The Rumjacks are an Australian Celtic punk band formed in Sydney in 2008. Combining the urgency of punk rock with Celtic folk melodies, traditional instrumentation and stories of migration, working-class life and cultural identity, the group developed from the Sydney pub circuit into an internationally touring act.
After introducing themselves with the EPs Hung, Drawn & Portered and Sound as a Pound in 2009, The Rumjacks released their debut album, Gangs of New Holland, in 2010. The record included An Irish Pub Song, a sharp response to the commercialisation of Irish pub culture whose music video became an enormous online success and introduced the band to listeners far beyond Australia.
The albums Sober & Godless, Sleepin’ Rough and Saints Preserve Us! broadened their sound through harder punk rhythms, folk balladry, sea-shanty influences and increasingly expansive live arrangements. Songs including A Fistful O’ Roses, Plenty, Patron Saint O’ Thieves, Cold London Rain and Kathleen became central parts of their international touring repertoire.
With Mike Rivkees fronting the group, The Rumjacks began another chapter with Hestia in 2021. The album retained their Celtic punk foundation while introducing a renewed melodic character and material informed by migration, family history and the experiences of the band’s increasingly international membership. The Brass for Gold EP followed in 2022, alongside live releases including Live in Athens.
Their sixth studio album, Dead Anthems, was released in 2025. Recorded in Asbury Park, New Jersey, it was produced by Rivkees, engineered by Pete Steinkopf of The Bouncing Souls and mixed by Kevin Bivona of The Interrupters. The album includes Cold Like This, featuring Ken Casey of Dropkick Murphys, and Some Legends Never Die, written in tribute to Shane MacGowan of The Pogues.
Although their members now live across Boston, Berlin, Belfast and Milan, The Rumjacks continue to operate as an active touring and recording band. Their catalogue has helped establish them as one of the most widely recognised contemporary Celtic punk groups, connecting Australian punk energy with Irish folk traditions and the broader experience of immigrant communities.
