Teapacks

Teapacks (also known as Tipex) is an Israeli band that formed in 1988 in the southern Israeli city of Sderot. Originally the band was named after the correction fluid Tipp-Ex, but the name was then changed so as not to infringe on the well-known brand, while keeping the pronunciation in Hebrew the same.

Each member of the band has a diverse background, and as a whole the band has Tunisian, Moroccan, Romanian, Syrian, Polish, Russian, and Yemenite heritage. Teapacks gained popularity by bringing forward traditional Israeli-oriental music combined with light humorous hints. The bandleader, Kobi Oz, is well known within Israel for his eccentric looks and style. The band has released seven albums plus a greatest hits collection, which collectively has sold over 300,000 copies. Teapacks has been chosen “Band of the Year” numerous times by Israeli radio stations.

Teapacks began in 1988 when Gal Peremen and Kobi Oz met at a kibbutz in southern Israel. They began playing songs written by Kobi and eventually were joined by current members from the southern city of Sderot and surrounding kibbutzim. On January 7, 2007, Teapacks was internally selected by IBA’s Eurovision Committee to represent Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest held in Helsinki, Finland. On February 27, 2007, Teapacks performed four songs in a TV special, and the song “Push The Button” was chosen as the Israeli entry for the 2007 Eurovision Contest by popular vote. The other three candidates were: Salam Salami 12 Points and Voulez Vous. The band performed the song at the Eurovision Semi Finals on May 10, 2007, but it failed to qualify for the finals. “Push the Button (Teapacks song)” was controversial because of references to Iran and nuclear war. Teapacks disbanded in 2009 but came back together in 2014 and are now performing across Israel.