Bluey star who voices Bandit speaks about his surprising double life as a singer in a rock band

He’s best as the man behind the voice of Bandit in the family-friendly ABC series Bluey.

But Dave McCormack has been leading a surprising double-life as a rock star ever since the children’s animated series first hit screens in 2018. 

The 56-year-old says that longtime fans of the his band Custard, which first formed in 1989, are now bringing their own kids along to shows.

‘Because I do the voice of Bandit, a lot of people know about Custard now through that, so it’s cool. It’s a different audience,’ he told The Cairns Post.

‘There are people who were teens when we started in the 90s who are bringing their teens along, so we’re really enjoying it at the moment.’

Custard released their ninth studio album Suburban Curtains in October, and have been spending time on the road in the last few months promoting it.

The singer who is frontman for cult band Custard is best known these days as the voice of Bandit in the family-friendly ABC series Bluey. Pictured: Bandit (centre)

First formed in 1989, the alternative rock band earned cult status after their single Girls Like That (Don’t Go for Guys Like Us) landed at number three on Triple J’s Hottest 100 the same year.

The clip for the humorous tune also won an ARIA for best video.

After splitting in 2000, McCormack reformed the outfit in 2009 which has seen the band return to recording and playing live since.

Meanwhile, McCormack revealed he has been in kept in the dark about the future of Bluey, which dropped its final episode for 2024 back in April.

‘We’ve done about 150 episodes, but they (producers) never tell me much. It’s usually just email to say, oh we’re doing this, but I’d love to do more. I’m into it,’ he said. 

More than 3.4 million fans tuned in to watch the last three episodes of the global hit across the five major metro centres and regional areas via broadcast TV. 

And as a result of the cartoon’s enormous popularity, McCormack’s role of Bandit has become a bit of a sex symbol among stay-at-home mums.

Speaking about the bizarre phenomenon on the Hit Network’s Cliffo & Gabi back in 2021, he joked about the animated canine’s allure.

The singer told The Cairns Post that long time fans of the his band Custard, which first formed in 1989, are bringing their own kids along to shows

Formed in 1989 Custard earned cult status after their single Girls Like That (Don’t Go for Guys Like Us) landed at number three on Triple J’s Hottest 100 the same year. Pictured: McCormack at far right performing live with Custard

‘It doesn’t surprise me at all, take a look at the guy, he’s incredibly good looking,’ McCormack gushed.

‘He is one hot doggie!’ he continued before joking that he’s hotter than Bandit.

Last year, the singer-songwriter said that he never expected the animated series to become such a hit.

‘I thought it was gonna be like maybe a webisode, like a one off, because we only did one episode to start with,’ he admitted.

‘Now here we are, it’s bigger than all of us!’

He said that his two young daughters are big fans of the show and much prefer it to his work with indie rock legends Custard.

‘They loved it, they’re much more appreciative of this than any Custard stuff,’ he said.

He added: ‘Custard stuff, they’re not into it.’

McCormack also addressed the bizarre fact that Bandit has become a surprising hit with many grown women.

‘I only play a very small part, I’m just the voice, I can’t take credit for much more of his sex appeal than the voice,’ he laughed.