Since forming in 1981, Hoodoo Gurus boast 9 x ARIA Top 20 albums, 9 x ARIA Top 40 singles and a host of multi-platinum albums – they’re mainstays on the live scene, and influential to a new generation of artists that have arrived after them.
Never a band to rest on their laurels, Hoodoo Gurus have today released a new single, Answered Prayers, written by the band’s lead singer, Dave Faulkner, and mixed by their longtime producer/mixer, Ed Stasium (Ramones, Talking Heads).
Dave said, “’Answered Prayers’ came together very quickly, both in the writing and the recording. In September, I came up with the main riff when I was driving home from rehearsal. I started putting together the arrangement at our next rehearsal and when I listened back to it the following morning, the complete lyrics came tumbling out very quickly. It was quite a strange experience because, as a songwriter, I was almost a spectator in that process. I didn’t change a single word afterwards. That was also what led to the song having several spoken word sections – the lyrics demanded to be heard that way. As a result, ‘Answered Prayers’ has quite an unorthodox song structure”.
Few other artists have toured as comprehensively and achieved such an enduring reputation over successive generations, enjoyed such loyalty from fans and maintained such high esteem for their work – both within Australia and abroad.
Hoodoo Gurus evocative and relatable lyricism, peerless song writing placed in a distinctively Australian context, have provided the band with critical success and enduring mainstream appeal for over 35 years. The enduring importance of Hoodoo Gurus is reflected in sell-out tours, the status tracks from the Gurus’ catalogue as indisputable staples of radio, being name-checked in ‘best-ever album’ countdowns, even having songs played at weddings and funerals, these are just some of the barometers of the strong legacy Hoodoo Gurus enjoy.
As elder statesmen of Australian rock & roll, the Hoodoo Gurus are held in the same high esteem by their peers as they are by their fans. In 2007, the group was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame. Two years earlier, a cross-section of the Australian music community paid the band the ultimate homage by lovingly producing a tribute album of Gurus’ covers entitled Stoneage Cameos. It included contributions from the likes of You Am I, Spiderbait, The Living End, Grinspoon and, most bizarrely, the Persian Rugs.
Through to their chart-topping successes throughout the ’80s and ’90s, their international triumphs and countless sold-out local tours, from their 1998-2003 hiatus through to their comeback, Hoodoo Gurus have been and remain one of the most popular and successful musical acts Australia has ever produced.
To join the Hoodoo Gurus Record Club, go to hoodoogurus.net. Hoodoo Gurus’ Streaming Services links are here.
Hoodoo Gurus are confirmed to appear at Driftwood Winery Estate in WA’s Margaret River on 29 December, Cold Chisel’s Blood Moon Tour at Sydney’s Bankwest Stadium on 24 January and three Queensland shows in January and details are below.
Answered Prayers is released today on the band’s own label through Universal Music.
HOODOO GURUS’ TOUR DATES
Sunday, 29 December 2019
Driftwood Winery Estate, Margaret River Region WA
Tickets available now from Ticketmaster
Friday, 24 January 2020
Bankwest Stadium, Parramatta NSW
Blood Moon Tour 2020 with Cold Chisel and Busby Marou
Tickets available now from Ticketek
Saturday, 25 January 2020
Racecourse Hotel, Booval Qld
Tickets available now from Oztix
Sunday, 26 January 2020
Redland Bay Hotel, Redland Bay Qld
Tickets available now from Oztix
Saturday, 21 March 2020
Sandstone Point Hotel, Bribie Island Qld
Tickets available now from Ticketmaster
