The musical partnership of Red Wiggle Murray Cook and Lizzie Mack, Mack & Cook are interested in writing-recording "songs that work hard melodically and have integrity of some sort".
After releasing the charming acoustic alt. country burner 'Time Goes By' last year, last month they dropped their follow-up single, 'A Sign Of The Times', which lands as an offering, not a solution, to continuing a conversation that needs to be had.
It gently presses the question, how can we collectively step up so justice is achieved for the original owners of this land?
It opens with true-blue visual metaphors, such as "the red dust blows where Gough and Vincent pour Gurindji sands". The track emotes an Australiana-meets-Americana feel, country storytelling tradition meeting a hint of the blues.
"If I could distill the motivation behind the lyrics into one line, it would be, 'we need to do better, and we need to do it now'. The Stolen Generation are waiting for our response and they deserve a treaty in their lifetimes," Mack says.
Adds Murray: "Significant change will only happen for First Nations people if we work together, listen to their voices and priorities and make things happen. That is the hopeful and eager message we tried to impart in our new song."
Fresh from a trip west to playing Nannup Music Festival as well as other WA dates, Mack & Cook return to the road for east-coast shows from March to May before another run of shows between October-December (scroll down for the dates).
Who is Mack & Cook? Mack & Cook are Lizzie Mack and Murray Cook. . . Most folks know that Murray spent more than three decades playing guitar in bands across Sydney (and in a certain well-known children's band where he wore a lot of red).
While Lizzie brings a background writing for multiple artists (Roy Head at Sugar Hill in TX!?) in the soul, bluesy rock genres where it's all about central characters and storytelling.
When we started writing together we realised we were both interested in songs that work hard melodically and have integrity of some sort – our most recent 'A Sign Of The Times' (on all streaming platforms) sit with big questions about justice in Australia; where we've been and where we're heading in terms of achieving a treaty for our Stolen Generations.
We sound like... Australiana meets Americana – classic country storytelling with a bit of country-soul in the harmonies and guitar lines that feel like retro road music.
Our first gig was... A small bar in Surry Hills (Sydney) where we put the wheels back on The Soul Movers and threw in a few groovy covers – gotta (re)start somewhere!
When did you settle on the group's name, and was it unanimous? Pretty quickly. 'Mack & Cook' felt like an old-school songwriting partnership with a hint of cheese – the kind of name you might see on a bright coloured box that falls out of a kitchen cupboard at 2am and screams EAT ME! But there's no milk!
In the studio we usually... Start with the beds (ie drums, bass and acoustic guitar) then vocals – Lizzie burns through them in two takes or so – then we have two, three hours for guitars – GLORIOUS guitars – and some strange percussion Lizzie wants to do, but ends up like crickets – barely audible in the background – lol!
'A Sign Of The Times' began with a discussion about how angry we are about not achieving much past MABO in our lifetimes; and that famous moment where Gough Whitlam poured red desert sand into Vincent Lingiari's hands – a moment many Australians still hold onto as a symbol of hope and possibility – and where (if we had our way) he would have given back the WHOLE country to its rightful owners.
If you could tour with anyone... Jason Isbell. Muz is in love with him and Lizzie could surely learn a thang or two. Paul Kelly if Jason is n/a – from little things big things still need to grow!
Social media is. . . The bane of our lives, but we need it and sometimes amuse ourselves with our own posts – ca''t live with it, can't live. . . or can we?
My favourite app at the moment is... Edits or Bandsintown – they don't make me carsick when I use them going from show to show; and because someone in another city might actually stumble across our music and come to a show.
To date, our most embarrassing moment was the time... We confidently introduced a "brand new song," then realised we were singing two different songs – our last two drops both have the word 'time' in it – who wears readers onstage? Lizzie blames it on Young Henry's apple cider. . . she only needs one!
Life on the road can be... Long drives, wide landscapes and pausing ABC Listen apps to broadcast to each other for twice as long as the section we just listened to. We should compere them. We always have so much to add and say!
If you'll have us on your bill, all we ask is that our rider contains... Fine wines that make up for any sonic gremlins. . . naaah – it's always and only about the fans; great listeners draw out the best in us.
The most scary scenario we've found ourselves in was... Running low on petrol in the middle of rural Australia at night; Murray likes taking it to the edge. By the time we rolled into the servo there was NOTHING in the tank – it actually sighed out as I opened the fuel cap!
What celebrity/ famous person would you love to be spokesperson of the band? Strange question. . . Hmmm. . . let me come back to that one. Muz does a pretty fine job and he's pretty famous/
If you had to live in a city abroad, where would you choose and why? Barcelona. Or Paris, or New York or London – and then there's Melbourne, which often feels like all of the above!
Great food, great music and a culture that respects artists and what they bring to creating culture. So maybe Ireland for that reason (if they weren't all over here - lol).
Three people you'd like to invite around for a dinner party? Gough Whitlam – to hear the story behind that famous Gurindji moment. Margaret Whitlam – because she knows the back story to the big days.
Vincent Lingari and the Wave Hill mob that fought for 15 years to get things done – it would be a backyard BBQ of course; big feed for the whole mob.
If we were coming over to your place, what would you cook us? Steak - grass-fed and finished – any way you like it with anything you like on and with it.
When it comes to pets are you a lover or hater of our furry friends? Lovers. Dogs and cats keep our souls alive where humans often fail.
No matter the expense, send me a case of... Your finest red – I love a nice drop or two (Muz).
The last time I saw the inside of a gym was... Monday morning – so great to be back on the tools after three weeks away.
What's the one chore you dislike the most? Packing up gear at 2am, but we are good at it. Social media, ugh!
Do you have any phobias... Bad stage monitors – we have had some near (stage) death experiences lately; strangely on festival stages where our b/vs got amazing mixes and had THEIR volume turned up so high we couldn't hear the lead voices. . . nothing a fine bevvy can't wash away pretty well after the show though (lol).
Would you ever partake in a reality show? Only if it involved travelling around Australia chatting to the locals to write a song in an hour and then having to play it back to them live by dinner o'clock a la Slim Dusty. Better be a pub with cold beer and a good steak tho or no dice.
If you could prank any of your friends... Oh Murray does that ALL the time. . . it's in his DNA – for one reason and another. ;)
Best local takeaway joint for a midnight feed? Whatever Melbourne souvlaki is still open after the gig – our fave is in Johnstone St, Fitzroy (opposite Bar Open), always delivers!
Which fictional character best describes your personality? Charlie Cale - 'Poker Face' legend.
Last show you binge-watched? After most of our Nannup Festival shows last week we group watched 'How To Get To Heaven From Belfast' – bloody legendary!
Mack & Cook 2026 Tour Dates
Fri 27 Mar - Smith's Alternative (Canberra)
Sat 4 Apr - The Impy (Northern Rivers)
Sun 12 Apr - Palomino Lounge (Sydney)
Sat 18 Apr - Morty's Joint (Coffs Harbour)
Fri 24 Apr - AIR Session @ The Greenhouse (Orange)
Sat 9 May - Cherry Bar (Melbourne)* Murray and the Movers show
Sun 10 May - The Retreat Hotel (Northern Rivers)
Sat 30 May - Sonic Sherpa (Brisbane)* 3pm show
Sun 31 May - The Junk Bar (Brisbane)
Sat 22 Aug - Beatlefest (Bathurst)
Sun 23 Aug - Beatlefest (Bathurst)
Sat 10 Oct - Django Bar (Sydney)
Sat 7 Nov - UniBar (Adelaide)* Murray & The Movers show
Sat 14 Nov - Full Throttle Ranch (Newcastle)* Murray and the Movers show
Fri 4 Dec - Merri Creek Tavern (Melbourne)
Sat 5 Dec - Cherry Bar (Melbourne) VIC
