The Huxton Creepers Return With First New Music in More Than Three Decades
Beloved Melbourne guitar-pop heroes announce new single, 40th-anniversary reissue and first national tour since 2011
For fans of Australian guitar music, it’s the kind of news that once seemed unlikely to happen.
The Huxton Creepers have returned with their first new music since 1990, releasing a double A-side single, “Opposites Attract” and “Midnight TV”, ahead of a national tour celebrating the 40th anniversary of their classic debut album 12 Days to Paris.
Emerging from Melbourne’s thriving 1980s pub-rock scene alongside contemporaries like Sunnyboys, Hoodoo Gurus and The Saints, The Huxton Creepers built a fiercely loyal following on the back of jangling guitars, irresistible hooks and relentless touring. While their influence continued to echo through later generations of Australian bands — including You Am I and Powderfinger — new recordings from the group remained absent for more than three decades.
Until now.
Remarkably, the new songs don’t sound like a nostalgia exercise. If anything, “Opposites Attract” and “Midnight TV”capture everything that made the band special in the first place: chiming guitars, melodic sophistication and the kind of effortless songwriting that has become increasingly rare.
Original members Rob Craw, Matthew Eddy and Arch Law are joined by longtime friend and Stems guitarist Julian Matthews, whose arrival adds fresh energy while preserving the band’s unmistakable DNA.
The lead track, “Opposites Attract”, finds Craw reflecting on relationships, science and romance.
“‘Opposites…’ was inspired by the song ‘Save It For Later’ by The Beat — its melody and feel,” Craw explains. “One of my favourite songs, but in no way did I wish to slavishly replicate it. I just let it seep in as an almost subconscious driver.”
The song’s lyrical inspiration came from research debunking the long-held belief that opposites attract.
“I’m a big believer in factual truth and evidence-based science,” Craw says. “However, I just wanted to twist this back to the romantic notion. My wife’s a scientist and me … well, let’s just say rationality is not my strong suit.”
Meanwhile, “Midnight TV” taps into the band’s garage-rock roots. Written by Eddy, the track began with a borrowed riff from New York Dolls classic “Lonely Planet Boy” before taking on a life of its own.
“Rob thought ‘Midnight TV’ sounded better than ‘Late Night TV’ and he was right,” Eddy says. “No mystery here, just musings on couch time.”
The release arrives alongside a long-overdue vinyl reissue of 12 Days to Paris, the album that introduced the band to a national audience in 1986.
Released through Cheersquad Records & Tapes, the anniversary edition marks the album’s first-ever vinyl reissue and its long-awaited arrival on digital platforms after years of legal limbo following the collapse of the band’s original label.
Packed with fan favourites including “My Cherie Amour”, “I Will Persuade You”, “Autumn Leaves”, “King of the Road”and “Don’t Even Think About It”, the album remains one of the great lost treasures of Australian guitar pop.
“We went into Melbourne’s Platinum Studios at the band’s peak to record our debut album,” recalls drummer Arch Law.
“Steve Berlin from Los Lobos and Chris Copping from Procol Harum were with us. We knew we had the songs and the band was firing on all cylinders. We were creating something special. Forty years on we are really proud of 12 Days to Paris and excited to be bringing it back to life.”
The anniversary celebrations will continue with the band’s first national tour since 2011. For the first time ever, The Huxton Creepers will perform 12 Days to Paris in its entirety, alongside a selection of favourites from across their catalogue.
Special guests include Icecream Hands in Melbourne, The Johnnys in New South Wales and Queensland, and Mick Medew and Ursula in Brisbane.
It’s a fitting return for a band whose reputation has only grown in the decades since they last released new material.
Every generation has its cult heroes — the bands that perhaps should have been bigger but whose influence runs deeper than commercial success ever suggests. For Australian guitar-pop fans, The Huxton Creepers have long occupied that space.
The surprise is not that they’re back.
The surprise is just how good they sound.
“Opposites Attract” / “Midnight TV” is released July 23 through Cheersquad Records & Tapes on digital platforms, black vinyl and limited-edition coloured vinyl.