Clairy Browne & The Bangin' Rackettes

As flamboyant as their name indicates, Clairy Browne & the Bangin' Rackettes are, at heart, an entertaining retro-soul band with inspirations that include jump blues and doo wop. Formed in 2009, they initially based themselves in a onetime coffin factory located in suburban Melbourne, Australia. Big-voiced Browne is the lead singer, joined by Peter Bee (guitar), Camilla McKewen (background vocals), Loretta Miller (background vocals), Ruby Jones (background vocals), Nick "Ricky" Martyn (drums), Darcy McNulty (saxophone), Jules Pascoe (bass), and Gabriel Strangio (piano). Within a short frame of time, they developed material and became a flashy, highly regarded performing act. In November 2011, the band released its first album, the expectedly playful but heartfelt Baby Caught the Bus. It was made available as a download, and CD and vinyl copies were pressed. ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) Radio National named it Album of the Year. In 2012, the band gained wider exposure after its song "Love Letter" was featured in a Heineken ad campaign. In 2013, Baby Caught the Bus was issued in the U.S.
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