The Soul Movers, led by Lizzie Mack and her soul brother and former red Wiggle Murray Cook, are showing Australia what they’re made of.
“It’s been really positive feedback so far; all the songs have gone over really well and we talk quite a bit about the songs in the show and how we went about recording it,” Murray says.
After taking their brand of soul to the USA following the release of their album 'Bona Fide' earlier this year, the band are now back on Australian roads with a continuous run of tour dates through to September.
“It’s quite a cool story,” he continues, discussing the recording process for 'Bona Fide', “because we recorded [it] in Alabama, Memphis and Tennessee in some really iconic studios. They were pretty interested in our style of music and how we went about it over there, and our lead singer Lizzie Mack is really great with connecting with audiences and drawing them in.”
The Sydney-based rockin’ soul and funky pop band features Lizzie on lead vocals and ARIA Hall of Famer Murray on guitar, along with Marko Simec (keys) Andy Newman (bass) and Stu Wilson (drums).
A stand-out track from the very start, ‘If I Could Ever’ was a welcome feature on the album with its funky beat, soulful sound, and inspirational message of moving forward with a smile and a tear.
The track had legendary players The Swampers (collaborators of The Black Keys, The Rolling Stones, and Aretha Franklin) and live audiences across the US instantly impressed with its groove. But it was definitely not the only track to excite crowds.
“One of the songs on [the album] is a bit of a gospel song called ‘Lift Me Up',” enthuses Murray, “and we get the audience to sing-along to it and they’re really into it.
“I use some of my skills from my previous Wiggles days to get them involved and I think people really want to do that, they want to get involved with the music. Once you egg them on a bit, it draws everyone together.”
Murray is no stranger to festivals following his surprise appearance with Aussie rockers DZ Deathrays during their 2018 appearance at Splendour In The Grass. Cook joined the group to perform ‘Like People’ (which he featured in the music video earlier that year), as well as a cover of AC/DC's ‘Highway To Hell’.
“That was a really great experience,” Murray says.
“I got to know them pretty well after filming the music video; one of the guys sent me an email asking if I would like to come and play Splendour and I didn’t hesitate. We had a couple of rehearsals, they asked if there was a cover I’d like to do and I suggested ‘Highway To Hell’. It went really for them and with the excitement in the crowd it was just really great fun.”
The Soul Movers Tour 2019
Sat 29 Jun - Flow Bar (Old Bar)Sun 30 Jun - The Junk Yard (Maitland)
Fri 12 Jul - Camelot Lounge (Sydney)
Fri 19 Jul - Dogs Bar (Melbourne)
Sat 20 Jul - The Toff In Town (Melbourne)
Sun 21 Jul - The Old Bar (Melbourne)
Sun 28 Jul - Manning Bar (Sydney)
Fri 23 Aug - Miami Marketta (Gold Coast)
Sat 24 Aug - The Bison Bar (Sunshine Coast)
Sun 25 Aug - The Milk Factory (Brisbane)
Fri 6 Sep - The Victoria (Bathurst)
Sat 7 Sep - The Agrestic Grocer (Orange)
Sun 8 Sep - Katoomba RSL (Blue Mountains)
