Melbourne Ska Orchestra On Genre-Bending Sounds, Cinematic Storylines & Touring Australia

From the badlands of brass and the frontiers of funk, Melbourne Ska Orchestra rides again with a soundtrack for the wild-hearted! Armed with a new record, The Ballad of Monte Loco, the twenty-piece posse is firing off a genre-busting fusion of Spaghetti Western swagger, deep reggae grooves, and horn-powered mayhem. It’s the next chapter in MSO’s wild musical saga, and it’s coming in hot.

Fresh off the dusty trails of Mexico and the maple-syruped dancehalls of Canada, MSO returns home for the Australian leg of their 2025 World Tour. Expect cinematic showdowns, sweat-soaked dance floors, and enough energy to raise the roof on every saloon from Sydney to Fremantle. This ain’t no gig, it’s a dub-drenched reckoning in the badlands of Monte Loco, where the riddim rolls like thunder, the horns cry like desert prophets, and this band of sonic outlaws rides with purpose and fire. Wally Maloney talks to Hi Fi Way about the album and tour.

Congratulations on the new album! With such a large band, is it a relief once the record is done and out in the world?
Absolutely. Once the album’s out, it’s a real relief. Everyone gets to hear it, and we shift focus to the next stage, touring, bringing the new songs to life on stage. Right now, the band’s in Canada preparing for the first show of The Ballad of Monte Loco tour.

With so many members, how does the creative process work when making an album?
We’ve developed a great system. Everyone writes songs independently, and when it’s time to record, we put out the call. Folks bring in their ideas, and we discuss how they might fit the album’s scope. Some of us are strong arrangers. Our bandleader Nicky Bomba is an exceptional producer, engineer, and multi-instrumentalist. We sketch ideas quickly, and then members take different parts and flesh them out into full arrangements.

Is aligning everyone’s schedules the toughest part?
Definitely. We have a core songwriting team that gathers when it’s time to record. Nicky’s studio in regional Victoria handles a lot of rhythm section work, and we also use a Melbourne studio for horns and other elements. Vocals happen in both locations, and some members even submit theirs remotely. It’s a patchwork, but it works.

How does the concept for an album begin? Does Nicky start with a vision and let others build around it?
That’s pretty much how this one started. With Monte Loco, we wanted to combine our traditional ska and reggae roots with spaghetti western vibes. We decided to treat it like a soundtrack for a movie that doesn’t exist. We outlined a story, characters, and arcs, which shaped the songs, even if those details aren’t explicitly mentioned in the lyrics.

Could this fictional story carry over into future albums?
Now that you mention it, that’s a brilliant idea! We could continue an underlying narrative across multiple records, subtly weaving it through without being overt. It gives the albums extra depth, and the live experience a cinematic feel.

During early jam sessions, is discovering new textures and rhythms one of your favorite parts?
Definitely. For this record, early sessions focused less on full songs and more on rhythm, timbre, and texture. We explored horse canter patterns, the actual rhythms of hooves, to influence percussion and pacing. These rhythms subtly nod to western themes but can be layered with ska and reggae for something truly unique. We also experimented with castanets, piccolos, and other rarely-used instruments. It was all part of pre-production, learning what our sonic palette could be.

What was the vibe like among the band as the songs took shape?
Really exciting. Nicky held onto many of the tracks until they were ready, so we’d suddenly get an email at 2am with a song draft, and we’d be blown away. As things progressed, I started adding Foley and sound design, creating sonic environments like crunching boots, saloon doors opening, passing trains, little cinematic touches that help tie the album together. It’s designed to be played straight through with no gaps.

Does that cinematic experience carry into your live shows? Will you play the album front to back on tour?
We’re incorporating around eight or nine tracks from the album into our live set, alongside hits from our other seven albums. We haven’t finalized how it will work, maybe we’ll string the new tracks together and layer in sound design elements. We’re even considering live Foley: using coconuts for horse hooves, whips, bridles, the works! It’s exciting, ambitious, and kind of risky, but that keeps it fun.

You’ve just wrapped a couple of weeks since release, how’s the response been so far?
Fantastic. I spoke to Nicky earlier, he’s been getting calls and messages from people praising the album’s sound and originality. That kind of direct feedback is rare and really affirming. Streaming numbers are already very strong.

What’s the touring plan from August onward?
This tour is huge, we’re visiting every state and territory in Australia, which is a first for us. That includes South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania, and the Northern Territory, plus our usual East Coast run. We’re bringing renewed energy, and it’s going to be special.

It’s impressive to manage touring logistics for such a big band. How do you make it work?
It’s a serious juggling act. I handle all the bookings, flights, hotels, venues, and balancing the budget across so many shows is tough. But the team is solid, and the audiences are passionate. Our show in Adelaide, for example, is selling incredibly well. Can’t wait to play The Gov again.

What’s the plan after this tour wraps? Are international dates on the horizon?
Yes, we’re exploring options in Japan, New Zealand, Mexico, and Europe. We’ve toured Mexico a few times and want to keep building that following. Europe is on the wish list for next year. We’ve done the UK, Glastonbury, and Turkey, but mainland Europe is still untapped. There are heaps of summer festivals that we’d be a perfect fit for.

Interview By Rob Lyon

The Ballad Of Monte Loco is out now, order HERE…

Catch Melbourne Ska Orchestra on the following dates, tickets HERE…