Melbourne masters of obscurity Dr Sure’s Unusual Practice bring blistering post-punk to Geelong
Subscribe
X

Subscribe to Forte Magazine

07.07.2021

Melbourne masters of obscurity Dr Sure’s Unusual Practice bring blistering post-punk to Geelong

The four-piece will be launching their new single, ‘Infinite Growth’.

Affectionately known as Melbourne’s weirdo punk masterminds, Dr Sure’s Unusual Practice continue to forge their own path within the underground music scene with their unapologetic and angular brand of post-punk music.

A supergroup of Aussie rock legends, the Dr Sure family is comprised of the group’s enigmatic leader Dougal Shaw (Cash Savage & The Last Drinks, Cracodile), Jake Suriano (Hideous Sun Demon, Kosmetika), Miranda Holt (Al Matcott, Strangers From Now On), and Jack McCullagh (Cracodile, Hot Sludge Fundae).

Squalling and brilliantly sardonic, Dr Sure’s craft music that’s fresh and inspired, teaming blistering guitar riffs with sharp lyricism and on-point observational commentary.

Keep up with the latest music news via our website.

Taking cues from the late ’80s and hurling it into the future, tongue-in-cheek and an ear to the ground, the four-piece has just released a new single ‘Infinite Growth’.

Scathing but brimming with hope, the single from DSUP takes the group’s esoteric synth-punk sound into even more abstract directions, most musically and lyrically, in an attempt to reframe and reclaim capitalist language.

“It’s this idea that they’ll always talk about perpetual growth for things like profit margins and GDP and balance sheets and all these made-up human concepts – it’s trying to redirect that same energy into tangible important shit like the coral reef or sacred trees,” Dr Sure’s frontman and Marthouse Records label head Dougal Shaw says.

“I wanted it to be hopeful so even though a lot of that is pretty upsetting, it’s more of a rallying call like together we can create a new dream.”

A bitter farewell to the old machine and an optimistic belief in a new dream, ‘Infinite Growth’ serves as the band’s latest progression in their journey of creative resistance.

Since emerging onto the scene fully formed in 2019, Dr Sure’s Unusual Practice have wasted no time in this journey, earning a solid reputation for their signature wonky, groove-based post-punk and explosive existence with their debut album, ‘The West’, consistent touring, and with the ‘Scomo Goes To Hawaii’ EP, recorded in an effort to raise cash for the bushfires that stormed across Australia.

They were halfway through the recording of their second full-length ‘Remember The Future?’ when the pandemic hit, devastating the music community on a global level. Adapting to an uncertain future, Dr Sure split the album in two, released Volume 1 in May. They followed it up with 2020’s ‘While Aus Burns’, an entertaining reminder of the sad consequences of inept leadership on a national level.

“When it [COVID] first hit I think we still had a bit of residual energy pumping from that first year, I’d just recorded the Scomo Goes To Hawaii and While Aus Burns EPs, we’d just done the first Remember The Future? sessions and we were getting asked to do some livestream shows which gave us something weird to stuff our heads into.

“The longer it went on and the more we had to cancel things – recording plans, Europe plans – it definitely starts to weigh ya down. I’ve done a lot of walking the Merri Creek.”

Continuing on their trajectory of producing wiry, bass-driven punk, ‘Infinite Growth’ serves as the first taste of Volume 2, which they recorded in May this year with Nao Anzai (Floodlights, Clamm, Rolling Blackouts C.F.).

After a bundle of plans done and undone, Dr Sure’s Unusual Practice are easing their way back into the tour bus with a run through Victoria in July to celebrate the new single, kicking off last week at The Evelyn in Melbourne and The Eastern in Ballarat – their first live gigs in a long time.

“It was so good, it was looking pretty sketchy for weeks leading up to it,” Shaw says.

“Very stoked when the Melbourne show went ahead. I think everyone in the room needed that one, I haven’t seen a Melbourne crowd move so much in just about the whole time I’ve lived here,” he laughs. “No folded arms in sight – just pure joy. Couldn’t wipe the smile off their faces. That sounds like a hallmark quote but it’s true as it comes.”

Riding the high from the success of their first gigs, Dr Sure will also be hitting up more of regional Victoria this week, including the likes of Geelong’s Barwon Club on Friday, June 9.

With border restrictions continuously implicating the live music touring circuit time and time again, Dr Sure is just one of the many bands jumping on the regional bandwagon, bringing more live music to smaller communities outside major cities.

“It’s definitely the safest bet. We had an international tour on the horizon last year that got canned. We’ve had a bunch of plans done and undone. Just gotta keep pushing forward, keep moving, it’s pretty easy to get deflated.

“This tour is a bit of a test run to see what we can get away with. We were planning interstate shows as part of this run but the recent lockdowns made it all too flimsy. It’s hard on venues and everyone involved when things get cancelled, we decided to just go ahead and announce the Vic shows,” he continues.

“All these places have cool little scenes of their own and kids doing cool shit and I guess it’s good for everyone the more those scenes develop. Feels like for a while most bands would just do the major cities; I could see Australia becoming more like Europe or America where you can do these full like 30 or 50 date runs around the continent. It would help if the Gov valued the arts but that’s a whole other conversation.”

Following a wild night in Geelong, the band will finish up their tour at their spiritual home, The Old Bar, on Saturday, July 10 where they’ll be joined by the raucous Hideous Sun Demon and Delivery on support. Sadly, their sold-out Port Fairy show has been cancelled due to restrictions. Refunds will be on their way for those who purchased tickets.

Prepare to be blown away by the weird this Friday in the iconic BC bandroom. Dr Sure’s Unusual Practice will be joined by CLAMM and Dragnet, promising a huge night of off-the-wall dystopian robo-punk.

“[I’m] so keen. I’ve only ever been there for Jerk Fest and it’s such an epic venue. The line-up for this show is next level. If we weren’t playing, I would definitely drive to Geelong for this.

“You can expect real-life humans playing loud music in a room together with real-life humans in the crowd doing speckys and smiling heaps. No VR or livestreams in sight.”

Dr Sure’s Unusual Practice’s new single ‘Infinite Growth’ is out now. Grab tickets to their Geelong show here.

For more on Dr Sure’s, check out their Facebook and Instagram.