Camp Cope Tickets

Camp Cope on Tour

In a world of injustice and inequality, people with unapologetic voices often lead the way.

Camp Cope is precisely that kind of band. Lead singer, guitarist and primary songwriter Georgia "Georgia Maq" McDonald, bassist Kelly-Dawn Hellmrich and drummer Sarah "Thomo" Thompson are more than your average rockers. They're women who are fighting against sexism in the music industry.

Positioned somewhere between lo-fi punk and indie emo rock, it's clear their sound is anything but cookie-cutter, and the subject matter is anything but effervescent.

Maq's searing, rasping yowl on the song "The Opener," written in response to sexist booking managers and other misogynistic industry players who underestimated Camp Cope, feels cruel and vulnerable at the same time. That raw emotion, vulnerability and brutal honesty in lyricism mixed with punky bass riffs and drums have catapulted the band to mainstream success.

Originally from Melbourne, Australia, the trio got their start playing support slots for other Australian singer/songwriters and, by the end of 2015, had recorded their self-titled debut album, which was released in 2016 to critical acclaim.

After touring Australia and the U.S. to support the album, the band went back into the studio to record their follow-up album, How to Socialise & Make Friends (2018), which reached No. 7 on Billboard's Alternative Albums Chart.

The power emo trio was about to record their third album in the U.S. in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic put the world on hold. Almost three years after the pause, a new album resulted in something that seemed like a clear shift for the band. They've been known for discordant, unadorned folk indie rock, but on their 2022 album, Running With the Hurricane, they present a tender and soulful side.

Reflecting on the new studio album and its shift in tone, lead singer Maq told NPR: "I feel like all my songs when I write about romance, there's always like a kind of darkness about them ... to me, it feels like I feel like I'm not being genuine if I write about something just being good and easy."

While the band has matured and performances have taken a more uplifting rather than angsty vibe, the lyrics still drip with social justice, women's rights, self-loathing, and self-discovery.

Some things haven't changed: The three women possess a genuine star quality, a stage presence that's both rich and enigmatic and the camaraderie of the bandmates shines brightly through their adrenaline-fueled, energetic sets.

You won't want to miss this inclusive, warm, talented and goofy band on their next stop. Get tickets to see Camp Cope live on tour at Ticketmaster.