Celebrating 25 Years Of The Bamboos…

2025 marks twenty five years since the formation of Melbourne Funk and Soul trailblazers The Bamboos. And to celebrate they are releasing a deluxe compilation and heading out for some of their biggest Australian shows to date with an expanded on-stage line up.

One of Australia’s most exciting new labels, Impressed Recordings, are marking this milestone by releasing the deluxe compilation The Bamboos Best on gatefold gold marble 2LP and CD on July 25th. It’s a fittingly definitive collection of one of Australia’s most celebrated, influential and enduring Soul & Funk acts, tracing the history of the band that laid the foundation for the now internationally recognised Australian Soul scene. Its twenty songs are taken from across their twelve albums, including many that have been unavailable on vinyl since their original release, and one track appearing in the format for the very first time. Lance Ferguson talks to Hi Fi Way about the twenty year anniversary celebrations.

Celebrating twenty five years of The Bamboos is an awesome milestone. How does that milestone sit with you when you reflect on it?
Time is a strange thing. I mean, in some ways, it does feel like a quarter of a century, especially when put in that phraseology, but then again, I can remember receiving our first seven-inch vinyl records, our very first single over from America at the time, when the dollar was… I think it was one US dollar was two Australian dollars, so it cost a lot of money to get this vinyl pressed up. But I remember packing that up in envelopes and sending it out to DJs like it it was yesterday, too, so.

Is it hard not to get swept up in the nostalgia of it?
I try to avoid nostalgia, as strange as that sounds. I am trying to always look forward, so… when this whole campaign around this thing came up, in a way, I feel like I’m fighting against it a bit, because I’m thinking about our new album and what we’re going to be doing with that. But this sort of forces me to take stock and had to really do a lot of looking back while we’ve been preparing all this stuff, so it’s not something I always like to do, but because I’ve been forced into doing it, I feel like there’s some positive aspects to that, that sometimes I may gloss over, so I feel like it’s been a valuable process to do that.

How was the process putting together the compilation going back through b-sides, live recordings, and all the photos and things like that from over the journey?
Absolutely, it was pretty hard to actually come up with the track list for the best-of record, because it’s the Bamboos. It can’t be our greatest hits, because it’s not like we have this string of hits, so it’s not like you’re going to have all these massive singles on there. So, in a way, that was liberating, because it meant I could interpret what the Bamboos’ best is with various inputs. There’s songs on there that aren’t big, they’re more like album tracks, but they became songs that were really big for us in our live sets, and it feels like this song should go on because it’s a song we always play live and gets a great response. So, yeah, in a way, being under the radar a bit has, I think, for the whole time, it’s given us freedom to move a little bit, because we’re not weighed down by having to do stuff that people completely expect we should do.

Even when you look at the track list, that makes for an awesome live set list, if that’s what you’re planning to do when you do these shows next month?
I’ve just got it. Oh, wow. We just got them in not that long ago, so it’s great to actually see it, but I also did want to make sure there was something off our last album, and something that hadn’t been on vinyl before, so we’ve got the Bobby Flynn track in there as well, just to give it something fresh.

Picking up the vinyl, that just must be a really good feeling, just from the pictures I’ve seen, it looks like a really well-put-together package?
I think it is. Our good friend Kano, who actually has been our graphic designer, he designed our very first seven-inch artwork, so he’s part of the family. He did a really great job on this, I think. There’s a whole bunch of liner notes and all that stuff, too.

Some of the collaborations on there are tops, you can’t go past Tim Rogers and Meg Washington and people like that. There’s some incredible acts that you’ve got on this one as well?
We’ve been lucky to work with some wonderful guests, and I wish we could include them all on here, but yeah, Tim and Megan are obviously standouts with the songs they did. But I’ve also got to give a shout-out to Alice Russell as well, who worked with us sort of early on, on our first and second album, and she’s an incredible singer from the UK who deserves to be a household name, I think.

