Country Supergroup The Hillbilly Killers Announce First Gig

The Hillbilly Killers have announced their first every show, it will take place as a part of the Tamworth Country Music festival in January and it could be one of the more hotly anticipated shows of the whole week. Why is that, you ask? Let us take you through who makes up this motley crew and you might figure it out.

The band was formed through late night conversations about music – Hank Williams, specifically – and is a project that is all about fun. Who makes up the line up? We're glad you asked…

Bill Chambers: What can be said about this masterful multi-instrumentalist, producer, songwriter and general king of Australian country music. He has had something to do with plenty of the best country music releases and performances to ever happen in Australia and sometimes it just seems like everything he touches turns to gold.

Tim Rogers: While not strictly a country artist, Rogers has, for many years, had a close affinity with the genre and proven that he's a rather adept hand at both writing and interpreting quality country music. One of Australia's finest singer-songwriters and most colourful musical personalities, here's hoping he adds plenty to the mix here.

Catherine Britt: Newcastle-bred but popular in plenty of territories all over the planet, Catherine Britt is one of Australian country music's most solidly performing acts right now. Her latest record Always Never Enough is an absolute cracker (watch her perform a couple of songs from it if you don't believe us) and she'll add a certain colour to proceedings here.

Shane O'Mara: One of the gun guitarists of the Australian music scene for over a quarter of a decade, O'Mara has lent his talents to musical projects that encompass all sorts of genres. His adaptability will likely be handy here, but his country chops will be vital; years of playing with Mr Rogers should also help for familiarity's sake.

James Gillard: He's played with some seriously great acts over the years; Mondo Rock, Paul Kelly, Lee Kernaghan, The Little Hillbillies and James Blundell to name a few, but it's his work with The Flood that has really shown Gillard's full potential. He'd be a shoo in for any country group and will anchor this one brilliantly.

Michael Muchow: He started out young, playing gigs with Bill Chambers and The Davidson Brothers, co-writing with Kevin Bennett and ended up winning his first ever Golden Guitar award at just 18-years of age. A great guitarist and a great songwriter, he'll have to work hard to match it with the talent onstage but we reckon he's got it in him.

The band admit that this could be a precarious, treacherous and gnarly journey but they are keen to make a fist of it anyhow. Don't expect this to be a mere tribute act, either, they have every intention of using their considerable talent to write and record their own material as time rolls on.

You can witness the first ever performance of The Hillbilly Killers at the following event:

Wednesday 23 January – Tamworth Services Club – Tickets