The Hackkets I Love To Travel

Westside Melbourne band The Hackkets bring a refreshing bout of mind-on-your-sleeve style pragmatism to the instantly captivating music they make. The six-piece have been combining a love of classic pop-rock and pub song belters. Made up of members with and without disability, The Hackkets are part of Footscray Community Arts Centre's program ArtLife, which supports artists with disability. Now, the happy-go-lucky sunshine spreaders are back! They're releasing their latest punchy anthem, 'I Love To Travel' plus news of a hometown single launch show to celebrate.

Out now, 'I Love To Travel' speaks to the freedom of endless possibilities after overcoming a fear of long-distance travel. A nod to classic Canned Heat-esque road trip soundtracks, 'I Love To Travel' is a joyous and uplifting celebration of liberation and pure joy, that will win over even the most hardened in-car sing-along scrooge. 

"I wrote the words because I'm no longer afraid of flying - flying doesn't scare me as much as it used to. I wrote the lyrics, needed some help with the music so the other Hackkets lent a hand." – Stu Flenley, The Hackkets
 
Gigging for over two-decades, The Hackkets have performed extensively throughout Melbourne and beyond including at Adelaide Fringe Festival, Seddon Festival, Maribyrnong Inclusive Recognition Awards (MIRA), Murrindindi Festival and more. Singers Stuart Flenley (guitar/vox), Peter Tolhurst (guitar/vox) and Victoria Cini (keys/vox), bring three distinctly different approaches to the songs they co-write in the band. Stuart merges his twin heroes Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra with a sense of humour that invariably breaks through, while Victoria has crafted her own 'Rock Chick' persona through which she projects a rebel without a cause for the smart-phone generation. Rounding out the band is drummer Andrew Paganella who has been keeping the band in time since 1999. Of the drums, Andrew says, "I chose drums because I want to get somewhere to make the crowd jump out. Once I switched to drums I stayed." The Hackkets also features Joe Vella and Melbourne singer/songwriter Tim Reid on guitar.

Together they are an exuberant live force to be reckoned with. Join The Hackkets this June as they launch 'I Love To Travel' with a special West Set show and screening of their animated music video at Hotel Westwood, Footscray alongside Alma Zygier and XANI.

The Hackkets 'I Love To Travel' Single Launch
Wednesday 16 June
Hotel Westwood Bistroteque
as part of West Set Festival
Doors: 7pm
Free Entry
Supports: Alma Zygier and XANI
Plus: Screening of the 'I Love to Travel' animated music video by Todd Watts and Nick Fox