Melbourne rockers Motor Ace have officially returned from the sonic wilderness after 17 years, announcing a brand new single Knock Knock that traces its origins all the way back to the early 2000s.
Knock Knock revels in hard-rocking riffs and the potent spirit of the group’s smash 2001 debut album “Five Star Laundry”; an appropriate connection as Motor Ace prepares for their Five Star Laundry Anniversary tour. It starts June 10 at Freo Social, before moving on to Badlands (Perth), The Triffid (Brisbane), The Factory Theatre (Sydney), The Cambridge Hotel (Newcastle), and The Gov. (Adelaide). The tour culminates on June 24 with a special hometown event at 170 Russell in Melbourne. Klinger, Melbourne’s noughties rockers, will be special guests at all gigs except WA.
A Modern Slant
Knock Knock consummately continues the legendary Motor Ace journey. It blends remnants their trademark alt-rock with post-grunge grit, with a sharpened modern slant. It is bustling with driving guitars, infectious hooks and a guest vocal appearance from ICEHOUSE’s Paul Gildea. The jangly “Knock Knock” sprang from an idea that had actually been written between Motor Ace’s 2001 debut full-length “Five Star Laundry” and the ravenous follow up, 2002’s “Shoot This”. The universe had other plans for this 2022 earworm. Motor Ace vocalist and guitarist Patrick Robertson explains,
“It’s an idea that was kicking around back in the day, but we never got around to finishing it. We’d always loved the sound, but it was written between the first and second records and didn’t really fit with what we were aiming for on the second. Probably should have finished it then!”.
A Fly on the Wall Peek
The accompanying video gives fans a tantalising behind-the-scenes look at Motor Ace’s 2019 Five Star Reunion Tour. Melbourne video wunderkind Matt Jasper uses up close and personal backstage and onstage moments (shot for a Motor Ace documentary) to adorn the band’s first music video in nearly two decades.
Collating an all-star cast of players to bring “Knock Knock” to life late last year, Motor Ace worked alongside Five Star Laundry producer Craig Harnath (Hothouse Studios) and acclaimed producer and mixer Forrester Savall, resulting in an energetic snapshot of the band’s permeating essence alongside a renewed vigour for the brand new chapter that was itself sparked by the band’s sold-out reunion shows back in 2019. As Pat explains,
“Coming back after 15 years away and receiving such a huge reaction at our shows was really humbling. It was a lightning rod for a new creative venture with the band. We wanted to capture the spirit of Five Star Laundry, which in retrospect we all feel had an energy and simplicity that was never fully explored. The process of recording was extremely straight forward – no rehearsals. We wanted to capture the essence of band without overthinking every aspect of production – less talking, more playing. Sonically the track is up there with my favourite Motor Ace tunes yet.”
Relentless Touring
Needing very little introduction, Motor Ace’s standing in the Australian music scene harks back to their debut album “Five Star Laundry”. which went gold within its first month. The group would go on to relentlessly tour and release albums over a short space of time, boasting support slots alongside Foo Fighters, Oasis and Blink-182.
Within this time, they also put out three studio albums (in under five years). Motor Ace’s rollicking tunes were airwave mainstays at the turn of the millennium, alongside sold-out shows and ARIA chart domination, including the #1 debut of their sophomore album “Shoot This” in 2002. And while the world and the music industry at large has changed drastically since the early, heady days of the 2000s, the 2022 iteration of Motor Ace has aged like a very fine wine – this is Motor Ace fresh out of the noughties, and things are only just getting started.
MOTOR ACE – FIVE STAR LAUNDRY 20TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR
Tickets available from www.livenation.com.au
FRI 10 JUN | FREO SOCIAL | FREMANTLE, WA | 18+
SAT 11 JUN | BADLANDS | PERTH, WA | 18+
THU 16 JUN | THE TRIFFID | BRISBANE, QLD | 18+
FRI 17 JUN | THE FACTORY THEATRE | SYDNEY, NSW | 18+
SAT 18 JUN | THE CAMBRIDGE HOTEL | NEWCASTLE, NSW | 18+
THU 23 JUN | THE GOV | ADELAIDE, SA | 18+
FRI 24 JUN | 170 RUSSELL | MELBOURNE, VIC | 18+
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