Beloved OG Red Wiggle, Murray Cook has a new groove – with the fearsomely funky outfit The Soul Movers.
The brainchild of Cook and powerhouse vocalist Lizzie Mack, The Soul Movers have released 'Monkey!', the second single from their debut album 'Dumb Luck'.The song was inspired by a throwaway comment Cook made one day about the shadow of his fame, which seems to follow him around. "Murray is ardently pursued by media outlets and OG Wiggles fans alike," Mack explains.
"Murray constantly gets asked to do radio ID, selfies, podcasts etc. and one day, driving in the band van, he said - 'I'm just a performing monkey.'"
The comment soon became a running joke within the band. "The band have had lots of fun with that one ever since," reveals Mack. "Even going up onstage – 'after you, monkey man'."
Recorded by Stewart Geddes in Sydney's Studios 301, the track opens with a snarling bassline played by Cook himself.
"Not many people know (maybe the OG Wiggles) that Murray likes to play guitar, but it's also a very well-kept secret that he is also the king of garage-pop style fuzz bass," Geddes says.
"The opening seconds of the 'Monkey!' are all about showing off Murray's fuzz factor ten skills."
The five-piece outfit from Sydney will hit the road from August till December for their 'Dumb Luck' tour, with album launches in Sydney, Newcastle, Brisbane, Melbourne, Tasmania, and Gold Coast as well as a slew of pub shows and festivals throughout NSW.
Tickets are on sale.
The Soul Movers 2023 Tour Dates
Fri 18 Aug - Leftys Music Hall (Brisbane)Fri 1 Sept - George Lane (Melbourne)
Sat 2 Sept - Cherry Bar (Melbourne)
Sat 9 Sept - The Great Club (Sydney)
Fri 29 Sept - Hamilton Hotel (Newcastle)
30 Sep-1 Oct - Old Bar Beach Festival (Old Bar)
21- 22 Oct - The KISS Arts Festival (Wollongong)
Fri 27 Oct - The Royal Oak (Launceston)
Sat 28 Oct - The Republic Bar (Hobart)
Sat 11 Nov - The Beach Club (Sydney)
Sat 25 Nov - Beer Deluxe (Albury)* plus a DJ Murray set
Sun 26 Nov - The Harmonie Club (Canberra)
Sat 9 Dec - Twin Towns (Gold Coast)
Sun 10 Dec - Shaw's Bay (Northern Rivers)
Sat 16 Dec - The Seaview (Mid North Coast)
Sun 17 Dec - The Hoey Moey (Coffs Harbour)
