“Leaders” was recorded at Alchemix Studios, South Brisbane (where the likes of Paul Kelly, Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age & DZ Deathrays have all recorded). The track was engineered with Erik Williamson and was later mixed by Nell Forster at the Moon Room in Salisbury, Brisbane. Mastering for the track was provided by Matthew Gray at Matthew Gray Mastering.
Lead singer and guitarist, Thom Harrison, revealed the songs’ inception came from listening to a collection of old blues songs called ‘Sacred Roots Of The Blues’, released by Bluebird. “I was driving and a hand clapping bluesy melody came into my head, so I pulled over and recorded what became the intro of the song,” he said.
“I wanted to take a gospel song and flip the narrative to show a darker side. Lyrically, the song conjures a church sermon detailing how so-called leaders look down on others with judgment.“
Harrison further developed the song with a nod to nefarious American cult leaders and televangelists like Robert Tilton and Jim Jones of the Jonestown massacre.
Well-known for their high energy shows with mixes of 60s surf pop, blues and spaghetti western sounds, the boys have become a mainstay across local crowds. Their debut album featured two songs on 4ZZZ hottest 100 in 2021 & 2022.
They have performed regularly in many of Brisbane’s most loved venues, as well as a string of festivals, such as Mitchell Creek Rock N Blues Fest, the Gold Coast Show, Tide: Redlands Coast Islands Festival, Mackay Beach Sounds Music Festival, and headlining the Boney Mountain Festival. Hugo Stranger and the Rattlers have a lot of plans for 2023, so make sure you follow on the socials to keep up to date!
“You can’t help but feel you’re listening to the next break through band- the Beatles in 1960, Bowie in 1967, or Kings of Leon in 2001. If you follow along with their music and their journey, you might be one of the first few to the party, but you certainly won’t be the last.”
Bursting into the music scene in 2018, Hugo Stranger and the Rattlers have been making all kind of noise ever since. Releasing a string of singles 2019 & 2020 and later their debut album Against the Tide in 2021, the trio have really started to place their stamp as a staple in the Australian rock & roll music scene. Their start to 2023 kicks off with the release of their upcoming single “Leaders” on February 20.
Frontman Tom Harrison, who got a late start in music, not writing music till the eve of his 30th birthday when he wrote the bass line for the song Dark Places and immediately knew he had found the sound he wanted. Inspired by that bassline he wrote and bedroom-recorded a solo six track ep under the guise of Hugo Stranger, thinking it needed an appropriate name for the sound. He was swiftly joined by bassist Ben Lane, and Kyle Zenchyson on drums and after a series of rehearsals and blood oaths a band was formed, however the moniker ‘Hugo Stranger’ was for a solo project. So taking a page from the bands that inspired them like Dick Dale and his Del Tones, Link Wray & The Wray-Men, the tag ‘and the Rattlers’ was born.
Watch and Listen to Leaders below
Their debut single ‘By Your Side’ was in high rotation on 4ZZZ and received a #19 spotting in the hot 100.
On their single ‘Hold On’ blogger Khomplete Khoas said “The second single’s a heavier track than the last with a deep blues rock feel to this one.
”Hugo Stranger & The Rattlers have rolled on into 2020 with style, releasing their debut single. The song is a fun, sing-a-long, taking me back to the original rock and roll era of the 1940’s and 50’s. For some reason it makes me want to don a frilly apron and bake muffins while dancing around the kitchen with a permanent smile on my face.”
site by: music. simply.
