If soul had a southern hemisphere capital, it might just be Melbourne—and at its heart, for more than two decades, have been The Bamboos. Tight, funky, and impossibly smooth, this band didn’t just bring vintage soul to Australia—they redefined it for a new generation. The Bamboos are the kind of band that make you dance first and ask questions later, then stay for the depth, the craft, and the unmistakable feeling that this is music made with love and sweat.
Roots in Groove
The Bamboos began in 2000 as the vision of Lance Ferguson, a guitarist, producer, and DJ whose passion for funk ran deeper than most. Born in New Zealand and raised in Australia, Ferguson was steeped in everything from James Brown to Fela Kuti, from Hip-Hop to Jazz, and the kind of dusty old 45s with breaks that real DJs built entire nights around.
In the late ’90s, the funk and rare groove revival was bubbling quietly in underground scenes from London to Melbourne, and Ferguson decided to channel that energy into a live band. The first incarnation of The Bamboos started as a deep-funk instrumental outfit—raw, sweaty, and steeped in the 1960s grooves of The Meters and Booker T. & The MGs. Their second 45 release (Tighten Up) in 2004 on Kenny Dope's KAY-DEE Records quickly burnt the Bamboos into the heads of collectors and DJs, as a serious band to follow.
Soul in Full Bloom
The turning point came in 2006, when The Bamboos signed to Tru Thoughts Records, the Brighton-based label that helped globalize the modern soul movement. That same year, they released their debut album, Step It Up—a record that announced to the world that Melbourne had its own funk powerhouse.
What set The Bamboos apart wasn’t just precision—it was feel. Their grooves were airtight, but never mechanical; every horn blast, every snare crack carried a human pulse. And when vocalist Kylie Auldist joined the band, the chemistry clicked into something special. Her commanding voice brought a new emotional depth to the band’s sound, helping to define the next chapter of their evolution.
Over the next decade, albums like Rawville (2007), Side Stepper (2008) 4 (2010), Medicine Man (2012), and Fever in the Road (2013) built on that foundation, blending funk, soul, and modern pop sensibilities with impeccable musicianship. Ferguson’s songwriting matured into something more expansive—drawing from cinematic soul, northern soul, and even touches of psychedelia—without ever losing the band’s funky heartbeat.
The Melbourne Sound
The Bamboos didn’t just make records—they built a scene. In the early 2000s, their shows helped turn Melbourne into a global hub for funk and soul, inspiring a wave of like-minded acts and a culture of live groove-oriented music. They shared stages with artists like Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, The Roots, and Eddie Bo, bridging continents with their sound.
Their collaborations became a hallmark, too. Guest vocalists such as Alice Russell, Tim Rogers, Montaigne, and Daniel Merriweather brought new textures and audiences into the fold. Songs like “I Got Burned” (with Tim Rogers) and “On the Sly” became staples on Australian radio, proving that a deep funk band could also write hooks that stuck.
Beyond Revival
By the 2010s, The Bamboos had transcended the retro tag. Their records didn’t feel like homage—they felt alive, contemporary, and personal. Ferguson, always restless, wove elements of cinematic soul, dance music, and sophisticated pop into their later work, culminating in albums like Night Time People (2018) and Hard Up (2021), which balanced nostalgia with reinvention.
Through it all, The Bamboos have remained unmistakably themselves: a band that plays with precision but feels with abandon, as committed to groove as to growth.
Two Decades of Funk and Heart
More than twenty years since their debut, The Bamboos stand as one of the most respected and enduring funk and soul collectives in the world. Their sound—gritty but elegant, rooted but forward-looking—has influenced artists far beyond Australia.
In a world of fleeting trends, they’ve stayed the course, proving that authenticity, craft, and heart never go out of style. For Lance Ferguson and his ever-evolving lineup of collaborators, funk isn’t just a genre—it’s a philosophy.
Because if The Bamboos have taught us anything, it’s this: soul isn’t about looking back. It’s about making you feel something now.