STACK #209 Mar 2022

MUSIC FEATURE

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“And now, of course, the results are what you can hear.” I Come FromYour Future , one of the album’s standout tracks, opens with Rieth’s powerhouse drumming, which sounds as if it could burst right through your speakers and literally knock you out. “That’s Brad [Shepherd, guitarist/ singer-songwriter/harmonica player]’s song, I Come FromYour Future ,” Faulkner says, “but, you know, in some of my songs the character that

INTERVIEW

Chariot of the Gods by Hoodoo Gurus is out March 11 via Big Time Phonograph / EMI.

DAVE FAULKNER HOODOO GURUS Hoodoo Gurus frontman Dave Faulkner on singing from an “awful” character’s perspective, clothing dark songs in “colourful musical backing,” and channeling Lou Reed on sparkling new jewel in their already-outstanding catalogue, Chariot of the Gods . Read the full article online at stack.com.au. Words Bryget Chrisfield

Nik’s drumming brings to it actually changes my writing a little bit, you know? It brings out characters in my writing that are different.” When the band entered the studio to create what would become this record’s lead single, 2019’s Answered Prayers , Faulkner recalls, “That was like an experiment – to just go make a song and see what it sounds like when we get together, ‘cause it was new. When you work on new material, you can’t predict what’s going to happen when you all get together. And, musically, the way we all communicated and connected on that song, it would obviously bode well for working on more things." Like much of the material on Hoodoo Gurus’ tenth studio album, Answered Prayers – which features Faulkner’s sinister, spoken-word delivery, pummelling drums and glistening guitar interplay – benefits from a deeper listen. “[ Answered Prayers ] was actually a very important song, ‘cause that song kind of shaped the whole project, for me,” Faulkner explains. “It’s a very dark song, because it’s basically about (For those playing at home, Travis Bickle is Robert De Niro’s paranoid, murderous military veteran character in the classic film, Taxi Driver. ) Faulkner says this song’s lyrics “all tumbled out in a rush”. “I virtually wrote them in as long as it would take you to read them," he says. "I was kind of a bit shocked, ‘cause I thought, ‘These are very simple words, but when you put them all together they add up to something quite powerful', and as a songwriter, I was kind of impressed, actually,” he admits, laughing. “I was shocked by the power and then scared of it, because it was a bit awful and, ‘Do I want people to hear this?' It’s quite a dark subject and not pleasant to listen to. And to kind of be in that world, to see the world through that person’s viewpoint, is awful...” someone who is a complete narcissist, controlling their partner and basically humiliating them.” “I’m feelin’ fickle/ A little Travis Bickle...” – yikes!

My songs are all personal, it’s just that they often come clothed in quite a colourful musical backing, so that people don’t pick up on the dark heart underneath...

Hoodoo Gurus L to R: Brad Shepherd, Nik Rieth,

Dave Faulkner and Richard Grossman

I n the presser for Hoodoo Gurus’ first album release in over a decade, Chariot of the Gods , frontman Dave Faulkner enthuses, “I'm tellin' ya, folks, we've got a real spring in our step right now.” And STACK is stoked to confirm that the band has never sounded better. Don’t freak out about the record’s 14-song tracklisting, either – there are exactly zero stinkers here. Also, Early Opener is “just a little intro”: a sound collage that Faulkner “put together”. While Faulkner plays Come Anytime solo in the background, we hear clinking glasses and general chit-chat as if he’s performing in an adjoining room. “It’s basically taking the p-ss out of the idea that I’m a pub rocker,” Faulkner enlightens. “So I kind of parody that by making myself into a tragic has-been, stuck in the corner of some club, and no one’s playing attention to me as I sing one of my old hits. So it’s a little

dig at that notion and, you know, maybe it’ll be a self-

fulfilling prophecy, who knows?” he adds with a laugh.

Chariot of the Gods is also the first full- length recording to feature relatively new recruit, drummer Nik Rieth (formerly of The Celibate Rifles), which goes some way towards explaining what Faulkner describes as the band’s “new spirit, new energy” and “creative reboot”. Rieth had previously played with the Hoodoos, but signed on permanently after previous drummer Mark Kingsmill retired from the band (for the second time). “Once Mark had finally, finally hung up his drumsticks, we gave Nik a serious look and realised in fact he was the right guy for us,” Faulkner informs.

Continue reading the full article online at stack.com.au

72 MARCH 2022

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