Household name to play Barwon Heads

AUSTRALIAN singer-songwriter Pete Murray is back with new music and a national coastal tour that will see him travel through the Bellarine Peninsula early next year.

The artist – known for his stirring blend of positivity with acoustic, rock and folk elements – will make a stop at the Barwon Heads Hotel on January 8, for one of only two Victorian shows.

The tour announcement follows the release of new single Wouldn’t It Be Good, a charismatic acoustic track soaked in grooves and sunny melodics that is being billed as the perfect accompaniment to the approaching summer months.

“It’s John Lennon meets Jack Johnson and Rodriguez,” Murray said.

The new track marks both new sonic territory for Murray and a shift in his creative process, with producer Luke Palmer and nephew and indie rock musician Dylan Cattanach helping to solidify the end result.

“It’s funny with this song because when I first wrote it and played it for some friends, it wasn’t getting a great reaction. But I still really liked the song and never gave up on it,” Murray said.

“Then I had my nephew Dylan Cattanach (aka Katanak) help me out on an early demo, and it was here that I really started to hear the potential of the song – but people still weren’t getting it.

“There is a really great drum groove with congas playing and I got Luke to play a bass line on it too. As soon as I heard the bass, acoustic and drums, I knew this was going to work and the whole song just fell into place after that.

“Now it’s the first single. Funny how things work.”

With a string of hits that include Better Days, Feeler, Opportunity and So Beautiful, Peter Murray has sold more than 1.2 million albums, released three ARIA chart-topping albums and received 17 ARIA Award nominations over his 20-year career.

He emerged onto the scene in 2001 with his debut full length album The Game, but it was his breakout sophomore album Feeler in 2003 that saw him achieve mainstream success.

Murray said fans can definitely expect to hear new track Wouldn’t It Be Good at his coming performance.

“It is a great summer song and will blend in to all my other songs. I’m hoping it will be a fan favourite by the end of the tour.

“It’s always exciting growing as an artist and writing and recording new songs. I’m loving the groove on this track, so it’s going to be a fun one to play live.”

For those hoping to see Murray closer to home, the artist has also launched a ‘Play At Your Place’ competition, which offers fans a chance to win an intimate, private performance from Murray at their own home by signing up to his mailing list.

For more information, or to get your tickets to Murray’s Barwon Heads performance, head to petemurray.com