The pandemic may have put paid to their scheduled 2022 US tour for the moment, and pushed back the release of their new album until the middle of next year, but The Hoodoo Gurus haven’t been idle these past 20 or so months. They’ve just released the latest single from that forthcoming album, a song titled Carry On which, though it was written before the pandemic struck, turned out to be all too timely, as the video they’ve released to accompany it makes clear.
Gurus singles galore…
Throughout the two years of the pandemic, Dave Faulkner and the Gurus have been quietly working on that forthcoming album, and keeping fans happy by not only releasing new music but also creating limited edition versions for those quick enough to grab them.
May 2020 saw the release of Answered Prayers, the limited edition – just 1000 copies – vinyl version featuring a song written and performed by guitarist Brad Shepherd titled Song of the Year, his tribute to the Brisbane punk scene of his youth and one of several songs included on the American version of their 2004 album, Mach Schau, which the Gurus also re-released on all streaming services in a “Deluxe Edition”, combining both the US and Australian editions – 18 songs in all, including two rare B-sides.
Then in July 2020 came a double-A-side – Hung Out To Dry/Get Out of Dodge – which was again released in limited edition vinyl. This time around, the Gurus were joined by two pretty prestigious American guests – The Bangles’ Vicki Peterson, and drummer John Cowsill, who originally found fame in the ‘60s with his family’s band The Cowsills but who has long been with The Beach Boys no less.
Why the vinyl rush? To quote Dave Faulkner, “Bugger MP3 – let’s go analogue, baby! Btw, the single cover artwork was designed by yours truly.”
As for Carry On…
It too has been given the limited 7” vinyl single treatment, but for the rest it’s also out there on all streaming services and online music retailers for your aural delectation.
“Carry On wasn’t written about the pandemic,” Faulkner explains on the band’s website, “but the song has certainly been useful in helping me get through it: just remember to keep your head down and do your best. That’s a philosophy that we in the Hoodoo Gurus have always lived by. As for the video, I have a sister-in-law who is a career nurse as well as a nephew and niece who are following in her footsteps – one a nurse, the other a paramedic – and I have always marvelled at their ability to handle the terrible stress of working in such a demanding environment. But they do, turning up to work each day with optimism despite the terrors they face. It is the spirit of people like them that I wanted to honour in my song and the video that goes with it.”
Playing the part of the main nurse in the video is an actual nurse, a young English woman named Alyce Whittle, who has been right there on the frontline, “alongside the top surgeons in scrubs,” as Faulkner, who plays a doctor in the clip, notes. “Carry On is an anthem celebrating resilience and tenacity. Damn the torpedoes!”
The limited edition single features the song When The Weekend Comes, which is the final studio recording ever to be released featuring the previous Gurus drummer, Mark Kingsmill, taken from the sessions for the Mach Schau album. Carry On is out on Big Time Records through EMI Music.
And let’s not forget – FINALLY!!! – the rescheduled 40th Anniversary Tour…
To quote the press release once more, “all systems are go” for the 40th Anniversary Hoodoo Gurus tour of Australia in April 2022, presented by Frontier Touring. Supporting special guests are none other than America’s own The Dandy Warhols, with additional guests The Buoys in Sydney, Even in Melbourne and Adelaide, and Rinehearts in Perth.
Saturday 2 April 2022 – Belvoir Amphitheatre, Perth WA
Tuesday 5 April 2022 – Adelaide Entertainment Centre Theatre, Adelaide SA
Wednesday 6 April 2022 – Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne VIC
Saturday 9 April 2022 – Hobart City Hall, Hobart TAS
Tuesday 12 April 2022 – Hordern Pavilion, Sydney NSW (SOLD OUT)
Wednesday 13 April 2022 – Hordern Pavilion, Sydney NSW
Thursday 14 April 2022 – Riverstage, Brisbane QLD
The Hoodoo Gurus are also appearing on the postponed Red Hot Summer dates with Jimmy Barnes, Jon Stevens, Diesel and Chris Cheney, which will be kicking off in January 2022, while the Gurus will also be appearing at the Sounds of Rock Festival in the Bundaberg Recreational Precinct, Saturday 7 May 2022.
