Bogan funk brings the kids back to the yard

A 2000s nostalgia romp with a party edge, this Aussie band is making musical magic with the memories of a generation, Louie Cina writes.

Playlunch is far from the average new arrival on the Australian music scene. 

Born out of a chaotic sharehouse in lockdown and gaining virality from songs about the infamous ‘No Hat, No Play’ policy at primary schools, ABC3 shows, and Kath & Kim, they’re on a loud, funky mission to show young people the joys of the live music scene.

“[I] started writing these really silly, sort of out there funk disco tracks and just putting stupid lyrics over them because it was lockdown and I was trying to make my housemates laugh,” says Liam Bell, the band’s lead singer. 

“Then at some point along the way, I was like these are really fun, these are good. I really want to play these in front of people.”

From there, with the help of his housemates and school friends, Playlunch was born. 

Playlunch are tapping into noughties nostalgia straight from the school yard. Photo: Supplied

In their early days, the band set out to feed people’s nostalgia for the 2000s and give them a reason to “come out and have a dance” after the pandemic restrictions were lifted.  

Playing and pioneering a style they call ‘Bogan Funk’, their first two singles, No Hat No Play, and Soupe Opera are odes to Aussie culture. Eclectic tracks packed to the brim with references to Australian primary schools in the noughties, and children’s TV, they gained traction on TikTok as the country slowly emerged from COVID restrictions.

“I think when we were in lockdown, that nostalgia became a lot more of an emotional necessity for people,” says Bell. 

The band’s debut album, written primarily during lockdowns, plays heavily into this. There are tracks about school athletics day, the police-run Blue Light Disco, falling for a person with a Foxtel subscription, and samples from Julia Gillard’s iconic misogyny speech, Kath & Kim, and Corey Worthington’s infamous post-party interview. 

The band cites COVID’s impact on the live music scene as one of the reasons for the prominence of these cultural references. “If you turned 18 at the end of 2019, you’ve had the first, biggest two years of your live music experience taken away from you. [Playlunch] are gonna make lyrics that are directly about your experience so that we can make you feel like this world of the live music scene is for you. And it is for you!” 

It’s a strategy that seems to have worked, with the band attracting larger and larger crowds with every performance. 

A Playlunch show isn’t just a concert, it’s an experience. Their gig at The Nightcat in August had costume changes, pool noodles, school athletics-day chants, and a crowd clad in fluoro, their Year 12 Jumpers, and Bananas In Pyjama’s onesies. They engaged their fans from the get-go, and it was clear those who braved the Melbourne winter for the midnight performance didn’t leave disappointed. 

Whilst nostalgia was one of the reasons Playlunch’s first album was so well received, Liam Bell is well aware it’s not necessarily a recipe for long-term success. “I think we could be at risk of it becoming a shtick at some point… It’s really important to me that we keep it very adult, very contemporary… like for this next album, we’re trying to work on leaning more into the party aspects of the band.” 

Playlunch in action at a recent gig. Photo: Sarah Rose

The lead single off the band’s upcoming album “a Red Hot Chilli Peppers song, but instead of saying California [we] say Boronia” highlights this change of direction. Station Rat is an anthem about eshays, sampling the sounds of Melbourne’s metro network with noticeably more adult references than previous tracks. 

“I started throwing all the ideas on the wall and pretty immediately the songs were definitely coming out a little edgier and more mature” Bell explains. “I felt like that was the direction I initially wanted to go with the project [and] we’d steered away from a bit, [so] I guess I wanted to reorientate it there a little more”. 

There will be songs about sharehouses, rants about the rental market, and much more, all tied together with the signature Playlunch funk. Big things are in the works, and Liam’s dreams for the project know no bounds. 

“I’ve got a deep-down desire for Playlunch to be the Australian candidate for Eurovision. But aside from that we’re really wanting to be the festival band… I think we thrive in front of a large crowd.” 

They’re well on their way to achieving at least the second half of that wish, with the band fresh off a set at BIGSOUND, and slated to play New Year’s on the Hill and the Good Gumnuts festival in the coming months. 

The pioneers of Bogan Funk are on a rapid rise, and as the gig scene slowly seems to be dying out, Playlunch are bringing a much-needed hit of freshness and introducing a new generation to the joys of live music.