East Row Rabble

Name: East Row Rabble
Start: 2025-11-14T11:30:00+11:00
End: 2025-11-14T13:30:00+11:00
Location: Smith's Alternative

Schedule

Fri Nov 14 2025 at 11:30 am to 01:30 pm

UTC+11:00

Location

Smith's Alternative | Canberra, CT

$30/20
The Rabble Revival
After nearly two years of general distraction and mid-life scheduling related hiatus, Canberra's 2nd favourite horn clad party band East Row Rabble are back in action! And they have a couple of new members.
East Row Rabble delivers a slick mix of funk, reggae, blues and soul with upbeat party horn lines that will get your booty shakin' and your feet shuffling. Addressing a mixture of world issues and daily curiosities, front man Ben Drysdale’s songs explore the many, varied, and often conflicting elements of any situation with honesty, hope, a little cheekiness and a whole lotta groove.The Rabble also welcomes back to the stage:
The Horns
· Timothy “Tight Lips” Bowyer on Trumpet
· Josh “Big Bones” Hart on Trombone
· Caleb “The Hair” Ball on Saxophone
The Rhythm
· Toby “Tall Tubs” King on Drums
· Roger “Boom Bup” Daniel on Bass (Yep that’s double bass players)
· Niall “Tinkle Fingers” Howe on Keys
The Noobs
In exciting news… 10 years after the last gig of the band they used to play in together, Ben will share the stage with Beth “The Shredder” Monzo who has joined the Rabble on Guitar and Backing Vocals. Mike “Nice Guy” Amon will also be joining the band on Canadian Bass (like normal Bass but nicer!)
A party band that was made for the festival scene, the Rabble has made waves at the National Folk Festival, St Albans Festival, and Kangaroo Valley Festival as well as BeerFest Canberra and a number of appearances at Enlighten Festival. They have supported Australian greats such as Tijuana Cartel, Art vs Science and Melbourne Ska Orchestra.
Get down to Smith’s with your dancing shoes and your drinking buddies and raise the roof with the Rabble!
“East Row Rabble is a classic styled big band that would’ve fit right into the 30s and 40s in America, as we tried to dance our way out of the Great Depression.” – Caleb Alexander, The B-Side Guys (US)
“It’s catchy but still has an edge to it, and it’s great to hear a band producing this type of music” – Jane Howkins, York Calling (UK)
East Row Rabble released their debut self-titled EP to a sold out house at the Polish Club in June 2018 before heading on the road for a run of gigs up the East Coast of Australia including packed houses at Lazybones Lounge (Marrickville), Sol Bar (Maroochydore), The Chambers (Wollongong) and a homecoming gig at the Basement (Canberra) where they supported Tijuana Cartel.
After releasing two singles from the record in 2016 the band decided to do some more work on production, enlisting Sydney producer Jon Reichardt (Hilltop Hoods, Bliss n Esso) to sweeten the mix with extra layers of guitar and organs.
Singles from the EP have been aired on Triple J Roots n All and community radio stations across VIC, NSW, QLD, SA and WA, as well as the US, and have been featured on blogs and podcasts in the UK.
“The EP features impressive songwriting, with catchy tunes, solid choruses and appealing lyrics. All songs project an upbeat mood, with most having danceable rhythms.” – BMA Magazine
“A beautiful mix of grandeur and reality, and I can easily see why it worked as a proposal. We know we’d say yes.” - Review of Good For Me by The B-Side Guys (US)
The band teamed up with Mint Media to make a film clip that perfectly captures the essence of their song ‘Aliens in my Brain’ through a 3D generated space landscape, a pair of freaky alien back up dancers, and some ridiculous antics by the band members... Check it out!

“I have never heard sci-fi & soul together like this. Brings a smile to my day” – Review of Aliens in my Brain by Nkechie Anele – Triple J Roots n All
“Aliens In My Brain’ carries instant appeal in its soulful tide. Drysdale’s smooth vocals are mated with a funky guitar core and brilliant brass instrumentation which really makes the song glow. There is a strong brass riff throughout the track, with a standout trumpet solo at the bridge.” – BMA Magazine
“The lyrics are sheer genius (two listens in and I'm still hearing new gems) and the seriously funky tunes have me wanting to break out into dance. Plus that sax solo at 2:56 is a killer!” - Triple J Unearthed review of Strawberries & Cream by unearthed super reviewer Delia Bartle.