Top left image via Facebook, right image by Rod Manning Photography //

Get familiar with Wollongong garage outfit HOON and their punk mantra before they hit the road for their Red Hot Frogs 9 Tour.

The music industry can be difficult to navigate for young bands in Australia, and while it seems that there can be someone trying to reach into your pocket at every step of the way, there are ways around it. Wollongong four-piece HOON have made a point of doing it their own way, and have gained a reputation for their high-energy performances and zero-fucks-given attitude. Not bad for a band that formed ‘accidentally.’

“We began in 2014, jamming together, playing shows and parties and shit, and then it progressed from there and got bigger and bigger as we got more of a following. Big enough to be able to book our own shows and tours,” says guitarist Orion Jarvis.

HOON’s video ‘Nature Boy,’ from their self-titled debut album, is testament to what the band are capable of outside of music. It’s a stop-motion collage that takes you on a visual journey that is just as wild as the song itself. It deservedly earned them a premiere at Clipped Music Video Festival at Vivid Sydney, and creating their own posters and artwork is also important (and perhaps necessary) to the group:

“We all do it ourselves. Most of the stuff is done individually and we bring it to the table, and if it’s cool we use it. We all try and have turns with it, we have the skills to do it ourselves so why pay someone else to do it?”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ai4hKgfAgqc

HOON are heading up the coast for a run of shows in January, which is culminating in a headline slot at Sookfest 2018, a boutique festival established by local band SOOK that is being held at Wombarra Bowling Club. It’s a common trend among bands at the moment to curate mini-festivals and cut out any potential promoter/venue costs, making it a cheap and accessible way to see up and coming and established bands.

“I guess a lot of actual venues are trying squeeze money out of everyone and all that shit, so you kinda use what you can to make the best out of what you got. It’s good to bring everyone up together and stuff and include bands that are getting round at the moment. The music industry is fucking whack, so it’s always fun to have people stick together.”

Be sure to catch a notoriously loose HOON show this month. Tickets and info here: