Sydney (Australia) folk-punk band Roaring Jack played an acidic blend of Celtic melodies propelled by a rock rhythm section, while frontman and main songwriter, Glasgow-born Alistair Hulett, waxed polemic and sang razor-sharp with all the intensity of the truly committed.
Roaring Jack songs fairly bristled with social comment, from the politics of The Old Divide and Rule to the venom of Yuppietown, pounded out with all the fire and gusto Celtic music gave Australia’s own bush music tradition.
This was street music, working-class music, shouting against the apathy of mediocrity imposed on the masses in order to control them. It also got the feet moving, the heart thumping and the head thinking.
A longtime member of the Socialist Workers Party, Hulett wrote songs in support of Indigenous Australians, the Builders Labourers Federation, the Maritime Union of Australia, Scottish socialist John Maclean and Chilean singer-songwriter and political activist Victor Jara, and songs attacking Stalinism, Australian Imperialism, former Australian Labor Party Prime Ministers Bob Hawke and Ben Chifley, Postmodernists and Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen over his support for Israel.
Their first album, Street Celtabillity, was released in 1986 and reached #1 on the local Indie charts. By the time the second album, The Cat Among The Pigeons, was released in 1988 the band were headlining in major Australian rock venues as well as opening for overseas acts including Billy Bragg, The Pogues and The Men They Couldn’t Hang.
The second album was nominated for an Australian Music Industry Association (ARIA) award and was released in Europe by the German label Intercord.
Alistair Hulett’s first solo album, Dance of the Underclass, was released in 1991.
Entirely acoustic, with contributions from other members of Roaring Jack, the album was instantly hailed as a folk classic and proved to be the turning point in his return to the folk fold.
Roaring Jack split up in 1992. Returning to the UK, Hulett (pictured) worked with former Fairport Convention fiddle player Dave Swarbrick – who described Hulett as “the best songwriter since Ewan MacColl”.
Drummer Rod Gilchrist died in 1998. Steve Thompson died in 2000.
Alistair Hulett (born 1951) became acutely ill on New Year’s Day 2010 and was hospitalised on 5 January with suspected food poisoning.
Liver failure was later diagnosed, and it was hoped that he could receive a liver transplant, but further investigation revealed a very aggressive metastatic cancer which had already spread to his lungs and stomach. He passed away in Glasgow on 28 January 2010.
Alistair Hulett
Vocals, guitar Steven (Steph) Miller
Accordion, mandolin, vocals Bob (Rab) Mannell
Guitar, bouzouki Dave Williams
Bass Steve Thompson
Drums Hunter Owens
Accordion, mandolin, vocals Rod Gilchrist
Drums
Roaring Jack songs fairly bristled with social comment, from the politics of The Old Divide and Rule to the venom of Yuppietown, pounded out with all the fire and gusto Celtic music gave Australia’s own bush music tradition.
Alistair Hulett’s first solo album, Dance of the Underclass, was released in 1991.
