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Interview with
HAMMERS

(13th January 2026)

Interview by Dave Bruce

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How did the band come together? Where did it all begin?
Our singer Fish started Hammers way back in Lismore, with a completely different lineup to what you see today. They played around the traps for years, and used to support our guitarist Stoneys old band HELM on a heap of shows. We are all bros and have known each other for years and years through the local scene, and being housemates and what not, so when the lineup of HAMMERS shuffled around in 2017, we all got together and formed the current lineup. ⅗ of this band played in HELM together, so the chemistry and bond is really strong. We are first and foremost best mates, and would 100% all hang out and go for beers together if we weren’t in this band. I think that close knit brotherhood comes across in our music.

Briefly describe your journey to date.
There were some ‘old HAMMERS’ years before 2017, with a heap of lineup changes, but this version of HAMMERS really began in 2017. Since then we’ve released 2 x EP’s, 2018’s ‘Homeblokes’ and 2020’s ‘Kicking Goals’, and we have our debut full-length ‘Death Wobbles’ dropping on Jan 23 that we’re all super excited about. It’s definitely a level up. We’ve played a heap of local festivals, supported our favourite Aussie bands around the country (Cog, The Butterfly Effect) and we brought our favourite U.S. band He Is Legend out in 2023 and did a full national tour with them. That experience was incredible because, aside from being an incredible band, they were also the raddest, most down to earth dudes. Since then we have toured NZ and Japan, and keep on doing our own tours here at home. Stoney and I run a record label called Summerland Records, which we release all our music through, and recently started up a rehearsal studio in Burleigh, Summerland Studios.

How would you describe your sound? Why do you think fans resonate with your music?
I struggle to describe our sound, as i feel we’re a pretty weird band to try and pigeonhole. I always just say we are a heavy rock band. We’re about as heavy as ‘rock n roll’ gets I’d say? There’s definitely some metal on the new album, some chunky riffs that hit hard, but we all love melody and alternative rock hooks, so it’s a combination of all those things. We love punk, stoner-rock, metal and groove, so it’s a bit of a melting pot. I think our fans like the groove, the heaviness and the authenticity with which we deliver it.

Which artist’s music and/or performance, past or present, inspires you today?
Have to be Deftones. They have been my favourite band since I heard ‘Around the Fur’ back in 1998, and the fact that they are now bigger than ever in 2026 blows my mind. It’s so so awesome. They have always done their own thing and never followed trends. They are authentically themselves, and have always released unique heavy/alternative music that doesn’t fit anywhere, but continually draws in new fans. They’re a constant source of inspiration for myself and I know for the rest of HAMMERS.

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Your debut album ‘Death Wobbles’ is set to be released on January 23! What’s it all about? Describe its origin and evolution.
The term ‘Death Wobbles’ is a skating term, when you’re going down a hill too fast and your board starts to shake and you need to make a call to either commit and try stay on, or jump off and deal with the consequences. As older gentlemen, doing this band and still going as hard as we do with it, we felt the metaphor of the title was pretty cool. Stoney started writing this album around 3 years ago, and the themes are around the state of the world at the moment (absolute dumpster fire), love, loss, greed and everything in between. 2025 was a pretty testing year for us all, dealing with deaths, lost friends and the trials that life throws at you, and I feel that comes across on the album. As tough as times got for us all, we never lost sight of the end goal of getting this project completed, and I couldn’t be prouder of Stoney for writing such a huge slab of music, and the boys for sticking together and nailing it down. Massive thanks to our team behind the scenes who helped shape the album: Scott Jackman, Michael Campbell, Luke Palmer and Forrester Savell – absolute geniuses the lot of them.

What are the signature tracks on the album, and which are you most looking forward to playing live?
I honestly love every song on this album, but signature tunes for me would be ‘The Well’, ‘Hot Wheels’, ‘Rat Prince’ and ‘Fucked Around & Found Out’. Most looking forward to playing ‘Rat Prince’ and ‘The Well’. Two of the heaviest songs on the album and they’ll crush live.

You will be going on an album launch tour in March and April around VIC, NSW and QLD.  What are you looking forward to about the live shows, and what can the fans expect?
Most looking forward to performing these new songs live. They are a step-up from our previous work, so I’m keen af to bring them to the stage and see how it goes down. Fans can expect a loud, balls-to-the-wall rock n roll show, with a few laughs along the way.

If you could perform with any music artist, Alive or Dead, who would you choose? And why?
I can only speak for myself, but i’m a big fan of Simon Neil from Biffy Clyro. Amazing songwriter and seems like he would be a rad dude to hang with. Locking into some riffs with him would be pretty fun!

What are your long-term aspirations as a music artist and how are you progressing towards them?
Long term aspirations would be for HAMMERS to continue to release kick-ass music that we ourselves love. Hopefully others love it too! Stoney is the songwriter of this band, and he’s always got new tunes on the boil, so I’m excited to see what he cooks up next. We use this band as a vehicle to have fun, and as our creative release. Anything beyond that is a bonus. We always work hard, so we’ll keep doing what we do, and see what adventures the universe has in store for us.

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With that in mind, what piece of advice would you give to an artist starting out?
Aside from practice your instrument, be authentically you. There is only one you, and that is your point of difference. It’s ok to be influenced by other music/art, but do your own thing and get really good at it. I love unique music, not cookie-cutter stuff that sounds like 30 other bands. The true gems that last are always bands that create their own wave and have their own sound. A friend once told me ‘work hard and be a good dude’. It’s kinda that simple. Trust in the universe to do the rest.

What is the best thing about performing to a live audience? What’s been the career highlight so far?
Seeing people vibe and groove to your band is always a rad feeling. I love playing the bass live, I love the power of it. I love sinking into the riff and locking in with the drums, and when the whole band is locked in and vibing, it’s the best feeling in the world. Career highlight shows would be touring Aus with He Is Legend. The loudest band i’ve ever seen, and they slayed it each night.

Now for some quickfire questions to get a little personal:
What is the craziest thing you’ve ever done? I’ve done many stupid things in my life that I won’t mention, but craziest, probably sky diving for Stoneys birthday a few years back. Was equal parts terrifying / amazing. Was so sick!
What is the one topic you can talk about for hours? Music, it consumes me lol.
What is the thing you like most about yourself? Probably my work ethic and open mindedness.

Finally, let’s find out what your current (or all time) favorites are –
Album – Rage Against the Machine (self-titled)
Artist – Music – Simon Neil (Biffy Clyro), Art – John Dyer Baizley – insta @aperfectmonster
Movie – No Country for Old Men
Place to visit – Japan
Venue to play – Crowbar Brisbane (Formerly The Zoo)
Food – Thai Food
Drink – Beer (Asahi or Melbourne Bitter)
Person in History – 3 way tie between David Attenborough, Martin Luther King and my Mum.
Tattoo – I recently got a Tattoo of my dog, Pearl, on my leg. Local design lord Kiel Tielman drew it up for me, and Sam Fitzgerald at Leftys in Palm Beach Tattooed it. I looks so much like her, I love it.

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Follow HAMMERS
Instagram – Facebook

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Pic Credit – Nate Rose

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Press Release 3rd December 2025 (below) HERE

HAMMERS
announce long-awaited
debut album
DEATH WOBBLES

due out Friday 23 January, 2026

+ Share raucous title track
and music video

Touring with
COG this December

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AMNPLIFY – DB