A dollar fight gone wrong, a classy Sheila with a mind for revenge and a private detective hot on her heels… The Ballad of Backbone Joe tells a twisted tale of the apparent murder of Messy Dimes Dan, owner of the town’s abattoir and boxing emporium.

Set in the roaring carnival days of pre-war Australia, this tin-pan alley opera possesses a jigsaw-puzzle narrative that uses film, visual trickery and bone- crunching physical theatre, presented in the trio’s unique Rag ‘n’ Bone musical style and junkyard aesthetic.