The Busymen

About me:

Since 1997 the Busymen have been spellbinding audiences with their idiosyncratic take on 60s punk and rhythm & blues. They combine beat, proto-punk and swamp so the kids might dance, but they never do. The band cut their teeth on Brisbane’s seamy rock’n’roll scene of the late 90s with such gutter luminaries as the Onyas, Strutter, Big Bongin’ Baby, Hekawis, Standing 8 Counts and the Cool Millions. The stage presence of in-patient and unique vocal stylist Boston Bob (maracas, tambourine, kung fu) is the key to the Busymen's formidable live reputation. Yes they are better live, but even better if they show up. After eight years, most bands have built up a body of work and developed both musically and as people. The Busymen differ from their peers in that their debut 45, "Hostile" only appeared in late 2002. A further 7", "Look Out/Lonely Dog" appeared in 2003, and disappeared soon after. Since their inception, The Busymen have shared stages with the Ian Rilen & The Love Addicts, The Unheard, Celibate Rifles, the 5678s, Asteroid B-612, The Hellacopters, Mink Jaguar, 3D TV, Mach Pelican, the Exotics, Specimens, Dynamo, Digger and the Pussycats, Pineapples from the Dawn of Time, Kamikaze Trio, KT-26ers, Aampirellas, Thee Psychodelmatics, Gammarays, Vegas Kings and Hekawis to name a few. The Busymen's original lineup was Robert "Boston Bob" Smith (lead vocals, organ and percussion), Richard Buchanan (bass and backing vocals), "Scratchy" David Crawford (guitar) and Ben Jones (drums). As at 2025, the lineup now conists of Robert Smith together with Jack Mulroney (bass), Jeff Cole (guitar and backing vocals) and Russell Smith (drums).

Who I'd like to meet: