Camp Cope were an Australian

alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

band formed in 2015 in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

. The group's lineup consisted of lead singer, songwriter and guitarist Georgia "Georgia Maq" McDonald, bassist Kelly-Dawn "Kelso" Hellmrich, and drummer Sarah "Thomo" Thompson. The band were signed with independent Melbourne label Poison City Records, where Thompson also works, and independent Boston label

Run for Cover Records Run for Cover Records is an American independent record label based in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 2004 by Jeff Casazza at the age of 17 with a $1,000 loan, the label functioned as a small one-person bedroom operation in Brighton, until Casa ...

distributed their releases in North America and Europe. In February 2023, Camp Cope announced their imminent disbandment with a series of final performances. Camp Cope's music has been described as "part

Courtney Barnett Courtney Melba Barnett (born 3 November 1987) is an Australian singer, songwriter, and musician. Known for her deadpan singing style and witty, rambling lyrics, she attracted attention with the release of her debut EP ''I've Got a Friend Calle ...

, part

Juliana Hatfield Juliana Hatfield (born July 27, 1967) is an American musician and singer-songwriter from the Boston area. She was formerly a member of the indie rock bands Blake Babies, Some Girls, and The Lemonheads. Hatfield also fronted her own band, The Ju ...

", and "melodic, uplifting and aching". Georgia Maq herself, meanwhile, described the band's sound as "

power Power may refer to: Common meanings * Power (physics), meaning "rate of doing work" ** Engine power, the power put out by an engine ** Electric power, a type of energy * Power (social and political), the ability to influence people or events Math ...

emo Emo () is a genre of rock music characterized by emotional, often confessional lyrics. It emerged as a style of hardcore punk and from the Washington, D.C., hardcore scene, where it was known as emotional hardcore or emocore. The bands ...

". In 2019, ''Happy Mag'' listed them at number 3 on their list of "the 15 Australian female artists changing the game right now".

Career

2015–2020: ''Camp Cope'' and ''How to Socialise & Make Friends''

As a regular of the Australian singer/songwriter circuit and with a handful of solo releases under her belt, McDonald decided to bring together Kelly-Dawn Hellmrich on bass and Sarah Thompson on drums to flesh out her solo project. Hellmrich had previously played in Sydney band Palmar Grasp, while Thompson had previously played in Brisbane band Razel. The band was named Camp Cope as a reference to Sydney beach Camp Cove, as Sydney native Hellmrich was feeling homesick. The band played support slots with the likes of

The Hotelier The Hotelier is an American indie rock band from Worcester, Massachusetts, currently signed with Dreams of Field Recordings. The band's second album, '' Home, Like Noplace Is There'', has been featured on Spin's "The 101 Best Albums of the 2010 ...

, AJJ, and

Waxahatchee Waxahatchee is an American indie music project, formed in 2010 by American singer-songwriter Kathryn Crutchfield (born January 4, 1989), known professionally as Katie Crutchfield, following the breakup of her previous band P.S. Eliot. The ban ...

, as well as playing their own headline shows. The trio entered the studio, and by the end of the year had recorded their debut album with producer Sam Johnson. Released on Poison City in April 2016, their eight-track self-titled debut earned them critical acclaim and entered the

ARIA In music, an aria (, ; : , ; ''arias'' in common usage; diminutive form: arietta, ; : ariette; in English simply air (music), air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrument (music), instrumental or orchestral accompan ...

albums chart at number 36. The album was nominated for a

J Award The J Awards are an annual series of Australian music awards, established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio station Triple J, and which also extend to sister stations, Triple J Unearthed and Double J. The award ...

for Australian Album of the Year, while the band themselves were nominated in six categories at the inaugural

National Live Music Awards The National Live Music Awards (NLMAs) are annual Australian music awards, established by Heath Media in 2016. They were preceded by the AU Live Music Awards in the previous two years. The awards are given in categories that recognise the best ...

– winning one, the Heatseeker Award. ''FasterLouder'' also chose ''Camp Cope'' as their Album of the Year for 2016., and the group won Best Emerging Act at ''

The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria (Australia), Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Austral ...

''s Music

Awards that year. "Lost: Season One", a single from the album referencing the television show '' Lost'', was performed by Camp Cope for

Like a Version ''Like a Version'' is a long-running weekly segment on Australian youth radio station Triple J. It involves musicians playing two songs live in the Triple J studio, one of their own songs and then a cover version. The series was created by pres ...

in September 2016, along with a cover of "

Maps A map is a symbolic depiction of interrelationships, commonly spatial, between things within a space. A map may be annotated with text and graphics. Like any graphic, a map may be fixed to paper or other durable media, or may be displayed on ...

" by the

Yeah Yeah Yeahs Yeah Yeah Yeahs are an American indie rock band formed in New York City in 2000. The group is composed of vocalist and pianist Karen O (born Karen Lee Orzolek), guitarist and keyboardist Nick Zinner, and drummer Brian Chase. They are compleme ...

. After a joint tour of Australia at the end of 2016 with Philadelphia's

Cayetana Cayetana is a Spanish feminine given name. It may refer to: * Cayetana (band) *Cayetana blanca, Spanish grape variety People * Cayetana Álvarez de Toledo (b. 1974), Spanish journalist and politician * Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart, 18th Duchess of ...

, Poison City issued a limited split single that featured new material by both bands. In 2017, Camp Cope supported

Against Me! Against Me! is an American punk rock band, formed in 1997 in Naples, Florida, by singer and guitarist Laura Jane Grace. That same year, Grace moved to Gainesville, Florida, which is considered the band's hometown. Since 2001, the band's lineup ...

and

Modern Baseball Modern Baseball (sometimes abbreviated as MoBo) was an American emo band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, consisting of Bren Lukens, Jake Ewald, Sean Huber, and Ian Farmer. The band formed in 2012 at Drexel University and released their first a ...

on their Australian tours, toured the United States with

Worriers Worrying is the mental distress or agitation resulting from anxiety, usually coming from a place of anticipatory fear (terror) or fear coming from a present threat (horror). With more understanding of the situation, worry becomes concern, the ...

, performed at the St Jerome's Laneway Festival and sold out two shows in the Drama Theatre at the

Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue Performing arts center, performing arts centre in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive b ...

. At the end of the year, they returned to the studio to record their second album. The band's second studio album, '' How to Socialise & Make Friends'', was released on 2 March 2018 by Poison City Records and

. In June and July 2018, they took part in their second United States tour, co-headlining with Run For Cover label-mates

Petal Petals are modified leaves that form an inner whorl surrounding the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly coloured or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corol ...

. In late August and early September 2018 they undertook a partial UK and European tour with English band

Caves Caves or caverns are natural voids under the Earth's surface. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. Exogene caves are smaller openings that extend a relatively short distance underground (such as rock ...

. In early February 2019, Camp Cope announced their first North American headlining tour starting in April, supported by Thin Lips, Oceanator and An Horse. On this tour, Maq started playing a new unreleased song. In September 2019, they embarked on a UK tour with post-punk band

Witching Waves Witching Waves is a historical flat ride that was installed at several amusement parks worldwide. The first was at Luna Park on Coney Island, New York, United States, in 1907,Jeffrey StantonConey Island — Independent Rides 1997. where it was ...

2021–2023: ''Running with the Hurricane'' and disbandment

In November 2021, Camp Cope released the single "Blue", which ''Rolling Stone'' highlighted as a "Song You Need to Know". On 19 January 2022, the band announced their third album, '' Running with the Hurricane'', would be released on 25 March 2022. The title single "Running with the Hurricane" was released on 21 January 2022. Both the album and title track are named after the song " Running with the Hurricane" by the Australian folk group

Redgum Redgum were an Australian bush band, folk and political music group formed in Adelaide in 1975 by singer-songwriters John Schumann and Michael Atkinson (composer), Michael Atkinson on guitars/vocals, and Verity Truman on flute/vocals; they were ...

, whose member Hugh McDonald was the late father of Maq. On Instagram, Maq stated: "I didn't like the edgumsong to be honest, but the title buried its way into my soul and it felt like my life had been boiled down and summarised by those four words". In February 2023, the band announced a Melbourne show as part of Brunswick Music Festival while also simultaneously announcing that it would be their last hometown show, and that the band would be dissolving. In June 2023, the band confirmed their final show at the Sydney Opera House concert hall which took place on October 13, 2023.

Other ventures

Side projects

All members of Camp Cope have been involved in projects with other artists. Hellmrich performs solo under the moniker of Kelso. Previous collaborators on the project have included Gab Strum of

Japanese Wallpaper Gabriel Strum, known professionally as Japanese Wallpaper, is an Australian indie pop singer-songwriter and producer. He released his debut single "Breathe In" featuring Wafia on 10 October 2013. The song featured in Zach Braff's film ''Wish I ...

and Xavier Rubetzki Noonan of Self Talk. Self-described as 'cute weird songs for cute weird people', Kelso has released several singles as well as an EP, ''Always a Godmother, Never a God''. McDonald, under the moniker of Georgia Maq, released two solo acoustic EPs: ''Friends and Bowlers Run'' in 2013, and ''With a Q'' in 2014. A song from ''With a Q'', "Footscray Station," was recorded by Camp Cope as the B-side to the single "Keep Growing". McDonald also released a split seven-inch with Spencer Scott in 2015. On 5 December 2019, McDonald released her debut solo album ''Pleaser'', a pop record which she described as "

Paul Westerberg Paul Harold Westerberg (born December 31, 1959) is an American musician, best known as the lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter for the Replacements. Following the breakup of the Replacements, Westerberg launched a solo career that saw him r ...

meets

Robyn Robin Miriam Carlsson (; born 12 June 1979), known professionally as Robyn (), is a Swedish singer, songwriter, record producer, and DJ. Her 1995 debut album ''Robyn Is Here'' produced two Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100 top 10 single ...

". In 2021, McDonald said on the ''Creative Detour'' podcast that she is working on new solo material with no release date set. "I feel good about what I'm producing," she said. "I feel like I can produce things myself. In a really fun and cool way. Now I can kind of tell the difference a bit more between like Camp Cope songs and Georgia Maq songs." Away from her solo career, McDonald was the vocalist for punk band Würst Nürse, and appeared on their debut EP ''Hot Hot Hot''. She left the band in November 2018 after several vocal surgeries. McDonald was also briefly a member of Melbourne indie rock band Employment. Thompson played drums in Melbourne indie rock band TV Haze, which has released three albums since 2016.

Activism

In 2016, Camp Cope led a campaign dedicated to preventing and reporting incidents at concerts and festivals called It Takes One. Through this, they put out t-shirts saying 'The Person Wearing This T-shirt Stands Against Sexual Assault And Demands A Change'. Artists such as

, Chris Farren,

DZ Deathrays DZ Deathrays (previously Denzel then DZ) are an Australian dance-punk trio from Brisbane, Queensland. Composed of Shane Parsons (vocals/guitar), Lachlan Ewbank (lead guitar/vocals) and Simon Ridley (drums), they put out two EPs before releasing ...

, Ecca Vandal,

Dune Rats Dune Rats are an Australian rock band from Brisbane, Queensland. Originally, the band formed as a duo, with Danny Beus on guitar and lead vocals and BC Michael Marks on drums and backing vocals. The band later became a three-piece, with Brett J ...

and

Alex Lahey Alexandra Lahey ( ) is an Australian alternative rock singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. She has released three full length albums: '' I Love You Like a Brother'' (2017), '' The Best of Luck Club'' (2019) and ''The Answer Is Always Yes ...

wore the shirt in support. While playing the

Falls Festival Falls Music & Arts Festival (commonly known as Falls) is a multi-day music festival held annually in Byron Bay (New South Wales) and Fremantle (Western Australia), Australia over the New Year's Eve and January period. The festival hosts contem ...

in 2017, Camp Cope changed the lyrics of their song "The Opener" to reflect the lack of female artists playing the festival. In October 2017, the band performed to help raise funds for Girls Rock! Australia, an organisation which aims to close the gap between male and female musicians in the Australian music scene, by helping improve the skills and training of female and non-male identifying teenage musical artists.

Musical style

Camp Cope is known for McDonald's powerful voice, Hellmrich's distinctive basslines, and Thompson's 'steady, stoic drumming'. They have been described as 'rough, minimal rock

ith The Ith () is a ridge in Germany's Central Uplands which is up to 439 m high. It lies about 40 km southwest of Hanover and, at 22 kilometers, is the longest line of crags in North Germany. Geography Location The Ith is i ...

a punk edge', and the lyrics 'articulate human entanglements with a lack of sentimentality that belies how much cDonaldcares'. Songs were initially written by McDonald, who then sent a 'crappy phone recording' to Hellmrich and Thompson, before they all came together to create the finished song.

Themes

In 2016, Hellmrich described lead singer and songwriter Georgia McDonald as a "huge conspiracy theorist". McDonald said the song "Jet Fuel Can't Melt Steel Beams" was "a 'fuck you' to people hobelieve that 9/11 wasn't an inside job. ..Believing that is like believing that men who rape women aren't responsible for their actions." McDonald said "''JFCMSB'' isn't named after a meme, it's just the truth. The song is about the Orwellian way that the media and society try to convince you that lies are the truth. Like victim blaming. And 9/11."

Members

* Georgia Mcdonald – lead vocals, guitar, piano * Kelly-Dawn Hellmrich – bass guitar * Sarah Thompson – drums ;Touring musicians * Jennifer Aslett – guitar, keyboards, piano, backing vocals (2022–2023) * Lou Hanman – bass (2019, 2022; substitute for Kelly-Dawn Hellmrich)

Discography

Studio albums

Live albums

EPs

Singles

Music videos

Awards and nominations

AIR Awards

The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as

AIR Awards The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known as AIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector. History The inaugural 2006 awards were held at Blacket Hot ...

) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector. ! , - ,

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

, themselves , Breakthrough Independent Artist , , , - ,

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

, ''How to Socialise & Make Friends'' , Best Independent Hard Rock, Heavey or Punk Album , , , - ,

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

, ''Running with the Hurricane'' , Best Independent Rock Album or EP , , , -

ARIA Music Awards

The

ARIA Music Awards The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austr ...

are a set of annual ceremonies presented by

Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival Records (Australia), Festival, Sony Music ...

(ARIA), which recognise excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of the

music of Australia The music of Australia has an extensive history made of music societies. Indigenous Australian music forms a significant part of the unique heritage of a 40,000- to 60,000-year history which produced the iconic didgeridoo. Contemporary fusions o ...

. They commenced in 1987. ! , - ,

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

, , ''How to Socialise & Make Friends'' , ,

Best Rock Album The Grammy Award for Best Rock Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality albums in the rock music genre. Honors in sever ...

, , , , ARIA Award previous winners.

Australian Music Prize

The

Australian Music Prize The Australian Music Prize (often shortened to the AMP) is an annual award of $50,000 ($30,000 from 2005 to 2023) given to an Australian band or solo artist in recognition of the merit of an album released during the year of award. The award was ...

(the AMP) is an annual award of $30,000 given to an Australian band or solo artist in recognition of the merit of an album released during the year of award. It commenced in 2005. It exists to discover, reward and promote new Australian music of excellence. ! , - , 2016 , ''Camp Cope'' , Australian Music Prize , , , - , 2022 , ''Running with the Hurricane'' , Australian Music Prize , , , -

Australian Women in Music Awards

The

Australian Women in Music Awards Australian Women in Music Awards (AWMA) is a not for profit charity which delivers an annual award ceremony and conference program to recognise the vast contributions of women across all areas of the Australian Music industry. The two-day prog ...

is an annual event that celebrates outstanding women in the

Australian Music Industry The Australian music industry refers to the collection of individuals, organisations, businesses and activities that are involved in the creation, production, distribution and promotion of music in Australia. The music industry encompasses a wide r ...

who have made significant and lasting contributions in their chosen field. They commenced in 2018. , - , rowspan="2" ,

, Camp Cope , Breakthrough Artist Award ,

J Award

The

J Awards The J Awards are an annual series of Australian music awards, established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio station Triple J, and which also extend to sister stations, Triple J Unearthed and Double J. The awar ...

are an annual series of Australian music awards that were established by the

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is Australia’s principal public service broadcaster. It is funded primarily by grants from the federal government and is administered by a government-appointed board of directors. The ABC is ...

's youth-focused radio station

Triple J Triple J is an Australian government-funded national radio station founded in 1975 as a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). It aims to appeal to young listeners of alternative music, and plays far more Australian conten ...

. They commenced in 2005. , - ,

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

, ''Camp Cope'' , Australian Album of the Year , , - ,

, ''How to Socialise and Make Friends'' , Australian Album of the Year ,

Music Victoria Awards

The

Music Victoria Awards The Music Victoria Awards (previously known as The Age EG Awards and The Age Music Victoria Awards) are an annual awards night celebrating music from the Australian state of Victoria. They commenced in 2006 and are awarded in Melbourne Music W ...

, are an annual awards night celebrating Victorian music. They commenced in 2005. , - , rowspan="4",

, ''Camp Cope'' , Best Album , , - , "Jet Fuel Can't Melt Steel Beams" , Best Song , , - , rowspan="2", themselves , Best Band , , - , Best Emerging Artist , , - , rowspan="4",

, rowspan="2", ''How to Socialise & Make Friends'' , Best Album , , - , Best Rock/Punk Album , , - , "The Opener" , Best Song , , - , themselves , Best Band , , - ,

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

, Camp Cope , Best Group , , -

National Live Music Awards

The

(NLMAs) commenced in 2016 to recognize contributions to the live music industry in Australia. ! , - , rowspan="3" ,

, Georgia Maq (Camp Cope) , Live Voice of the Year , , rowspan="3" , , - , Kelly-Dawn Hellmrich (Camp Cope) , Live Bassist of the Year , , - , themselves , The Heatseeker Award (Best New Artist) , , - , rowspan="5" ,

, Sarah Thompson (Camp Cope) , Live Drummer of the Year , , rowspan="5" , , - , Kelly-Dawn Hellmrich (Camp Cope) , Live Bassist of the Year , , - , rowspan="3" , themselves , International Live Achievement (Group) , , - , People's Choice - Live Act of the Year , , - , Victorian Live Act of the Year , , - , rowspan="6" ,

, rowspan="3" , themselves , Live Act of the Year , , rowspan="6" , , - , International Live Achievement (Band) , , - , Industry Achievement , , - , Georgia Maq (Camp Cope) , Live Voice of the Year , , - , Sarah Thompson (Camp Cope) , Live Drummer of the Year , , - , Kelly-Dawn Hellmrich (Camp Cope) , Live Bassist of the Year , , - , rowspan="3",

, Kelly-Dawn Hellmrich (Camp Cope) , Best Live Bassist , , rowspan="3", , - , Sarah Thompson (Camp Cope) , Best Live Drummer , , - , Georgia Maq (Camp Cope) , Best Live Voice in Victoria ,

References

{{Authority control Feminist musicians Musical groups from Melbourne Musical groups established in 2015 Australian all-female bands Year of birth missing (living people) 2015 establishments in Australia 2023 disestablishments in Australia Musical groups disestablished in 2023 Australian indie rock groups