When singer/songwriter J. Keenan and bassist Mark Moran formed The Go Set in 2003, it seemed only natural to combine the elements of the music they had grown up on. Having both been brought up on everything from traditional celtic and folk music, to early seventies punk rock, and with a voice for political perspective and social conscience, The Go Set embarked on a unique musical journey. Combining the folk elements of the bagpipes, accordion, and mandolin, with distorted punk guitars and a rock n roll ethos, The Go Set created a sound and direction all its own...
“…trying to describe the sound of The Go Set is like trying to imagine Billy Bragg, The Pogues, and The Clash having a late night jam in a local pub with an endless supply of booze”. Blunt Magazine (2005)
Amusing, but probably not far wrong. The Pogues and The Clash, along with the likes of early Midnight Oil, Weddings Parties Anything, Billy Bragg, and Radio Birdman are indeed strong influences on the band’s music.
In November 2004, the band entered Birdland Studios in Melbourne with engineer Lindsay Gravina (Spiderbait, The Living End) and recorded their debut album ‘Sing a Song of Revolution”. Recorded in just 2 days, it captured all the intensity and raw live energy that the band had become renowned for.
The band hit the road immediately after the release of ‘Sing a Song of Revolution’, and toured extensively through Australia and New Zealand, developing a strong fanbase on its intense and chaotic live shows.
In addition to its own relentless touring schedule, The Go Set has also toured and played with the likes of The Living End, The White Stripes, Goldfinger, Reel Big Fish, The Stranglers, Pulley, Flogging Molly, Tiger Army and Royal Crown Revue among others.
A year after the debut album was recorded, the band returned to Birdland Studios again, this time with producer, Radio Birdman frontman, Rob Younger. After 5 days recording, The Go Set’s second album ‘The Hungry Mile’ had been created. With a similar energy and aesthetic as its predecessor, ‘The Hungry Mile’ also demonstrates an evolution in the band. More detailed arrangement, more creative instrumentation, and the most powerful and poignantly delivered lyrics to date.
The album crossed many boundaries, and addressed issues inherent in Australian society, and indeed globally – the plight of the working class and work place reform, war and tragedy, and the importance of family and support. It is truly an album for all people.
Through 2006 the band embarked on a tour to support the release of ‘The Hungry Mile’, a tour that lasted the entire year and took in all parts of the country as well as New Zealand. Within the first two weeks of its release, the album had debuted at #10 in the Australian Independent album charts, had had the first single added to Rage and Triple J, and had sold out its first shows. Not bad for a band running its own record label and management.
In 2007, The Go Set teamed up with Australian singer/songwriter legend Mick Thomas to record their third full length album, titled “A Journey for a Nation”. The new album addresses much of the same subject matter that the band has become known for, and the punk energy, bagpipes, and folk instruments remain the same - but this album has a new diversity and complexity previously unfound.
Those familiar with the band labeled this album as, by far, the band’s most accomplished record and a huge step in the band’s evolution. ‘A Journey for a Nation’ received rave reviews around Australia, Japan, and Europe, being hailed as a breakthrough release for the band. ‘A Journey for a Nation’ was also nominated for a MusicOz award for ‘Best Alternative Release’ category, and entered the Australian Independent Top 10 in its first week of release.
Over the summer of 2007/2008, The Go Set was a standout live act to thousands of festival-goers at the Woodford, Pyramid Rock, St Kilda, Port Fairy, and Queenscliff Festivals among others.
Drum Media Magazine (2007) recently described The Go Set’s live show as “one of the best live performances you will see all year. Not to be missed”
Into April 2008 and The Go Set toured Japan and then Europe, where the band signed a two album deal with European punk label Coretex, as well as European management and booking contracts.
“Rising” is The Go Set’s fourth album in as many years, and was recorded in July 2008 with US producer Jonathon Burnside (Melvins, NOFX, Sleepy Jackson) at Eastern Bloc studios in Melbourne. The band has labeled the new release as a move back to its punk rock origins, but with new forays into reggae and ska – styles not familiar for a folk/punk outfit.