The Mary Wallopers

Fresh from the release of their blistering new album Paddywhackery, Irish firebrands The Mary Wallopers announce their return to Australia, bringing their raucous live show to Forum Melbourne on Saturday 22 May.

Over the past 12 months the Dundalk six-piece haven’t stopped moving, continuing their charge from cult heroes to one of Ireland’s most vital live exports. From lighting up festival main stages to packing out venues across Ireland, the UK, Europe and North America, The Mary Wallopers’ ascent shows no sign of slowing. 

Led by brothers Charles and Andrew Hendy, The Mary Wallopers occupy a lane entirely their own, fusing centuries-old folk traditions with razor-sharp humour, political fire and an infectious disregard for convention. Thanks to relentless touring and word-of-mouth devotion, their gleefully rebellious spirit has propelled the band from grassroots sensations to a must-see global act. This month the band storm through a huge run of dates across Scotland, England and Wales, before closing off the year with arenas in Dublin and Glasgow, ahead of an extensive 21-date North American tour next March.

Millions of streams, support from BBC Radio 6 Music, Radio 2, RTÉ and Today FM, appearances on TV such as Later... with Jools Holland and The Late Show, and a placement in Netflix’s House Of Guinness series have all helped spread the word. But The Mary Wallopers’ reputation has been built the old-fashioned way: one sweat-soaked, euphoric gig at a time. Equal parts celebration, protest and glorious chaos, their shows have become must-see events.

Produced by James Skelly (The Coral), Paddywhackery finds the band broadening their sound without sacrificing an ounce of the rebellious spirit that’s made them such a force. ‘Kit Kat Club’ rides in on the back of a primal guitar riff – think heavy rockabilly music built in Ireland specifically for the 21st century gig goer – and proceeds to tell the tale of a drinking mission that “sent them down to Hell”. ‘Crowns Of England’ prompted The Guardian to declare it “sure to have Nigel Farage spitting his bitter out”. Single ‘The Big Mixer’ is “a song for all the labourers, the nurses, the shelf fillers, the train drivers, the truck drivers, the Deliveroo drivers, the SNAs, the miners, the factory workers... all the people doing a hard day’s work and forced back to the Big Mixer to make profits for someone else.”

Don’t miss The Mary Wallopers when they land down under this May!