Dr Sure’s Unusual Practice
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 message that’s equal parts critIcal and hopeful.
“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 AUSTRALIA
Dr Sure’s Unusual Practice is most often compared to luminaries Devo & Talking Heads or contemporaries Total Control & Tropical Fuck Storm* (*who they’ve supported on multiple occasion). Led by Dougal Shaw, Dr Sure was a nickname (Dougal’s initials, D.R. Shaw) that became a multi-disciplinary alter ego – encompassing songwriting, film-making, design, tattooing, activism et al – which is distilled into his Unusual Practice.
The music is amplified by Miranda Holt (Drums), Jake Suriano (Bass), Tali Harding-Hone (Guitar) and Mathias Dowle (Guitar, Synth). The DSUP live show is formidable. The 5-piece coalesce through identical stage wear and aesthetic visuals, Dr Sure’s lead vocal often reinforced by the gang vocals of the remaining members. 3 players merge for a pacemaker precise rhythm section – a consistent drum, bass and guitar foundation – while the other 2 roam between synthesisers, sample pads, vocoders and 2 extra guitars, adapting to different temperaments.
“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)
Following 2 LP’s and a handful of 7” and Cassette releases via Marthouse Records (AUS), Erste Theke Tontraeger (DE) and Swish Swash Records (FR), Dr Sure’s Unusual Practice took their ‘New Dream‘ worldwide for the first time in 2022, touring extensively across Australia, UK and Europe. Emerging from the underground as a clarion voice, Dr Sure’s Unusual Practice document the dystopian absurdity of our times, informed by an innate hopefulness and staunch belief in a better future.