Kelly Hellmrich is an author and musician, best known as the bass player of the trail-blazing all-girl punk group, Camp Cope. She is also Artist & Community Liaison for the Indigenous-owned and operated record label Bad Apples Music. During extensive Australian and international touring, Kelly discovered her purpose as a strong advocate for inclusivity and representation in music, including campaigns focused on ensuring safe and inclusive spaces at shows. Kelly is passionate about creating opportunities and platforms that celebrate the diversity and talent of her community. Born, raised, and living in Darug Country, she is of Mineng Noongar descent.
Kelly’s first book, It’s Not For You, will be published by Penguin Random House in 2026.
Kelly-Dawn Hellmrich speaks with women and gender-diverse artists who changed the Australian music industry on their own terms.
From our very first show in Brisbane in 2016, when we stopped mid-set to call out a guy who was pushing to the front and shoving women aside, we knew exactly what kind of space we wanted to build. One where women and queer people didn’t have to shrink themselves or brace for impact if they didn’t. And if you had a problem with that, it was not for you.
Trailblazing female punk band Camp Cope changed the Australian music scene forever, from their It Takes One campaign to end sexual harassment at gigs to their track ‘The Opener’, which became an anthem for fearlessly calling out the sexism that permeates the industry. Here, Kelly-Dawn Hellmrich, Camp Cope’s bass player, brings that same passion to conversations with fellow artists who represent the firsts and the future of Australian music.
Featuring interviews with Amy Taylor of Amyl and the Sniffers, Angie McMahon, Anna Laverty, Anna Lunoe, BARKAA, Camp Cope, Courtney Barnett, Elly-May Barnes, Fanny Lumsden, Julia Jacklin, Kira Puru, Marcia Hines, RIAH, Romy Vager, Sampa the Great, Sarah Blasko, Sosefina Fuamoli and Vika and Linda Bull, these conversations provide a peek behind the curtain, generous personal reflection, catharsis, camaraderie and inspiration for anyone who’s ever been told they were too much or not enough.