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Jolly Jackers is a five-piece folk-punk band with three lasses and two lads that hail from Budapest, Hungary. Here’s the lowdown on Jolly Jackers:
What are the origins of Jolly Jackers? How long have you been playing together?
Jolly Jackers was founded in 2013 in Dunaújváros, Hungary. The band’s history is very chaotic; we had quite a few changes throughout the years, the latest one being Rea stepping up from the role of flutist to singer, which happened in December 2023. Since that, the band is finally complete and we haven’t stopped grinding ever since!
What should people expect when they check the band out? How would you describe Jolly Jackers?
We are an incredibly energetic folk-punk band that always experiments with different styles from country to blues to make our music colourful. We are often described on stage as a hurricane; we give our all on every single gig.
How did you feel performing your first gig as a band, and how was it?!
Our very first concert was in front of the garage where we were rehearsing at the time. We put out couches and chairs from the garage and tried our best to make the sound work. It was very unique; we should do that again sometime! Our performance was… cute? We definitely developed a lot since then!
What are you working on at the moment that people can check out?
At this moment, we are in the process of releasing our new studio session album, which is a best-of album containing 12 songs. The first song, ‘Sobriety’, came out on the 27th of June, and we’ll be releasing a song every two weeks after that!
In terms of a similar audience, which band out there at the minute do you feel you would be best suited to open for?
This Spring we opened for the Fiddler’s Green in Austria. It was incredible, and the two bands went great together! We also have the Dropkick Murphys on our bucket list. Maybe one day!
Excluding yourself, which new band would you like to see break out and become a success?
We can think of two right away! Both bands are dear friends of ours, and they are incredible, amazing musicians: The Manky Melters from France, and The Clan from Italy!
What frustrates you about the music business?
Since there are three girls in our band, we always get questions like ‘What is it like? Is it hard for the boys to do everything?’ Or when we arrive at a venue, sometimes the staff treats us at first like we are someone’s wife, and not the artists. It was very annoying at first, nowadays we just laugh it off. But it’s amazing to see that this mindset in the music industry is slowly changing for the better, and it’s cool to see more and more women on stage.
From now on, these answers belong to Rea, the singer of the band.
What are your first musical memories? And what was the lightbulb moment that made you go “I want to do that”?
I have played the flute since I was 8 years old. I’ve always loved classical music, and I adored performing together with others. When I was around 12, I started to listen to punk bands like The Offspring, Sum 41, and Green Day. When I first stumbled upon folk-punk bands like The Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly, I discovered that my beloved instrument can work in the punk genre too! With our singer at that time, we decided to start a band and see where the flow takes us. The rest is history!
What was the last gig that you attended as a fan?
The most recent was the birthday concert of one of the greatest alternative bands in Hungary, Kiscsillag. It kickstarted the Summer for me! As for “foreign” bands, I had the pleasure of seeing the ‘Tour of the Setting Sum’, the farewell tour of Sum 41 in Budapest. They were one of my favourites, and I’ll love their music forever! It was such an amazing concert, I still get goosebumps!
What current social issue are you particularly passionate about?
Unfortunately, there are a lot of issues we can choose from, especially being from Hungary. The current war in Ukraine, the attacks to the LGBTQ+ community, and the overall state of our government are worrisome. But this could be a whole other interview!
The album that you have in your album collection/Spotify playlist that would surprise most people?
‘Kaputt weil’s nicht funkzioniert’ by ok.danke.tschüss, a german alter band! A dear friend of mine who lives in Germany showed me the band (thank you, Zsolti!) and I love them! They describe themselves as ‘Einhorn-rock’ (unicorn-rock), and I think this describes them perfectly.
Everybody is a fan of something. Who or what are you a fan of?
Cats, lights, plants, graphic design, eating, cooking, and dragonflies!
What new music have you been enjoying so far this year?
The Black Keys ‘Man on a Mission’, ‘A Little Love’ by Biffy Clyro, and ‘Unravelling’ by Muse so far! I’m excited for this year’s releases!
What does 2025 hold for Jolly Jackers?
A lot of songs, since we are releasing a song every two weeks until November. Touring the whole Summer and Autumn in Germany, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic, and we’re also working on our new album coming out next Spring!
How active are you on social media, and where can people connect with you?
We are very active, always trying to fight the algorithm!
Here are our links:
