The Bongo Brothers are a children's musical theatre comedy act, targeted at primary aged children.
Formed by actor Dave Houston and musician Bryson Mulholland. Formerly known as Talking Drum, they started as roving percussionists before turning their hand to musical theatre. In 2005, they updated their moniker to The Bongo Brothers and spent 3 months as artist-in-residence in Mexico City recording their debut album, Cactus. Once back in Australia, they embarked on a three-month tour of their maiden stage production, Quest for the Ultimate Rhythm.
In 2008, they evolved into a trio, with the addition of bass playing, cartoonist Ado Osborne. Together, they produced their second stage production, Surf Safari. They signed with agent School Performance Tours (SPT), performing up to 200 primary school shows a year. In 2009 they performed a season at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. In 2010, they released their widely acclaimed sophomore album, Surf Safari.
In 2018, they released their third album, Quest for the Ultimate Rhythm, a tribute to the original production, celebrating the songs that have now been performed to over 250,000 children.
The Bongo Brothers continue to tour regional and metro Australia, are currently working on an animation pilot for TV, have an EP due for release mid-2022 and are writing their third stage production, Mind Beatz – Learning 4 Life.
“The Wiggles for funky parents. After nearly a decade dazzling kids and parents with their infectious grooves, The Bongo Brothers have created a tight, hysterical piece of musical comedy and wild percussion that doesn’t lag for a second”- The Age, Melbourne
