Entertainment
27 September, 2026
Ska ready to roll-out unique tea towels
MELBOURNE Ska Orchestra will bring its sprawling 20-plus-member line-up to Cairns next month, with bandleader Nicky Bomba saying that regional touring remains vital despite the growing financial pressures facing Australian musicians.
The ARIA Award-winning collective will conclude its national Monte Loco Rides Again Tour at Tanks Arts Centre on Saturday 24 October, performing tracks from its 2025 album The Ballad Of Monte Loco alongside new songs.
For Mr Bomba, Cairns has a connection dating back to the beginning of his career.
“I love Cairns,” he said.
“It was one of the first gigs I ever did when I returned to professional music when I was 16 – and I fell in love with the place and wrote my first song there.”
Mr Bomba also recalled playing with his first reggae band at Kuranda Markets and said the orchestra continued to visit regional centres even when the economics were marginal.
“It’s worth doing, because we love sharing our music, and every time we play there, we have a great, great night. It’s always a good buzz and people get what we do, and we have lots of fun, and so we just keep coming back,” he said.
Touring with more than 20 musicians presents its own challenges and Mr Bomba describes the orchestra as a “ramshackle” operation that has become increasingly efficient at managing flights, accommodation and musicians spread across the country.
Those logistical pressures come as Mr Bomba says the wider live music industry faces mounting financial challenges, including declining recorded-music income and difficulty accessing government support.
“We used to be able to make a little bit from CDs and vinyl, and even though people still buy that, it’s nowhere near the level it used to be, and that used to be able to support a tour,” he said.
Mr Bomba said governments needed to invest more in live venues and make arts funding easier to access, noting that Melbourne Ska Orchestra had unsuccessfully applied for five grants over the previous six months.
Despite those pressures, the band has continued touring for 22 years and will arrive in Cairns with new material and an unusual local distinction to defend – audiences in Cairns bought more Melbourne Ska Orchestra tea towels than at any other stop on last year’s tour.
“We’ll be bringing out, you know, some more details and maybe a different design this time,” he said.
Tickets are available at: www.cnslocal.s.gy/aZvjtw
