Street Band & Arts Collective
Street Band & Arts Collective
We are a femme-focused musical troupe from the streets of Wollongong.
We HONK! and hail the end of wrong-doing with an unceremonious, funereal flourish,
to lay it to rest…
dead and gone…
and sing up a better world.
We HONK! and hail the end of wrong-doing!
We HONK! and hail the end of wrong-doing!
Our 'Drumbrella Project' at Honk!Oz 2025 -
Our 'Drumbrella Project' at Honk!Oz 2025 -
At HonkOz! 2025 we invited all women to join our ‘Drumbrella’ March… a jubilant gathering of feminist energy, a moment of connection, creativity, and community to celebrate, create, and a-cappella-elevate together! Saturday, January 11, 2025
The pouring rain did not deter us as we gathered in McCabe Park to sing together, wielding hand painted umbrellas as banners stating our concerns of the day, sharing a spirit of solidarity and the power of collective voice and musical joy.
Other Projects
Something unexpected happened when saxophonist Mel Wishart encouraged her women friends to come together for an activist moment of music, fun and protest at HONK! Oz 2017.
Wielding all manner of bold brass, wayward woodwind, impertinent percussion and articulating outrage, we formed a funeral procession, carrying a coffin and dressed to mourn the death of government arts funding… and discovered it was too good to be a one-off. So, The Femme Fatales were born: a femme-focused street-band and activist arts-collective.
Apart from having a lot of fun playing together with a wide range of musical influences, we invite the wider community to join us in one-off activist performances. We offer music and costume workshops and enable community groups to put their message to music.
Our energy and enthusiasm marches on as we speak out about the concerns of the day in a fun-loving and irreverent way…
performing together to get toes tapping,
to spread the joy of shared creativity,
to speak up and speak out,
and welcome all to join the chant.
upcoming projects
2025 HONK! Oz
Street Music Festival
Saturday 11 January
(with Pre-Events Jan 9 & 10)
Wollongong City Arts Precinct
Completely free, and volunteer run, HONK! Oz Street Music Festival is an outdoor spectacle featuring alternative community bands and related arts. Irreverent, revelrous and with a somewhat DIY approach to instrumentation and attire, Honk Oz bands perform to celebrate, to protest, to proclaim. Some play for peace, some for activist causes; for community spirit and all of them play to have fun!!!!
Honk Gigs
Thursday 6:30pm January 9th
WOLLONGONG NIGHT MARKETS - Mall Stage
Friday 7pm January 10th
IRON YAMPI / THE WENTWORTH - Port Kembla
Saturday 12:30-1:15pm - McCabe Park
FEMMEZ DRUMBRELLA GATHERING
JOIN US!! as we march into the Mall
https://www.facebook.com/share/1DnUZ7XxVc/
Saturday 6:45pm January11th
ARTS PRECINCT - Near IPAC
Illawarra Folk Festival 2025
17 - 19 January 2025
(with Pre-Events Jan 9 & 10)
Wollongong City Arts Precinct
We will be part of an amazing line-up of 85 international, national and local acts in 8 venues all within the Bulli Show ground. Find out about on-site camping and much more…