Dr Sure’s Unusual Practice, make modern punk music in the primordial sense of the word - no rules. Combining elements of post-punk, new wave, full power rock n roll, avant-garde and surrealism. Their ethos is creative resistance - innovative and politically subversive - using music, performance, visual art and film to project a commanding message that’s equal parts critical and hopeful.
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LATEST
EU TOUR MAY/JUNE 2024
BIGSOUND 2023
PBS STUDIO 5 LIVE (FULL SET AUDIO)
PREVIOUS
21 DATE EUROPE/UK TOUR (OCT/NOV 2022)
THE NIGHTCAT 7” LAUNCH (x380 tickets)
BAD//DREEMS AUS TOUR SUPPORT
TROPICAL FUCK STORM VIC TOUR SUPPORT
MEADOW FESTIVAL (KURT VILE, BLACK MIDI)
RADIO - PBS (FEATURE ALBUM); ROTATION - Double J, FBi; FEATURE/SPOT PLAY - Triple J, RRR, 4ZZZ, 2SER, KEXP, KCRW, New Commute, BBC 6 Music, Radio Bleu & more.
REMEMBER THE FUTURE? LP - #15 ARIA CHART; #1 AIR CHART.
MUSIC VICTORIA BEST ROCK/PUNK WORK (ALONGSIDE KING GIZZARD, ROLLING BLACKOUTS);
ROLLING STONE 4.5/5 - ‘REMEMBER THE FUTURE? Vol 2 & 1’
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“Dr Sure’s Unusual Practice Are a Forward-Thinking Powerhouse’” - ROLLING STONE
“Dr Sure's Unusual Practice live on the moon. Post-punk is a restrictive term to describe Dr Sure's complex sound – futuristic with hints of classic '70s anarchy, artistic, raw, and deeply captivating.” - SCENESTR
“Off the wall dystopian robo-punk - a little bit absurd and a little bit surreal, but also a whole lot of fun” - WEIRDO WASTELAND
“There’s a brilliant versatility to be found in the music of Dr Sure’s Unusual Practice, a project that has adapted between releases. Led by Dougal Shaw aka Dr Sure, the full band offers enormous post-punk with big grooves and political themes, but every now and then Shaw lets us in on music that feels more personal, constructed solo to capture moods and experiences between records. Dr Sure’s thrives in both formations, adapting the post-punk of the past with an undeniably fresh perspective.” - POST-TRASH (USA)
“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.” - FORTE MAGAZINE
“One of the most important bands in Melbourne... Dr Sure’s Unusual Practice serve us legitimate questions about coping with living in a time when everything seems to be falling apart around us” - ROLLING STONE
“Peculiar post-punk; combining blistering guitar riffs with sharp lyricism and important themes to create music worth talking about.” - PILERATS
“Dr Sure’s Unusual Practice have been earmarked as one of Melbourne’s most important products. Given their innate ability to synthesise dense political ideas in a truly engaging style, this label could (and probably should) extend to greater heights. DSUP’s wonky, dissonant instrumentals garner comparisons to heavyweights such as Tropical Fuck Storm and Total Control. Complimenting this musical adventurousness is a relentless devotion to hard-work.” - HAPPY MAG
“(DSUP) takes a hyperactive New Wave approach to punk and uses their songs to document the dystopian state of the world and call for change. The mastermind behind this outfit is a guy named Dougal Shaw, who processes disappointment and dread through his lyrics, then wraps it all up in barbed, rubbery post-punk that’s enjoyable enough to make you forget you’re pogoing along to societal collapse.” - PASTE MAGAZINE
A potent act of “laughtivism”, the satirical edge of Dr Sure’s Unusual Practice cuts through Murdoch media manipulation, Canberra corruption, capitalist collapse and fossil fuel fuckery,” - MISTLETONE
“In a world where the edges of rebellion and authenticity are often dulled, they emerged as a breath of raw, unfiltered air in the modern punk scene. The entire show was a visceral experience, a collision of sound and emotion that left the audience craving for more. They commanded the stage with a presence that was both intimidating and magnetic, and their connection with the crowd is palpable, as if they are all participants in a riotous, musical uprising.” - SCENESTR
“A frenetic indie rock ruckus, blazing guitar breaks and a snappy rhythm section” - ABC
“Dr Sure’s sound has always been experimental, but on this release, the music feels truly unbound, Shaw allowing himself to explore as many sonic curios as he wishes. (BUBBLE) bursts with excitably programmed drums and spiralling synths, touching heavily on Krautrock and new wave… like if Kraftwerk hung out at The Curtin.” - ROLLING STONE
“If you like Tropical Fuck Storm, you’re going to love Dr Sure’s Unusual Practice” - Declan Byrne, TRIPLE J
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Dr Sure’s Unusual Practice, Melbourne/Naarm’s resident weirdo-punk collective, spearhead a new new-wave: underground advocates; synthesiser savants; incisive social commentators; dance-floor devotees.
