"Things were brewing in the late 80's in 3 key areas of the world, Newcastle Australia, Boston, and Orange County USA. It was the sound of ska-punk, a fusion of high energy punk rock with the syncopated beats of Jamaica, and The Porkers were there leading the charge alongside the likes of The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, No Doubt, and many others. Starting in 1987 in a lounge room in Bar Beach, The Porkers released their debut single in 1990, 'Earthquakin', which climbed to almost the top of the Aussie indie charts and was then followed by their debut album 'Grunt!' in 1994. It was hailed as "a masterpiece of ska brilliance", but it was a lot more than that: it was skanking rhythms mixed with punchy punk choruses, some funk and reggae, some Aussie pub rock and a distinctive Novocastrian sense of humour.

The album soon gained the attention of New York label Moonska Records which licensed the album, as well as their 1998 follow up "Hot Dog Daiquiri". During the latter half of the '90's The Porkers played almost every festival in Australia including Livid, The Big Day Out, The Falls, and Homebake, where in '99 they headlined the second stage and filled the break between Powderfinger and Silverchair over on the mainstage. After playing both the '98 and '99 Vans Warped Tours in Australia they set out to conquer the USA, playing the northern Summer '99 Vans Warped from East to West, Playing alongside Eminem, Black Eyed Peas, Ice-T, as well as Suicidal Tendencies, Pennywise, Blink 182 and many more. 2000 saw the release of their 3rd album 'Time Will Tell' which spawned the singles 'Too Big For Your Boots' and 'Waiting For Us', both of which were playlisted on Triple J. 2004 saw the release of 'Swinging Like Tiger Woods' which foretold the story of the pro golfer's fall from grace, 3 years before it happened ! Also this year the 'Men of Pork' toured Japan and recorded and released the 'Live at Nakanoshima' album. Keeping a 7 piece band on the road is a hard job, and founding members, Pete 'Radley' Cooper, and Phil 'Bigfil' Barnard know it all too well, and after the release of their 4th studio album 'This Is The Porkers', and the DVD 'Persistence is Futile' in 2007 they took a well earned hiatus.

But then in 2014, at the request of eccentric promoter A.J. Maddah, The Porkers returned bigger than ever to open the main stage on the Soundwave Festival, warming it up for The Living End, Placebo, Rob Zombie, and Green Day. Soon they were invited back to the USA as special guests of The Mighty Mighty Bosstones at their annual 'Hometown Throwdown' in Boston, followed by a month long tour through sleet and snow over Xmas and New Year 2016-17, with the boys kicking off their 30th year in New York City! 2018 saw a slight hiccup with front man Pete suffering a stroke and having to undergo heart surgery, but you would never know, he was back on stage in a matter of weeks and firing on all cylinders. The Porkers are currently booking shows for the 25th Anniversary of their critically acclaimed album Hot Dog Daiquiri.

Great Southern Nights 2024 will take place from 8-24 March 2024 featuring more than 300 gigs across 17 nights throughout Sydney’s inner city and Western Sydney, as well as shows in seven key music communities across NSW, including Tamworth, Wagga, Newcastle, Wollongong and the Northern Rivers.