# Hoodoo Gurus and Melbourne Symphony Orchestra turn sow's ear into silk purse **New Music** — On Your Markus **Published:** 16 October 2026 **Author:** Markus Hamence **Source:** https://onyourmarkus.au/new-music-releases/hoodoo-gurus/ Hoodoo Gurus have recorded a live album with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra at Sidney Myer Music Bowl on 29 January 2026, conducted by Nicholas Buc with arrangements by Alex Turley. Silk Purse: Live with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra releases on CD, vinyl and streaming services on 4 December 2026 through Big Time Records, featuring generation-defining radio classics and deep cuts restored using technology developed for Peter Jackson's Beatles film Get Back. --- Welcome to another death-defying chapter in the long and intrepid history of the **Hoodoo Gurus**. The band have announced their new album, ***Silk Purse – Live with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra***, recorded at the band's historic debut with the MSO at **Sidney Myer Music Bowl **on Thursday, 29 January and released on **Friday, 4 December 2026**, conducted by **[Nicholas Buc](https://us.list-manage.com/rCtb3t3C1qP?e=712e79efd9&c2id=64ee7f3c9157cc21652a21ea3c35038c)** and featuring arrangements by **[Alex Turley](https://us.list-manage.com/ZQASvBIjog7?e=712e79efd9&c2id=64ee7f3c9157cc21652a21ea3c35038c)**.  The album will be available on CD, Vinyl and streaming services and can be pre-ordered now from [here](https://us.list-manage.com/MmakFyf6mqp?e=712e79efd9&c2id=64ee7f3c9157cc21652a21ea3c35038c). ***Silk Purse ***is prime **Gurus**, capturing every beat of that perfect summer night in January. The double album contains all the generation-defining radio classics (*Bittersweet, 1000 Miles Away, Miss Freelove ’69, What’s My Scene?, Come Anytime, Death Defying*, *My Girl* and more) that fans know and love as well as some deep cuts that the band haven’t played live in many years, or at all (*The Wedding Song, The Stars Look Down, My Caravan *and *Spaghetti Western, *among others). The lead single from the album is a spectacular version of *[My Caravan](https://us.list-manage.com/LE_tM361Cwe?e=712e79efd9&c2id=64ee7f3c9157cc21652a21ea3c35038c)*. Click below for a first listen ahead of the album release: [Watch on YouTube](https://youtu.be/zigpzhrXfJY?si=3mCVNZ94tZQ2ntR7) ![Black luxury album cover for Hoodoo Gurus' Silk Purse featuring gold embossed text and imagery on dark packaging.](https://media.onyourmarkus.au/admin/2026/10/23c292ac-97c2-4922-aad0-d4aac0703233.jpg) For the **Hoodoo Gurus**, the triumph of ***Silk Purse*** as an album is especially sweet: a victory plucked from the jaws of multiple disasters with the aid of Sydney studio legend **Wayne Connolly**, mixer **Bob Scott** and some bloke named **Peter Jackson**. *“We originally did this with a smaller ensemble, the Canberra Symphony in 2024,"* **Dave Faulkner** explains. "*Unfortunately, there was a huge technical issue ... This noise destroyed the whole recording across all the channels so the tapes were unusable."* When they pulled the MSO tapes up at Hercules Studios, it seemed at first that cruel fate had repeated itself. Spill between 150 microphones and drums echoing off the high ceiling proved *"an incredible obstacle,"* Dave says. *"When we first had a listen, we almost thought it was going to be impossible to do this in post-production."* The answer was found in the technology that **Peter Jackson's **team developed to clean up audio for his Beatles’ film, ***Get Back***. “*It wasn’t an AI instrument, it’s just that AI cleaned it up,” *Dave explains of the painstaking process. "*In the end what you hear is what happened on the night."