Brisbane band Dune Rats, made up of Danny Beus on guitar and lead vocals, BC Michaels on drums and backing vocals, and Brett Jansch on bass, hold a dear place in the hearts of many for their fun-loving, bong-smoking personalities.
They’ve done some pretty loose things over the years, including riding motorbikes into Splendour, creating their own beer with Young Henrys and vomiting on stage and having a crowd member drink it (yes, really).
In light of their upcoming Hurry Up And Wait Australian tour, we decided to take a look at some of the times the band has flabbergasted the world with their stupendousness and tomfoolery.
Bringing out their friends at Splendour
The Brissie trio seem like some of the friendliest blokes going around, so it’s no surprise they’d have a bunch of mates eager to get down. This proved true during their Splendour In The Grass “Dune Rats and Friends” set, where they managed to get A.B. Original, Mallrat, Tkay Maidza, Alex Lahey, Drapht, Waax, Hockey Dad, DZ Deathrays, Gooch Palms and one of The Bennies onstage with them.
Not only did the band perform their usual hits, but also a cover of Black Eyed Peas’ ‘Pump It’ with Mallrat, Tkay and Anty from the Bennies, plus a rendition of ‘Where’s Your Head At’ with A.B Original and Drapht.
Who really is Scott Green?
One of the band’s most popular songs, ‘Scott Green’, has a most Dunies origin story. The premise of the song – looking for someone who’s got green at a party – mirrors an experience the boys had in the States.
Between the band’s US and UK tour in 2016, the trio had five days to write some new tunes. However, in very Dune Rats style, they still managed to spend a whole day walking around a Walmart in Joshua Tree asking people, “Who’s Scott Green?” And since they needed a new song, they simply wrote about their day.
Yep, Dune Rats have a TV Show
Is it really a surprise that Dune Rats have a TV show? Started in February, 2015, the boys log their antics on YouTube through loosely put together episodes, and it’s as cooked as you’d expect it to be. To give you an idea, the first features Beus smoking a joint in the tour bus, a close up shot of Michaels munching down on a sanga, a documented “candle holder that looks like a penis but is really a weird dog creature,” Jansch smoking a bong while in a balaclava and all three getting “DUNIES” tattoos.
When they rocked up to the ARIA Awards with their mums
The boys performed an absolutely adorable move at the 2017 ARIAs when they brought their sweet mums along as plus ones. And in doing so, they gave us a clue as to where they get the lust for loose, fun-loving behaviour from. In an interview on the red carpet, the boys were asked, “Which mum is the most embarrassing and proud at a gig?” Beus told the cameras that Jansch’s mum broke a collarbone while crowd surfing at one of their shows. She replied, “I got a bit carried away.”
All three mums also agreed that their sons going to university was never a great concern to them as they just wanted their offspring to be happy and do something they loved.
Remember when they punched cones for a whole music video?
The music video for 2013’s ‘Red Light Green Light (Green Version)’ couldn’t be more on-brand, as it features Beus and Michaels sitting at a table trying to punch as many cones as possible while Beus also lip syncs the lyrics. Michaels gets ten hits in and Beus claims eight. Word is they wanted to re-create DZ Deathrays’ Jägermeister-swigging ‘The Mess Up’ video clip, but with bongs.
At the end they chase the grass with a VB and marvel at their feat. Oh, and Michaels wipes a huge amount of drool from his face.
They fundraised for a local Bowling Club
When the Coorparoo Bowls Club was at risk of being swallowed by an 80-unit high rise, the boys decided to put on a live show and raise funds to save one of their favourite patches of green.
At the November 2017 Save Our Green Space community day, the Dunies played alongside Concrete Surfers and The Galilee Three, as well as munched snags at the sausage sizzle and sank tinnies. You can add “community heroes” to their long list of larrikin descriptors.
Dune Rats’ Hurry Up and Wait tour comes to Melbourne’s Festival Hall on Sunday March 8 with support from Ruby Fields, Dear Seattle and Totty. Grab your tickets now via Secret Sounds.
