Our tour of the regional scenes finally makes it Down Under, the country that gave us Roaring Jack and The Rumjacks (who, for the record, are currently somewhere between Tokyo and Bandung). Summer’s coming in the southern hemisphere, and so is a good chunk of the Celtic punk world. But first, the locals.

Medusa’s Wake made the year’s most heartfelt Aussie Celtic record without really meaning to. The Echoes of Our Past EP came out in February, written after Portroe-born singer Eddie Lawlor lost his father and brother within 16 months. In October he told Whiskey Network that “Your Ghost” is the Sydney six-piece’s next single, and that they’ll then record a new song, “Transportation Whiskey”, about the Irish prisoners shipped to Tasmania. It shares a name with the Tasmanian distillery that bottled a Medusa’s Wake band whiskey, which took a silver at the World Whiskies Awards. Catch them Friday, November 20 at MoshPit Bar, Sydney, with Handsome Young Strangers, Goldfish Smarts and Looch Lewis and the Press Gangsters.

Handsome Young Strangers, Sydney’s bushranger folk-punk institution since 2004, get a busy fortnight. They open HOBOFOPO on Friday, November 13, then head home for that MoshPit night.

HOBOFOPO, Folk ‘Til Ya Punk Records’ festival in Hobart, turns 10 on November 13 to 15. The three-day pass has sold out, but Saturday and Sunday tickets are still going. The Crooked Fiddle Band and Gusto Gusto lead Saturday night at Altar. Melbourne’s Whiskey Dram, a crew that mixes Irish trad with punk and plays “hard folk for vagabonds, roustabouts and seamen”, close out Sunday at The Mayfair.

The Go Set have spent twenty years jamming bagpipes, accordion and mandolin into Geelong punk rock, and they aren’t slowing down. They play Shotkickers in Thornbury, Melbourne, on Saturday, November 14, with Previous Futures and Outta Spite. The venue’s listing says a new album is in the works.

Coming through town

• Dropkick Murphys, with Rise Against: John Cain Arena, Melbourne (November 26); Meltdown Festival, The Entertainment Grounds, Gosford (November 28); Riverstage, Brisbane (November 29); Sydney Opera House Forecourt (December 1); Red Hill Auditorium, Perth (December 4).
• Chasing Abbey: The Espy, Melbourne (December 10); Crowbar, Brisbane (December 11); Paddo RSL, Sydney (December 12); Amplifier Bar, Perth (December 14).
• The Highstool Prophets, This Is The Life tour: Prince Bandroom, Melbourne (January 21); Lefty’s Music Hall, Brisbane (January 22); Paddo RSL, Sydney (January 23); Rosemount Hotel, Perth (January 24).