With songs about boozy nights, bad decisions, broken hearts and the best intentions, Brooke Russell and her band The Mean Reds blend vintage swing, sweet pop and widescreen alt-country.

Drawing influence from alt country, jazz and folk styles, the band are also inspired by the sounds of Joe Henry, Gillian Welch, Tom Waits and Neko Case. Their debut album, Poor Virginia was released in August 2013, and listed in Basement Discs Top 10 Australian Albums of The Year and Unpaved's 50 Best Albums of 2013. After showcasing at the 2014 Americana Festival in Nashville, the band released a single, Never’s Gonna Take Too Long in April 2015 and an EP of the same name in December 2015. The title track won the Darebin Music Feast Songwriters Award in 2016. Brooke received a Creative Victoria grant to return to Nashville in 2016 and her second full-length album, The Way You Leave, was written between Nashville and Melbourne and released October 2017. Sweet, sultry and soaring, this collection of songs document love, loss, friendship and regret and feature co-writes with Andrew Combs, Clare Reynolds and Tobias Hengeveld as well as covers of JD Souther and Tom Waits. In 2026, Brooke will release a string of new singles and launch them with live shows around Melbourne.

The Mean Reds has featured such amazing Melbourne players as Ben Franz, Grant Taylor, Luke Richardson, Joshua Barber, Roger Bergodaz, Matt Dixon, Tamara Murphy and Shane Reilly. Brooke and the band have performed in support of Lindi Ortega, Stan Ridgway, The Audreys, Emily Barker, Mick Thomas, Irish Mythen, Dan Kelly, Skyscraper Stan, Emma Swift, and Lincoln Le Fevre, as well as featuring at Americana Music Festival in Nashville, Out On The Weekend Festival in Melbourne, and Tamworth Country Music Festival in New South Wales.

Brooke also performs with western swing outfit The Canyon Callers, who featured on ABC TV’s Spicks & Specks in 2024, and she was a member of Mick Thomas’ Roving Commission from 2019 to 2022, touring Australia and recording three releases with the band. Brooke also performed with local trad-jazz ensemble The Furbelows, performing Andrews Sisters-style, three-part harmonies, with a live manouche jazz band. She performs regularly as a backing vocalist around Melbourne and has performed with acts such as Rebecca Barnard, Amarillo, James Kenyon, Georgia Fields, John Flanagan, Madeline Leman, Ben Mastwyk, and more. She was the musical director of the Melbourne-based choir, If You See Her, Say Hello and works in music education, specialising in voice, choral work, theory, ear training, and songwriting. She is a regular fill-in presenter and panellist on Triple R’s Twang, and a regular feature guest on Brian Wise’s Off The Record.

"Melbourne's Brooke Russell has one of those voices that, depending on your mood, is comforting and makes everything feel alright or assists you in wallowing in your sorrow. Either way, it's a beautiful voice full of rich tonal character that sways through the melodies and slow dances across the quietly mesmerising backing of her band The Mean Reds, particularly the evocative pedal steel of Ben Franz and restrained guitar of Grant Taylor. Late-night jazz, croon-and-swoon slowcore, alt-country and heartache country-soul blend together on this intoxicating collection of songs that recall late-period Dylan, The Delines and Lucinda Williams." - Chris Familton, The Music ****

“Brooke Russell and the Mean Reds’ country-inflected take on timeless pop that you’ll dig if you like Caitlin Rose.” - Nashville Scene

“She’d be at home in the Nighthawks diner, except that she’s maybe not jaded enough. There’s an innocence and hope to most of her songs that feels like a balm.” - McKinley Valentine, unpaved.com.au

“Sweet and slow country, with close vocal harmonies and just the right amount of melancholy.” - Chris Cobcroft, 4ZZZ