“The entire performance from Melbourne Ska Orchestra is an exercise in consummate showmanship, prodigious musicianship, and next-level audience interaction; a genuine highlight of the entire festival.”
http://themusic.com.au/news/all/2016/07/25/heres-what-went-down-at-splendour-in-the-grass-2016/
“The Ampthitheatre’s sizeable stage looks veritably cramped as the many members of the Melbourne Ska Orchestratake their places, armed with an eye-popping array of instruments and a wonderfully dorky air of coolness. MSO conductor/bandleader Nicky Bomba is a pocket rocket of delight, skanking and bounding his way all over his domain while holding both his players and their delighted audience quite literally in the palm of his hand; over the course of a wide-ranging and unforgettable set that joyously bounds from the pseudo-sneak of Get Smart (during which Bomba conducts the crowd in a massive scat sing-along before finishing the song three times, each conclusion drawing larger and larger applause) to the insanity of He’s A Tripper, wherein Bomba repeatedly instructs the entire crowd to freeze mid-dance – and they do. It is a sight to behold. New single Sly Boots also proves a high point, as does Specials classic and ska staple A Message To You Rudy; hell, the entire performance from the whole orchestra is an exercise in consummate showmanship, prodigious musicianship, and next-level audience interaction; a genuine highlight of the entire festival.”
http://themusic.com.au/music/livereviews/2016/07/25/splendour-in-the-grass-2016-day-three/
“We can’t dally for too long, though, because the Melbourne Ska Orchestra is about to start their set at the Amphitheatre. Before we get there, I see a friend and tell her that I am going to see the MSO; she scoffs because they have the word ‘ska’ in their name, but the joke’s on her, because this set is fucking unbelievable amounts of fun. Bandleader Nicky Bomba is a national treasure and consummate showman, and his gargantuan ensemble is an insanely entertaining group of performers. There’s no too-cool-for-everything pretense here; just super-dorky, eminently loveable musicians and their impossibly positive vibes. How can you not love that?”
http://themusic.com.au/news/all/2016/07/25/what-we-learnt-at-splendour-2016-day-three/
