Winston Surfshirt

Winston Surfshirt

Winston Surfshirt is an Australian hip hop group based in Sydney and active since 2014. It begins as a solo project by Brett Ramson and develops into a six-piece act. The group works across funk, hip hop and neo soul, with a sound that combines soul and hip hop.

The project cites John Lennon and André 3000 as influences. It builds a reputation on a smooth, laid-back style alongside energetic live shows, and gains a cult following in Sydney’s underground scene after starting out there in 2014.

In 2016, Winston Surfshirt earns attention for a solo vocal feature on Polographia’s track “Sly”, which receives nods from Triple J and Majestic Casual. In 2017, Elton John describes the group as “the stars of the show” and becomes a supporter, alongside Zane Lowe of Beats1, Jason Bentley of KCRW and Huw Stephens of BBC Radio 1.

The group supports RÜFÜS on their Australian tour and Midnight Oil at their comeback show before their world tour. It then releases the singles “Be About You” and “Ali D”, with “Ali D” becoming triple j’s most played track of the week for two consecutive weeks. Winston Surfshirt also sells out all seven dates on its debut national tour and appears on the Splendour In The Grass lineup.