It’s amazing how those collaborations really did set the tone for the band’s sound over the years. And speaking of the band’s evolution, you guys started as more of an instrumental outfit and then gradually worked in a lot more vocalists. How did that transition feel for you?
It happened quite naturally, really. We started as an instrumental band because I was really into jazz, funk, and soul, and I felt like it gave us a lot of room to experiment. But over time, we started to work with vocalists because I realised how much more emotional depth a voice could bring to the songs. It just felt like a natural progression for the band. I also felt like there was a real connection between the instrumental side of things and the vocal side, and when you get the right singer, it just amplifies everything. You can take the song in a whole new direction. I think that’s one of the strengths of the band, we’re always evolving and always open to new things.

It must’ve been interesting in the early days, especially with people like Megan Washington and Tim Rogers coming on board, because they really bring their own unique style and personality to the music?
Absolutely, Tim Rogers was really interesting because his style is so distinctive. He’s got that raw, emotional delivery that just demands attention, and it blends perfectly with what we were doing at the time. Megan has that incredible voice that can cut through the mix but still feel really intimate. She brought something really special to the table. Every guest vocalist has left their unique mark, and that’s what I love about it. Every collaboration feels like a different chapter in our journey.

I guess one thing you always come back to is that funky groove. That’s always been a big part of The Bamboos sound?
The groove is the foundation of everything we do. It’s the thing that drives the energy and makes people want to move. If we don’t have that strong, infectious rhythm, then it doesn’t feel like The Bamboos to me. The funk is always going to be the heartbeat of the band. It’s the thing that ties everything together, whether it’s instrumental or with a vocalist and it doesn’t matter if we’re playing something a bit more experimental or taking a different approach, that groove is always there, in the background.

We’ve always had this fluid lineup, and I think that’s helped keep the sound fresh. The musicians who come in and out of the band bring their own influences, and that keeps things from getting stagnant.
But at the same time, there’s always a core group of people who’ve been with the band for years, and that’s essential for keeping the foundation solid. It’s a balance. We want to keep evolving, but we also want to maintain the core essence of what The Bamboos are. It’s always been about the chemistry between the musicians. We’re all about collaboration, whether it’s internal or with external artists.

I think you can hear that in the music. There’s a real sense of connection and chemistry that comes through, especially when you listen to those live recordings or tracks that feature multiple musicians?Yeah, exactly. That connection is crucial. When we’re all in the room together, feeding off each other’s energy, that’s when the magic happens. That’s the thing I love most about being in a band, the way everyone plays off each other and you can hear that when we perform live. There’s a sense of spontaneity, but also a real deep understanding of each other’s playing.

Speaking of live shows, you’ve got some gigs coming up to celebrate this twenty-fifth anniversary. How do you feel about performing the old classics for fans who’ve been with you from the start?
I’m really looking forward to it. There’s a real excitement about revisiting those songs. You know, you’ve got people who’ve been with the band from the very early days, and you’ve also got fans who’ve only come on board in the last few years. I think that’s one of the coolest things about The Bamboos, the audience is so diverse. It’s always fun to play those classic songs, but at the same time, we’re going to be doing some newer material too, because we’ve got a lot of new music in the works. So it’s not just a nostalgia trip. We want to keep pushing forward, even while celebrating everything we’ve done so far.

How is work going on the new album?
We’re pretty deep into it now. We’ve been recording and writing a lot of new material over the past year or so, and it’s coming together really nicely. It’s got that Bamboos vibe, but we’re also exploring some new sounds. We’re still staying true to that funky foundation, but there’s definitely some new influences in there that we’re excited about. I think it’ll surprise people, but in a good way. We’re pushing boundaries, but it’s still unmistakably the Bamboos.

As you look back over the past twenty five years, what’s one thing you’re particularly proud of?
I’m really proud of the way we’ve maintained our integrity throughout the years. There’s been a lot of temptation to chase trends, but we’ve always stuck to our guns and done things our own way. We’ve managed to stay true to ourselves while still evolving and experimenting with new sounds. I think, at the end of the day, that’s the most important thing: staying true to your art, while being open to growth and change. That’s something I’m really proud of and of course, the people we’ve met along the way, the fans, and the incredible musicians we’ve worked with. All of that makes it all worthwhile.

Interview By Rob Lyon

THE BAMBOOS 25 YEARS TOUR

Tickets HERE

THE BAMBOOS BEST

Out now on ltd ed gold metallic gatefold 2LP / CD by Impressed Recordings

Pre-order with t-shirt bundles here