Playlunch have hit back at critics labelling them as an “Aussie meme band”, as they prepare to take their music to North America for the first time.
The seven-piece band, who came in at No. 4 in triple j’s Hottest 100 with “Keith” and have built a fast-growing fanbase, shared a blunt message on social media amid ongoing online scrutiny that frames their identity as exaggerated Australiana.
They expressed frustration at the suggestion their work lacks artistic depth, rejecting the idea that their music should be reduced to a joke.
“Actually so fucking sick of this whole ‘Playlunch is just an Aussie meme band’ bullshit,” the band wrote in an Instagram story. “All these haters online saying that our whole personality is just about ‘being Australian’ – it’s legit so offensive to who we are as artists and the years we’ve spent honing our craft.
“The idea that we’re somehow ‘milking’ this Australiana thing just to sell our music is frankly so disappointing, and the real ones know we have so much more integrity than to ever do something like that.”
The Instagram story came mere hours before the band announced their debut North American tour, which kicks off in August. The tour will take them across the US and Canada, including stops in Los Angeles, New York, Toronto, Vancouver, and more.
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In the tour announcement, they wrote: “In 1964, a band of mod-suited mop-tops from Liverpool arrived on the shores of New York City and kicked off an explosion of Rock & Roll that historians would come to refer to as ‘The British Invasion’. And now in 2026… The Aussie invasion is coming.
“This summer it is time for the people of North America to experience the sonic sensation that is bogan funk. Expect pool noodles, speed dealer sunnies, and some colourful language that probably isn’t quite so endearing in the States as it is back home. Still pinching ourselves that this is really happening.”
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Before they head overseas, Playlunch’s massive regional tour will continue with stops across WA, Tasmania, Victoria, Queensland, NSW, and New Zealand. In the middle of the tour, their mini-festival LUNCH FEST will take place at Sydney’s Liberty Hall, in association with Great Southern Nights.
Described as bringing together acts from across the country for “the school assembly of the century”, they’ll be joined by DEVAURA, Ricky Neil Jr., Shannen James, and a local opener yet to be announced.
Before they kicked off their tour in December, Playlunch performed a perfectly chaotic Rolling Stone AU/NZ In My Room session. Watch it here.
UPDATE: Playlunch have since revealed the comments made on Instagram were a stunt.