* In the final listening experience, that's the remarkable thing about ***Silk Purse***: a world class rock band in peak form in an act of astonishing synergy with 90 of the finest musicians on the planet, all tuned in to the magic of the same death-defying moment.*“We called it Silk Purse for a reason,"* Dave says. "*We are the sow’s ear that’s been turned into a silk purse by this lovely orchestra. It’s not a rock record. It’s not a classical record. It’s just a record, and that’s kind of how I like it.”*  ![Gold text on black background advertising "Hoodoo Gurus Silk Purse" live with Melbourne Symphonic Orchestra.](https://media.onyourmarkus.au/admin/2026/10/a280549e-7878-42a9-99ee-73c5c533db7d.png) **Hoodoo Gurus’** ***Rewind Tour - All Killer No Filler*** tour kicks off on 27 November starting in Adelaide. Low tickets remain for **Hindley Street Music Hall** as well as Perth’s **Ice Cream Factory** (1 December), Sydney’s **Tumbalong Park** (5 December), the first Brisbane show at **The Fortitude Music Hall** (10 December) and the **Odeon Theatre** in Hobart (16 December). The second Adelaide, Brisbane and Hobart dates, along with Melbourne’s **Royal Botanic Gardens **show, are sold out. Special guests on all shows are **Ratcat **and **The Stems**. Tickets are available from [frontiertouring.com/hoodoogurus](http://frontiertouring.com/hoodoogurus). The band recently returned from a sold-out European tour to rave reviews and included shows in Hungary, Slovenia, Italy, Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, Spain, the Netherlands, the UK, Sweden, Belgium, France, Switzerland and Portugal. ***Silk Purse: Live with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra*** is out on **Big Time Records **through **Universal Music Australia** on **Friday, 4 December 2026**. ![Band performing on stage with blue and amber lighting, silhouetted audience seating visible in foreground.](https://media.onyourmarkus.au/admin/2026/10/7c61a60e-07bc-465a-9187-5c154e3ff32a.png) **Friday, 27 November** **Hindley Street Music Hall | Adelaide, SA** **LOW TIX** **Saturday, 28 November** **Hindley Street Music Hall | Adelaide, SA** **SOLD OUT** **Tuesday, 1 December** **Ice Cream Factory | Perth, WA** **LOW TIX** **Saturday, 5 December** **Tumbalong Park | Sydney, NSW** **LOW TIX** **Sunday, 6 December** **Live at the Gardens, Royal Botanic Gardens | Melbourne, VIC** **SOLD OUT** **Thursday, 10 December** **The Fortitude Music Hall | Brisbane, QLD** **LOW TIX** **Friday, 11 December** **The Fortitude Music Hall | Brisbane, QLD** **SOLD OUT** **Tuesday, 15 December** **Odean Theatre | Hobart, TAS** **LOW TIX** **Wednesday, 16 December** **Odeon Theatre | Hobart, TAS** **SOLD OUT** **CONNECT WITH HOODOO GURUS** **[Facebook](https://us.list-manage.com/8BxnqM32tKX?e=712e79efd9&c2id=64ee7f3c9157cc21652a21ea3c35038c)**** | ****[Website](https://us.list-manage.com/lvQ7qIwgIy4?e=712e79efd9&c2id=64ee7f3c9157cc21652a21ea3c35038c)**** | ****[Instagram](https://us.list-manage.com/qV0JbKBkdEk?e=712e79efd9&c2id=64ee7f3c9157cc21652a21ea3c35038c)**** | ****[YouTube](https://us.list-manage.com/hfaqFXNNE6N?e=712e79efd9&c2id=64ee7f3c9157cc21652a21ea3c35038c)**** | ****[Apple Music](https://us.list-manage.com/5cIf2KfRKCK?e=712e79efd9&c2id=64ee7f3c9157cc21652a21ea3c35038c)**** | ****[Spotify](https://us.list-manage.com/UeBpzNHOfcG?e=712e79efd9&c2id=64ee7f3c9157cc21652a21ea3c35038c)** ![Hoodoo Gurus Rewind tour poster featuring vintage reel-to-reel tape deck on bright blue background.](https://media.onyourmarkus.au/admin/2026/10/8384de65-4a89-4eec-8be7-3a565125629d.jpg)