THE HUXTON CREEPERS RELEASE NEW SINGLE “OPPOSITES ATTRACT” / “MIDNIGHT TV” TODAY AHEAD OF AUGUST 40TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR!
FIRST NEW MUSIC IN OVER THREE AND A HALF DECADES FROM THE MUCH-LOVED AUSTRALIAN ’80s BAND FOLLOWS THE RELEASE OF THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY REISSUE OF DEBUT ALBUM 12 DAYS TO PARIS
THE BAND’S AUGUST 40TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR WILL SEE THEM PLAYING 12 DAYS TO PARIS IN ITS ENTIRETY – PLUS MORE – FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER
Beloved Melbourne band The Huxton Creepers, who followed Sunnyboys and the Hoodoo Gurus out of the pubs and into the hearts of many young rock’n’roll and guitar-pop loving Australians in the ’80s, are back with their first new music since 1990 in the form of a new single. Their single, which comes two weeks before the band begins its 12 Days to Paris 40th Anniversary Tour, is out today on limited edition 7″ single and digitally and features ‘Opposites Attract’ and ‘Midnight TV’, two brand new songs written by original members Rob Craw, Matthew Eddy and Archie Law, with the addition of new guitarist and longtime friend Julian Matthews of the Stems.
Remarkably, the band has managed – arguably better than ever – to capture and distill everything that always made them great in these new recordings. Both tracks are simply glorious in their melody and perhaps bring to mind classic mid-80s Chris Bailey-led Saints in their rich instrumental sound
Of ‘Opposites Attract’, Rob Craw says, “‘Opposites…’ was inspired by the song ‘Save It For Later’ by the British Beat – its melody and feel. One of my favourite songs but in no way did I wish to just slavishly replicate it but rather just let it seep in as an almost a subconscious driver.
“Lyrically, I was reading about the myth of couples being attracted to their opposite and research had proven this as myth. I’m a big believer in factual truth and evidence based science. However, I just wanted to twist this back to the romantic notion. My wife’s a scientist and me……well let’s just say rationality is not my strong suit.
The B-side hearkens back to earlier influences. Says Matthew Eddy: “Stole the riff from New York Dolls’ ‘Lonely Planet Boy’ which morphed into a sort of driving hypnotic rhythm, the chorus a nice little tune with bending strings being played around a bushman’s C chord. The lyrics started as ‘Late night TV’ but Rob thought ‘Midnight TV’ sounded better and he was right, despite it very rarely actually happening these days. No mystery here, just musings on couch time. The middle 8 is a wig out to break things up, before settling back into that driving thing from Arch and Matt. A great vocal from Rob, and Jules’ fantastic noodling over everything tops it off nicely. It was recorded with a fade out in mind but nobody wanted it to end so you get to hear it right to the last note.”
The Huxton Creepers’ “Opposites Attract”/”Midnight TV” is out on Cheersquad Records and Tapes and available digitally as well as on black vinyl and limited edition coloured vinyl. It can be ordered now from:
Opposites Attract | Huxton Creepers | Cheersquad Records & Tapes
To celebrate the recent 40th Anniversary reissue of their debut album 12 Days to Paris – and of course the album itself – The Huxton Creepers next month will undertake their first tour since 2011. The shows will see them playing, for the first time ever, 12 Days to Paris in its entirety, as well all their other fan favourites. They’ll be joined by old mates Icecream Hands in Melbourne and The Johnnys in NSW and QLD, with former Screaming Tribesmen front man and his wife, Mick Medew and Ursula, also joining the party in Brisbane.
12 Days To Paris is chock full as it is with classic singles like “My Cherie Amour” and “I Will Persuade You” and “Autumn Leaves” and longtime crowd pleasers like “King of the Road” and “Don’t Even Think About It’.
Which is not to discount earlier and later gems like “The Murderess”, “Skin of My Teeth”, “Rack My Brains” and “Small Mercies”, and great covers like “Shake Some Action”, all of which fans can expect to hear again in August in addition to the track-by-track performance of 12 Days…
Flying Saucer and Cheersquad Records & Tapes Present
THE HUXTON CREEPERS CELEBRATING 40 YEARS OF 12 DAYS TO PARIS TOUR – AUGUST 2026
Fri Aug 7th Sooki Lounge, Belgrave w/ Icecream Hands – Tix
Sat Aug 8th Croxton Bandroom, Thornbury w/ Icecream Hands – Tix
Fri Aug 14th Marrickville Bowling Club w/ The Johnnys – Tix
Sat Aug 15th Marrickville Bowling Club w/ The Johnnys – Tix
Sun Aug 16th (arvo) Hamilton Station Hotel, Newcastle w/ The Johnnys – Tix
Fri Aug 21st Norton Music Factory, Caloundra w/ The Johnnys – Tix
Sat Aug 22nd Crowbar Brisbane, Fortitude Valley w/ The Johnnys + Mick Medew and Ursulla – Tix
Sun Aug 23rd (arvo) Wallaby Hotel, Mudgeeraba w/ The Johnnys – Tix
THE HUXTON CREEPERS’ 12 DAYS TO PARIS – 40TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION IS OUT ON NOW AND AVAILABLE FROM
https://cheersquadrecordstapes.bandcamp.com/album/12-days-to-paris
Limited edition gold 12″ vinyl (100 only) and black vinyl available. Includes digital download, which is also available separately.
“I first heard of the Huxton Creepers when I was a young, aspiring musician. A friend who had moved to Brisbane from Melbourne introduced me to them through a live show recording on Triple R, and from the first moment I heard “King of the Road,” “I Will Persuade You,” and their version of “Ramble Tamble,” I was in. This was the band I’d been waiting for. “
– John Collins (JC), Powderfinger
“Ultimately this is one of the best debut rock & roll albums made in this country. It’s up there with Sunnyboys and Stoneage Romeos…”
– Toby Creswell, Rolling Stone 1986
Loved around the land, the Huxton Creepers first emerged as a sort of teenaged version of both Sunnyboys and Hoodoo Gurus with a bit of ’80s Saints thrown in for good measure—big guitars and big hooks were the order of the day— and the Sunnys and the Gurus took the fledgling Creepers under their wings from the get-go.
Like the Sunnys, Gurus and Saints, the Creepers were a band that appealed equally to inner-city paisley and Cuban heel wearers as well as rank and file rock fans, and 12 Days to Paris was recorded on the back of a couple of years of constant touring on the country’s then-thriving pub circuit.
“We went into Melbourne’s Platinum Studios at the band’s peak to record our debut album,” says drummer Arch Law. “Steve Berlin from Los Lobos and Chris Copping from Procol Harum were with us. We knew we had the songs and the band was firing on all cylinders. We were creating something special. 40 years on we are really proud of 12 Days and excited to be bringing it back to life”
The vinyl reissue of 12 Days to Paris – which is available on limited edition gold vinyl (100 copies only!) or regular black – also coincides with the album’s first ever release through digital platforms. With the label they were signed to having folded decades back, things were in legal limbo for a long time.
The Huxton Creepers’ impact was such that members of subsequent generation of major Australian bands, including Powderfinger and You Am I, have cited the band as an influence over the years. And they have played several reunions over the years, including shows with friends Sunnyboys, The Stems and Ups and Downs. Every time they play the fans come out, the feeling comes flooding back and it’s like they never left. With a big anniversary to celebrate this year, original members Rob Craw, Matthew Eddy and Arch Law are joined by new lead guitarist Julian Matthews of longtime pals The Stems. The band is raring to go, and these shows are not to be missed.
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