Interview: Australian pop-rock favorite Hoodoo Gurus can’t wait to finally be back in Florida

If you remember the last time Hoodoo Gurus played on a local stage, you’ve either lived in Tampa Bay for a long time, or you’ve followed the superb Australian band since its 1980s formation—or both.

With the arrival of its infectious 1984 debut album Stoneage Romeos, the band instantly became a sensation all over its home county as well as a surprise hit on American college radio charts. Described as a jangly amalgamation of power-pop, garage-rock, and no-nonsense, straight up, crunchy rock and roll, Hoodoo Gurus is beloved by a core of diehard fans. A steady stream of albums has continued to delight followers in the ensuing years and its last release, 2022’s fine Chariot of the Gods is certainly no exception.

The tour to support that album was intended to bring the Aussie four-piece to the U.S. after a very long absence but, as is true for so many acts, Covid threw a wrench into the Gurus’ touring plans. After many deliberations regarding whether to can the tour or go forward with it, albeit at a later time, luckily for its American fans, the group decided to go forward and tour America after all.

As the band was preparing to fine tune its U.S. tour and was rehearsing for its jaunt through the States, longtime member, guitarist, and songwriter Brad Shepherd took some time out to speak to Creative Loafing Tampa Bay about the band, his health, coming back to America, and surfing.

Hoodoo Gurus plays the Bilheimer Capitol Theatre in Clearwater on Thursday, April 27. Tickets are still available and start at $29. Hello Brad. Thanks for taking time out to chat. So many of us are looking forward to the return of Hoodoo Gurus on American soil and to its concert stages. Tell us about the havoc COVID placed on your initial plan to come back to the U.S.

Well, it was not really unique. The world of entertainment was affected. COVID got in the way of us playing. We had to reschedule our tour to best achieve our goals. But then Omicron hit, and we had to decide if we were going to postpone our dates or just cancel them. We had to play the waiting game.

Well, I speak for many in telling you that we’re so glad you decided to reschedule the tour and that you’re coming back to Florida. I remember you all playing a long-gone downtown Tampa spot called London Victory Club in the mid-’80s, but I sadly didn’t attend that show.

I remember being in Florida! I remember driving across the peninsula, nature trails, and seeing lots of gators! I’m looking forward to coming back!
With a large array of so many good albums with so many catchy, great pop songs on them, how do you all determine which songs to play on any given night? What kind of setlist can locals expect on this upcoming tour?

We’re playing songs from the entire catalog, and we change our setlist every night. But we need to brush up on some of those songs! (laughs). We’ll be playing a couple of new ones, but we’ll definitely be playing stuff from Stoneage Romeos, Mars Needs Guitars!, and Blow Your Cool!

So, every night boasts a different setlist?

Yes, and there’s nothing being flown in from a hard drive offstage! Our sound guy says we are made up of bass, drums, and two chainsaws. But as far as the music is concerned, it’s just what we like; it’s the reason why we’re here. We really like to play our instruments and play the songs. Sometimes, folks come to two or more shows, and we like to tell them that they’ll never see the same show…and it’s not uncommon for us to field requests. Sometimes that’s terrifying, especially when we get asked to play something rare. Sometimes I have to ask, ‘Can you give me five seconds?’ so that I can remember the song. We may screw it up spectacularly, but we always give it a shot.

I know you have had some health concerns over the last few years. How are you doing these days?

My health is excellent. I had a scare with melanoma that surprised me. In my part of the world, in Queensland where I grew up, and with the sun, it’s something to be careful of just like I’m sure it is in Florida. Growing up in the ‘60s and the ‘70s, as a child, you’d go to the beach, baste yourself in the sun like a chicken but, I’m still here. I had surgery but my health is good. It seems that society is much more aware of those concerns now than when I was a kid.

What can you tell the local fans who’ve been awaiting your return for so long? What are we going to have to look forward to with your return to Florida concert stages?

Well, the band broke up in 1998 and there was a long period when each of us was doing other things. We were stubbornly determined to never reform. But I think [lead singer and band founder] David [Faulkner] had to face an obvious reality. We reconvened in the early part of the 20th century that we all had a renewed commitment and that we’d been living the typical madness of young men. We had to realize that we’d lost sight of what had motivated us to be musicians in the first place despite all the obligations we had. I’d say we’re much more professional now than we were in the ‘80s or ‘90s and that we’re quite formidable as a live act. We can hold our own against anyone these days. We have a strong sense of commitment to what we do. In my 20s, I wouldn’t have sat down with an acoustic guitar before shows, but now it’s different. I think I have a strong command of what I do and there’s a strong commitment to our level of confidence these days. It might be unusual for blokes our age to play night after night, day after day but, our muscle memory kicks in. For the next several weeks, we’ll be playing five or six nights a week. We used to do that a lot before. You just have to exist inside the music. I am very confident I won’t screw up! (Laughs) It’s like surfing…but you’re riding the music instead.

Do you surf?

Oh no, I don’t. But we’re looking forward to these shows. Our level of confidence is high. We think it’s going to be a pleasant experience. It was looking somewhat pessimistic when considering these shows throughout the possibility of canceling them, but we’re truly excited to be coming over to play in America again.