bio

Rough Red is back! One of Australia's much loved and much travelled folk-rock bands of the 90's and early 2000's, Rough Red is back together after a long hiatus

Four albums under their belts, four European tours, regular airplay nationally throughout Australia, extensive film clip exposure on Music Country, a documentary of their first European tour that aired in the UK, France, Belgium, Scandinavia and on the 7 Network in Australia, a top 5 hit on the country music ARIA charts, and regular appearances at Australia’s major roots music festivals - all of this activity ensured the band was kept pretty busy for over a decade.

ROUGH RED present elements of folk, country, and roots in contemporary songs that reflect their Australian heritage and their worldly travels - a wild concoction of larrikinism, yarn-spinning and driving rhythms on one side; political comment and plaintive “love gone wrong” songs on the other. The band was a regular touring entity on the European summer festival circuit. In July / August 2002, the Reds played at two of the world’s most prestigious festivals - the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, and the Bardentreffen Festival in Nuremberg, Germany. They also performed at the Skuleberget Festival in northern Sweden, following their performance there in 2000. The band also forged new territory into the Baltic region, with performances at the Paide Shanty Festival in Estonia.

ROUGH RED previously toured Europe in 1996, 1998, and 2000, and have played the main stage of the Skagen Festival in Denmark (three times), the Brosella Folk Festival in Belgium, the Vikedal Roots Music Festival in Norway, as well as the Galway Arts Festival in Ireland, Charlety Stadium in Paris, and the legendary Borderline Club in London. Their albums have enjoyed national airplay on Radio FIP, France’s contemporary radio station, and 2FM, Ireland’s contemporary broadcaster, as well as regional airplay in Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Belgium, Holland and England. Incredibly, the single from their first album, a version of the old Doobie Brothers' song Long Train Running, is still getting airplay on national French radio to this day!

The band has released four albums to date. 1996’s “Better Red Than Dead”, a Celtic influenced, acoustic-based collection of songs, was followed by 1999’s “Seeing Red”, a slicker, more electric album, which yielded the top 5 hit “Living in Australia”. In 2001, the Reds released their first live album Uncorked, recorded at one of their home-town venues, and this was a return to the acoustic-based, stripped-back format which the band favours.

December 2002 saw the release of the band’s fourth album “Live in Europe”, recorded at festivals during their most recent European summer tour. The album includes a bonus 1 hour DVD “Live at the Montreux Jazz Festival”.

ROUGH RED’s sheer joy in making music and performing has also taken them to many of the large Australian music festivals, including the Tamworth Country Music Festival, Woodford Folk Festival, The National Folk Festival, the Illawarra Folk Festival, the Gympie Muster, Emerald Country Music Festival, as well as Federation and Year of the Outback concerts throughout Queensland.

Since the band called it a day back in 2004, the individual members have been busy with new projects and solo albums, but the lads are now looking forward to strutting their stuff once again. The Reds are back!

WHO's WHO in ROUGH RED

JOHN FEGAN | lead vocals, harmonica, acoustic guitar

STEVE TYSON | acoustic & electric guitars, mandolin, vocals

PETER HARVEY | accordion, piano, mandolin, vocals

JOHN BARR | bass guitar, vocals

DAVE PARNELL | drums, percussion, vocals