A collaboration with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra promised scale and drama, and when Hoodoo Gurus leaned into their best-known songs, the result was genuinely thrilling.
by Paul Cashmere
A contemporary rock band joining forces with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra is always an event worth paying attention to. This week Hoodoo Gurus stepped into that space at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne, taking on a challenge that ultimately delivered moments of brilliance, even if it took time to find its footing.
When a band collaborates with the MSO, the orchestra brings an added sonic dimension fans have never experienced with this music before. For the artist, the task is to balance that expanded sound while staying true to what made audiences fall in love with the songs in the first place. The strongest approach is often familiar material reimagined on a grand scale.
The opening choices suggested a bold intent. Starting with the powerful known song like The Right Time over the lesser-known starting point The Stars Looks Down could have kicked the door open and defined the night but thats not how it went. Instead, the early momentum faltered under ‘Stars’. The first four songs of the opening section were relatively obscure, and the crowd struggled to connect. We did get the addition of Cairns’ didgeridoo player David Holmes on ‘Chariot of the Gods’ adding a special moment to the night.
However, that relatively unknown start to the event deepened with the decision to place the obscure The Wedding Song fourth in the set, a 1986 demo later appearing on a 1992 rarities release only HG purists would know. Similar issues followed with Stoneage Romeos album tracks Zanzibar early in the show and Death Ship in the second half, when more immediate crowd favourites like I Want You Back or Tojo may have lifted the room.
There were other missed opportunities. From the Blow Your Cool album, Good Times and The Generation Gap would have landed with more impact than I Was The One and My Caravan. Digging deep into a catalogue can work in orchestral collaborations, but past MSO partnerships have usually limited those deep cuts to one or two songs, and placed them later in the set once the audience is fully engaged.
Unsurprisingly then, the biggest reactions came when Hoodoo Gurus returned to their most loved material. Come Anytime, Like Wow, Wipeout, Bittersweet, Miss Freelove and a surprise encore of What’s My Scene, (not listed on the program), delivered some of the finest examples of rock music successfully paired with a full symphony orchestra.
If you’ve seen the Gurus regularly in the past year where they have done ‘Zanzibar’, ‘Chariot of the Gods’ and ‘Death Ship’ you may have a differing opinion to what I am saying here. Those shows, however, were full Gurus sets of 20 to 24 songs, and those better known songs were not sacrificed.
A special shoutout to conductor Nicholas Buc, who has worked with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra for over 20 years. Nicholas has worked alongside Birds of Tokyo, Missy Higgins, Eskimo Joe and The Whitlams. He also arranged the film music of Nick Cave and Warren Ellis for their show with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra as part of the Melbourne International Film Festival in 2019. Under Buc’s direction, the performance defined a symphonic intensity, where the orchestra’s dynamic power served as a powerful engine for the band’s iconic repertoire.
Hoodoo Gurus remain at the top of their game and are unquestionably one of the greatest rock bands Australia has produced. The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra continues to justify its reputation as one of the world’s great orchestras and is regularly cited as Australia’s finest. Together, they form a partnership with enormous potential. Musically, this show delivered, but a sharper focus on setlist choices could have elevated an already powerful concept.
MSO Symphonic Gurus 2026 credit Mark Gambino
Concert Date
29 January 2026, Melbourne, Sidney Myer Music Bowl
Program
Act One
Overture (Bittersweet/My Girl/Like Wow – Wipeout / Come Anytime / What’s My Scene)
The Stars Look Down (from Purity of Essence, 2010)
Zanzibar (from Stoneage Romeos, 1984)
Chariot Of The Gods (from Chariot of the Gods, 2022)
The Wedding Song (1986 demo released on Gorilla Biscuit, 1992)
Death Defying (from Mars Needs Guitars, 1985)
I Was The One (from Blow Your Cool, 1987)
Come Anytime (from Magnum Cum Louder, 1989)
Mind The Spider (from Blue Cave, 1996)
Like Wow – Wipeout! (from Mars Needs Guitars, 1985)
Act Two
Spaghetti Western (from Magnum Cum Louder, 1989)
My Girl (from Stoneage Romeos, 1984)
My Caravan (from Blow Your Cool, 1987)
When You Get To California (from Mach Schau, 2004)
Castles In The Air (from Kinky, 1991)
Death Ship (from Stoneage Romeos, 1984)
Bittersweet (from Mars Needs Guitars, 1985)
Miss Freelove (from Kinky, 1991)
1000 Miles Away (from Kinky, 1991)
Encore:
What’s My Scene (from Blow Your Cool, 1987)
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