Inventive & meticulous makers, Dr Sure’s Unusual Practice (DSUP) boundless approach to music, art and performance has fostered an intoxicating & welcoming space for all - a zealous community of odd-balls and outsiders.
Weaving their art into activism, advocacy and dystopian absurdity, DSUP extend a lineage from Devo & Wire through to contemporaries Tropical Fuck Storm and King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard.
Dr Sure is the moniker of band leader Dougal Shaw (founder of indie-label Marthouse Records). Dr Sure was a nickname - (Dougal’s initials, D. R. Shaw) that became a multi-disciplinary alter ego encompassing songwriting, film-making, design et al - all of which is distilled into his Unusual Practice.
The band is amplified by Miranda Holt (Drums), Jake Suriano (Bass, Saxophone), Tali Harding-Hone (Guitar, Bass) and Mathias Dowle (Guitar, Synth). The 5-piece coalesce through matching stage wear and aesthetic visuals, Shaw’s lead vocal often reinforced by the gang vocals of the remaining members. 3 players merge for a pacemaker-precise rhythm section while 2 roam between synthesisers, sample pads, saxophone and guitars - fluidly genre-hopping and adapting to different temperaments:
The angular post-punk of 2019 debut album The West; the synth/drum-machine-heavy new-wave of 2023’s kooky mixtape BUBBLE or 2020 dual EP’s Scomo Goes To Hawaii/While Aus Burns & their scathing political critique; the expansive art-punk of 2021 sophomore album Remember The Future? Vol. 2 & 1.
The latter debuted at #1 on AIR charts, #15 on ARIA charts, gained radio rotation/feature album honours nationwide and saw the band emerge as ‘a forward-thinking powerhouse’ (Rolling Stone) - touring widely in Australia, Europe & UK and procuring an international release via German tastemakers Erste Theke Tontraeger. The album was later nominated for Music Victoria ‘Best Rock/Punk Work’ alongside King Gizzard and Rolling Blackout Coastal Fever.
Emerging from the underground as a clarion voice, Dr Sure’s Unusual Practice boldly document the dystopian absurdity of our times, informed by an innate hopefulness and staunch belief in a better future.
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CASSETTE (MARTHOUSE, 2023)
REMEMBER THE FUTURE? LIVE FROM THE FUTURE
12” (MARTHOUSE RECORDS)
THE REALEST/GREAT PACIFIC GARBAGE ISLAND
7” (MARTHOUSE/FELLAHEEN, 2022)
REMEMBER THE FUTURE? VOL. 2 & 1
LP (MARTHOUSE/ERSTE THEKE TONTRAEGER, 2021)
SCOMO GOES TO HAWAII / WHILE AUS BURNS
12” DOUBLE EP (MARTHOUSE/SWISH SWASH, 2020)
LP (MARTHOUSE, 2019)
IT’S ALIVE/BUSY BIGNESS
CASSETTE (MARTHOUSE 2019)
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