Sell tickets with Eventfinda TixSuite. No per-ticket fees. Try it for free today!

The Herd are an Australian hip hop outfit from Sydney. Unusually for a hip-hop outfit they have a full band format, which permits more dynamic live shows. The Herd are composed of MCs Ozi Batla, Urthboy and Berzerkatron, Unkle Ho (beats), Traksewt (piano accordion, clarinet and beats), Sulo (beats and guitar), Toe-fu (guitar), Rok Poshtya (bass) and singer Jane Tyrrell. Their songs often feature politically-oriented lyrics.

The Herd's first single to attract Triple J airplay was Scallops in 2001, a song about ordering food at a take-away shop. Later tracks included "77%" which featured the line '77% of Aussies are racist', referring to the number of Australians announced in a survey that agreed with the Australian Federal Government's response to the Tampa affair, and Burn Down the Parliament, which was to be interpreted metaphorically, but was released the same week as the Canberra bushfires of 2003. "77%" scored well on the Triple J Hottest 100 of 2003, coming in at #46.

The Herd released their third album The Sun Never Sets in 2005, featuring the single "We Can't Hear You". Their subjects ranged from their well-known anti-war stance and anti-corporatism to more personal topics like divorce and the slow death of the Australian outback/country.

In October 2005, The Herd featured live on Triple J's 'Like a Version' (acoustic covers) segment. They performed their own version of the famous Australian 1983 song "I Was Only Nineteen (A Walk in the Light Green)" by Redgum. The song was so well received by fans that it received regular Triple J airplay and was voted #18 in the 2006 Triple J Hottest 100 countdown.

In May 2008 The Herd released its fourth studio album, Summerland. The first single from the album "The King is Dead" makes reference to Australia's change in government with John Howard being replaced after 11 years as Prime Minister by Kevin Rudd. The album debuted at #7 on the ARIA Album charts and reached #2 on the Top 40 Urban Album charts. It was also nominated for the 2008 ARIA Awards in the 'Best Urban Release' category.

In November 2008, The Herd were named 'Best Independent Artist' and their album, Summerland, 'Best Independent Urban/Hip Hop Album' at the Jägermeister AIR (Australian Independent Record Labels Association) Awards held at Melbourne's Corner Hotel. The awards coincided with the group's self managed label Elefant Traks celebrating its tenth birthday that weekend. The Herd appeared in the Triple J Hottest 100 with two entries in the 2008 countdown; 2020 at number 63 and The King is Dead at number 13.

The Herd released, "The Sum of it All", the first single from the band's fifth album on 21 March 2011, available as a download by donation from the Elefant Traks website. The album was released in August 2011.

Post a comment

Past events by The Herd