Iconic 90s and early 2000s band Six and Out to make return, announce tour dates

Six and Out, the iconic 90s and early 2000s rock and roll band made up of former cricket stars are making a return, and surprisingly it’s all thanks to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

Six and Out are back together. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has called a special session – not for parliament, but for the return of an old rock group.

Six and Out, the iconic 90s and early 2000s rock and roll band made up of former cricket stars Brett Lee, Shane Lee, Gavin Robertson, Brad McNamara and Richard Chee Quee are back together again performing on tour this summer … and it’s all thanks to the PM.

Mr Albanese made a special request to Brett Lee recently for Six and Out to reunite after 20 years and come and play at the 100-year anniversary of Marrickville Lawn Tennis Club, of which he is a life member.

“Basically, Mr Albanese’s partner, Jodie Haydon, she was a Six and Out fan back in the day when we played, and she asked the PM if he’d contact Binga to ask us to play at the 100th anniversary,” McNamara told this masthead.

“The PM and Binga had had the odd game of tennis together.

“It was the catalyst to fire it all up again. It was great.

“It brought back memories. How much fun we had and how much we’d missed it all. It’s amazing how quick life passes you by.”

L to R, Brad McNamara, Gavin Robertson, Richard Chee Quee and Brett Lee are back as Six and Out. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

It was the impetus for the popular ‘Can’t Bowl Can’t Throw’ rockers to decide to make it more than a one-off performance for the PM, and go back on tour again.

Six and Out will play three gigs this summer, at The Espy in St Kilda on December 28, Paddington RSL in Sydney on January 3 and The Gov in Adelaide on January 19.

For Test superstar Brett Lee, the bass player in the band, the thrill of performing on stage is – different – but a similar rush to playing cricket for Australia in front of 90,000 people.

“When you hit that harmony … I liken it to when you bowl a perfect outswinger,” Lee said.

“I’ve felt a lot more comfortable playing cricket because I’ve done it a lot more … it can be very, very nerve wracking when you’re on stage.

“It’s a great buzz because you’re out of your comfort zone but that also brings out this massive adrenaline rush which is why it’s such a fun thing to do.”

Another motivation for the group has been the health battle of former Test star Robertson, who had a brain tumour removed back in 2019.

Robertson appreciates the brotherhood of the band and said Six and Out epitomises his outlook on life.

“We’ve all got problems, but we’ve got to just keep remembering we’ve got this thing called life,” Robertson said.

“Do your best and try and live it your best. That’s the way I try to think about it.

“When leaving the Albanese show, it was pretty overwhelming. I just realised we were pretty lucky.

“We don’t go on and play nice. We go on and it’s like Brett Lee’s bowling: we go hammer and tong. We smash it out.”

It’s easy to forget how big Six and Out were.

They have played over 400 gigs and still hold the highest crowd records at Sydney venues like Castle Hill Tavern, the Bayview Hotel at Gladesville and the Albion Hotel at Parramatta.

On Spotify, a Six and Out page has had 47 million views.

“People didn’t turn up because we were Cold Chisel. They turned up because we were sports people they knew and they knew we’d play all the classic songs and give them a great time,” said Robertson.

“We’re always sweating like pigs, but we love it.”

It’s also 25 years since the iconic ‘Can’t Bowl, Can’t Throw’ incident spawning a Six and Out single that Test player Scott Muller has never forgiven them for.

“Scott Muller was filthy on us. Still is probably. But it was tongue in cheek,” McNamara said.

“Warnie (Shane Warne) used to have a laugh about it.”

Robertson said it was a shame Muller never read the lyrics of the band’s most famous song.

“I honestly believe Scotty Muller never read the words. He thought it was about him,” Robertson said.

“If your read the lyrics, all of the lyrics are based on an inspirational message to a young person playing sport. About failure and success and how to hang in and back yourself.”