RedHook is an Australian rock band from Sydney, formed in 2017. The band consists of guitarist Craig Wilkinson, bassist Maverick Burnett, drummer Alex Powys and vocalist Emmy Mack. As of 2020 they have released six singles, "Minute on Fire", "Turn Up the Stereotype", "Paralysed", "Only Bones", "Fake", and "Dead Walk".
History
Early years and debut singles (2017–present)
RedHook was formed in June 2017 by Emmy Mack on vocals and Suburban on bass guitar, they were both previously in the rock band Smokin' Mirrors, Craig Wilkinson was later recruited as their guitarist. Suburban’s role in the band was later changed to just a studio and touring member, not appearing in any music videos or promotional art as he chose to focus on his solo career. They had been performing in small clubs across Sydney and at the time had not officially released any music. Until June 2018 the following year, when they released their debut single "Minute on Fire" to positive reviews across Australia's top national and community radio stations and music sites including Triple J, Triple M, FBi, Music Feeds and over 1.8 million streams. After the success of their debut single, RedHook went on to play as a support band for popular Australian bands such as The Getaway Plan, Dream On, Dreamer, Stand Atlantic, Dear Seattle, Thornhill, and popular American nu-metal band Trapt. Later that year, in December, RedHook joined the lineup for the inaugural Good Things festival in Sydney as a local support band. Days after their performance at Good Things, RedHook released a music video for their sophomore single "Turn Up the Stereotype" that was released in October. The single also officially introduced new member, drummer Dan McFeeters. The music video was filmed inside a decommissioned slaughterhouse out in western Sydney, and also inside the band's bathroom shower. It shows Wilkinson and Mack as characters "sadboi" and "strngegrrl" respectively, being kidnapped by mad scientists and experimented on. Afterward they seem to shift from one genre of music to the next, going from goth to glam, emo, pop punk to indie among others. In late-December, Dan begun having undisclosed health issues and was then out of action from touring, the band used stand-ins until a replacement was found. On 31 January 2019, it was announced that RedHook had signed onto New World Artists for bookings. On 8 February, RedHook released their third single "Paralysed". Mack describing the song, said that "anyone who’s ever struggled with their mental health will understand the feeling that this song is about, probably all too well." The single was produced by Stevie Knight and Dave Petrovic, and mixed by Andrew Wade. RedHook later performed a 6-date tour as a supporting act for Hands Like Houses, Ocean Grove and Endless Heights in February. After the tour, Arborview drummer and backup vocalist Alex Powys joined RedHook as their new drummer. In June, studio and touring bassist Surburban left the band to pursue his solo career, Maverick Burnett was brought on to replace him. RedHook later went on to perform at Download Festival in the UK that month, marking their first international performance. RedHook also went on to support Bad Wolves on their UK shows and then supported Three Days Grace in Europe later that month. On 24 June, RedHook teased on their social media that a new single was in the making. Their fourth single "Only Bones" was released on 5 July, alongside an accompanying music video. The music video contained footage of their recent Europe and UK tour. On 23 July, "Only Bones" was added to full rotation on Triple J. RedHook are also set to perform on their debut headline tour to promote "Only Bones" in August, their show locations excluded Brisbane. To celebrate the 20th anniversary of "Guerrilla Radio" by Rage Against the Machine, RedHook covered the song and released a music video for it. The band later performed at Halloween Hysteria 2019 on 25 October, after assuring their Brisbane fans they had not been forgotten. On 26 November, RedHook previewed their new single "Fake" on Triple J's Good Nights segment with Bridgett Hustwaite, it was fully released on 29 November. From 20–22 December, RedHook performed a launch tour for "Fake" while supporting Cog. From 23–25 January 2020 they supported The Amity Affliction on the New South Wales leg of their All My Friends Are Dead tour. On 28 January, a music video for "Fake" was released. RedHook were scheduled to play at Download Festival in March, however due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Download Festival was cancelled and postponed until the following year. Despite this, RedHook released their sixth single "Dead Walk" on 27 March. In an interview with Hysteria Magazine, vocalist Emmy Mack teased an upcoming EP and revealed plans to record in April. On 3 April, a music video for "Dead Walk" was released by Dreambound.
Musical style
The band describe themselves as "screaming rap rock electro pop mutants", owing to their unusual combination of genres such as metalcore, electronica, and rap. Vocalist Emmy Mack and guitarist Craig Wilkinson work together to write the lyrics. Their sound has been related to bands such as Bring Me the Horizon, Twenty One Pilots and Hands Like Houses from their "schizophrenic-style rapped vocals, bellowing screams and soaring clean vocals".
