECORD REVIEWS
Record Label: Self-Released
Type of Label: Indie
