The Huxton Creepers have announced their first new recordings in more than 36 years, with the double A-side single Opposites Attract/Midnight TV arriving on July 23 ahead of the band’s 40th anniversary tour celebrating their landmark debut album 12 Days To Paris.
by Paul Cashmere
The Huxton Creepers will release their first new music since 1990 when Opposites Attract and Midnight TV arrive on July 23 through Cheersquad Records & Tapes. The release follows the recent 40th anniversary reissue of the band’s debut album 12 Days To Paris and comes ahead of an August national tour that will see the Melbourne group perform the album in full for the first time in its history.
For Australian rock fans, the release marks a significant chapter in the return of a band whose influence has extended well beyond its relatively brief original recording career. While many acts from Australia’s 1980s guitar rock boom have continued recording and touring, The Huxton Creepers have largely been celebrated through their catalogue and occasional reunion performances. The arrival of new material from original members Rob Craw, Matthew Eddy and Arch Law, joined by guitarist Julian Matthews of The Stems, adds a new dimension to a year already focused on the band’s legacy.
The two songs were written by Craw, Eddy and Law and recorded as the group prepared to revisit 12 Days To Paris on stage four decades after its original release.
Discussing Opposites Attract, Craw traced the song’s origins to one of his favourite British pop records.
“‘Opposites…’ was inspired by the song Save It For Later by The Beat, its melody and feel,” Craw said. “One of my favourite songs but in no way did I wish to just slavishly replicate it but rather just let it seep in as an almost a subconscious driver.”
The lyrical theme emerged from reading research challenging the popular idea that opposites attract.
“Lyrically, I was reading about the myth of couples being attracted to their opposite and research had proven this as myth,” he said. “I’m a big believer in factual truth and evidence based science. However, I just wanted to twist this back to the romantic notion.”
Midnight TV draws from a different set of influences. Bassist Matthew Eddy said the song began with a guitar figure inspired by New York Dolls.
“Stole the riff from New York Dolls’ Lonely Planet Boy which morphed into a sort of driving hypnotic rhythm,” Eddy said. He described the track as a reflection on late-night television viewing and praised both Craw’s vocal performance and Matthews’ lead guitar contributions. The song concludes without the traditional fade-out originally planned during recording.
The new recordings arrive during a period of renewed attention for The Huxton Creepers. Earlier this month, Cheersquad Records & Tapes released the first-ever vinyl reissue of 12 Days To Paris while also making the album available digitally for the first time. For decades, rights issues following the collapse of the band’s original label prevented the record from being widely available.
Originally released in June 1986, 12 Days To Paris emerged from Australia’s thriving pub rock circuit and established The Huxton Creepers as one of Melbourne’s most respected live acts. The album featured songs including My Cherie Amour, I Will Persuade You, Autumn Leaves, King Of The Road and Don’t Even Think About It, recordings that helped define the group’s reputation for combining power pop melodies with guitar-driven rock and roll.
Drummer Arch Law recently reflected on the original sessions.
“We went into Melbourne’s Platinum Studios at the band’s peak to record our debut album,” Law said. “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.”
The band’s standing within Australian rock circles has remained strong long after its original run ended around the release of the 1990 mini-album Small Mercies. Members of later generations of Australian bands, including Powderfinger and You Am I, have acknowledged The Huxton Creepers’ influence. Powderfinger bassist John Collins has previously cited songs including King Of The Road and I Will Persuade You among the recordings that first captured his attention as a young musician.
The renewed activity also highlights a broader trend in Australian music, where legacy acts are increasingly revisiting seminal albums through anniversary reissues, archival releases and complete-album performances. Unlike many such projects, however, The Huxton Creepers are pairing their retrospective celebrations with entirely new material.
When the band takes the stage in August, audiences will hear both a recreation of a defining Australian guitar rock album and the first evidence of where the group’s songwriting has evolved since the end of its original recording career. More than 40 years after 12 Days To Paris first appeared, The Huxton Creepers are revisiting their past while adding a new chapter to their catalogue.
The Huxton Creepers Celebrating 40 Years Of 12 Days To Paris Tour
7 August 2026, Belgrave, Sooki Lounge
8 August 2026, Thornbury, Croxton Bandroom
14 August 2026, Marrickville, Marrickville Bowling Club
15 August 2026, Marrickville, Marrickville Bowling Club
16 August 2026, Newcastle, Hamilton Station Hotel
21 August 2026, Caloundra, Norton Music Factory
22 August 2026, Fortitude Valley, Crowbar Brisbane
23 August 2026, Mudgeeraba, Wallaby Hotel
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