The story of Rancid Eddie’s formation is as gritty as it is pure – amidst a pile of crushed up beer cans and cigarette ashes, a band of five friends from Melbourne, Australia was born. Composed of Jessy Kelly and Matt Sturrock on lead vocals/guitar, Ash Ravlic on bass, Andy Sturrock on drums, and namesake Eddie O’Brien on keys, the group started as their high school lives ended, feeling that music was “the only thing” that’d keep them together.
Once Covid hit and playing live shows was no longer a possibility, like countless others, the band decided to get on TikTok. There’s something inherently incongruent about supposedly contrarian rock ‘n’ roll bands playing in the influencer’s sandbox, but somehow Rancid Eddie figured it out and developed a rabid following. They showed themselves in their natural habitat – on a couch on the lawn of their shared home, drinking beers at 10am and doing singalongs. Their videos started to amass millions of views – with people taking the live audio and creating tens of thousands of user generated content. Most notably was their track “Dry” which when released, rocketed over 16 million streams across DSPs in the first six months. Finding themselves on 27 different countries’ top 100 charts globally, three being top 10 positions (New Zealand Alternative Apple Music, Australia Alternative Apple Music, Australia Daily Spotify), the band became the #1 Fastest building artist in the world last October.
Their latest single “Tiger Love” takes a slight departure from the band’s signature sound, showcasing a stripped down, laid-back ballad. Sturrock shares, “Ed and I wrote this during the first covid lockdown as a laid back acoustic ballad that came out of a bathroom sesh. Usually turning the acoustics into full band songs is a pain in the ass but once we all got around to the song at band prac I knew this had the potential to be mixed with the rancid herbs and spices. It didn’t take us long to pull together the perfect blend that gives this tune the kick in the guts you need for what the song is all about. I didn’t have any idea of what the song was about when I wrote it but now I look back at the lyrics and I guess you could say its about sex, drugs and being with someone whilst being in love with someone else. Kinda like a rebound situation just a tad more toxic. It’s a special song and we’re stoked that the studio version is coming out.”
Demonstrating their versatility, Rancid Eddie continue to deliver their unfiltered sound. With streaming numbers in the millions and sold-out shows across Australia, the band are proving to be an invincible force.
Take a look at their upcoming tour dates! Friday 5th August – Carringbah Hotel, CarringbahSaturday 6th August – Avalon RSL, Avalon BeachThursday 11th August – The Basement, CanberraFriday 12th August – QueBar, Wagga WaggaFriday 19th August – Port Beach Brewery, FremantleSaturday 20th August – Charles Hotel, PerthFriday 2nd September – Fat Controller, AdelaideSaturday 3rd September – Pepper Tree, Aldinga
Tickets – rancideddie.com