Biography
Australian punks Cable Ties emerged in 2015 under the leadership of guitarist and vocalist Jenny McKenchie, whose abrasive riffs and commanding delivery anchor a sound that fuses punk urgency with hard-rock drive. Their music carries an undercurrent of raw tension, tempered by subtle echoes of AC/DC’s grounded stomp and the low-end pulse associated with the Cosmic Psychos, all while maintaining a core of noisy intensity. McKenchie’s lyrics balance classic punk defiance with genuine empathy and pointed social commentary, supported by the trio’s economical yet forceful instrumental approach.
McKenchie, bassist Nick Brown, and drummer Shauna Boyle formed the group and made their first appearance at Wetfest, the annual non-binary-inclusive Melbourne event organized by McKenchie’s other project, Wet Lips, which highlights the city’s D.I.Y. community. Within their opening year the band earned local notice through an extensive run of shows. Their initial release, the March 2016 single “Same for Me,” was followed six months later by a split single with Wet Lips. By year’s end they had performed at the Meredith Music Festival, where the audience awarded them the “Golden Boot” honor—traditionally given by collectively raising footwear—making Cable Ties the first support act to receive it.
Early in 2017 McKenchie and Boyle co-organized the inaugural Girls Rock! Melbourne event, aimed at encouraging girls and non-gender youths to pursue music. The band then toured with Camp Cope, signed to Poison City Records, and issued its self-titled debut album in May, produced by Paul Maybury. Additional Australian dates followed. Singles appeared throughout 2019 ahead of the second album, Far Enough, which surfaced in March 2020 and expanded the group’s raw style with added structural nuance. The record earned “Best Rock/Punk Album” at the Music Victoria Awards and marked the band’s first North American release via Merge Records in the United States and Canada.
A March 2021 concert recorded at Bakhouse Studios in Richmond, Victoria was issued in limited cassette form as Live at the Scrap Museum and later offered digitally. February 2023 brought the single “Perfect Client” from both Merge and Poison City, previewing the third album, All Her Plans, which arrived that June and revealed increased maturity and emotional range within the band’s lean, forceful framework alongside McKenchie’s committed activist perspective.
McKenchie, bassist Nick Brown, and drummer Shauna Boyle formed the group and made their first appearance at Wetfest, the annual non-binary-inclusive Melbourne event organized by McKenchie’s other project, Wet Lips, which highlights the city’s D.I.Y. community. Within their opening year the band earned local notice through an extensive run of shows. Their initial release, the March 2016 single “Same for Me,” was followed six months later by a split single with Wet Lips. By year’s end they had performed at the Meredith Music Festival, where the audience awarded them the “Golden Boot” honor—traditionally given by collectively raising footwear—making Cable Ties the first support act to receive it.
Early in 2017 McKenchie and Boyle co-organized the inaugural Girls Rock! Melbourne event, aimed at encouraging girls and non-gender youths to pursue music. The band then toured with Camp Cope, signed to Poison City Records, and issued its self-titled debut album in May, produced by Paul Maybury. Additional Australian dates followed. Singles appeared throughout 2019 ahead of the second album, Far Enough, which surfaced in March 2020 and expanded the group’s raw style with added structural nuance. The record earned “Best Rock/Punk Album” at the Music Victoria Awards and marked the band’s first North American release via Merge Records in the United States and Canada.
A March 2021 concert recorded at Bakhouse Studios in Richmond, Victoria was issued in limited cassette form as Live at the Scrap Museum and later offered digitally. February 2023 brought the single “Perfect Client” from both Merge and Poison City, previewing the third album, All Her Plans, which arrived that June and revealed increased maturity and emotional range within the band’s lean, forceful framework alongside McKenchie’s committed activist perspective.
Albums
Singles
