Huxton Creepers

The Huxton Creepers were an Australian rock band from Melbourne. They formed in 1984, three years after they left high school, and split in 1989. Their notable Australian hits were "My Cherie Amour", "I Will Persuade You" and their version of Manfred Mann's "Pretty Flamingo".

The lineup was Rob Craw (lead vocals and guitar), Paul Thomas (guitar and vocals), Matthew Eddy (bass) and Archie Law (drums). All four members attended Scotch College, Melbourne, completing their HSC year in 1981. The band has reunited on a number of occasions since their original break up, including an east coast tour in 2011, supporting The Sunnyboys in 2015 and The Models in 2016.

Recording history

Their first released recording was the track "King Of The Road" (an original, not the Roger Miller song) on the Au Go Go Records Melbourne compilation Asleep At The Wheel in 1984. This and their two tracks on the Triple J compilation Cooking With George brought them to the attention of Big Time Records, their label throughout their career. Their first album was 12 Days To Paris in 1986 and their second was So This Is Paris in 1988 (titled Keep To The Beat on the U.S. and Canadian releases).

After the Huxton Creepers

Paul Thomas went on to be a major part of the final line up of Weddings Parties Anything and later Custard. He has also played in local Melbourne bands such as Four Door Shitbox, Son of John and skiffle group The Rock Island Linesmen. He did the album Rob Knows Paul, an acoustic album of left over songs he and Rob Craw had written for the Creepers, covers of Screaming Jay Hawkins, Johnny Thunders and NRBQ, as well as acoustic versions of This Day Is Mine and Better Days from So This Is Paris. He has also played with Archie Roach, Ruby Hunter and Nick Barker.

Rob Craw works as a high school drama and media studies teacher. He plays in his own bands such as Rob Craw's Acoustic Dilemma and The Craw and recorded the Rob Knows Paul album with Paul Thomas. He has also written for and played with David Bridie and Monique Brumby. Rob Craw also wrote original music for the Shakespeare Play "A midsummer nights dream" for Sacred Heart College, Newtown. Song's included "Hail the Duke" and "The Cause of True Love never did run Smooth".

Archie Law returned to university after the band split, coming to prominence again in 2000 as director of the British mine clearance charity Mine Action Group (MAG), running a team of 400 people clearing land mines in Cambodia. He was employed by the United Nations, first in New York City and then in Johannesburg, South Africa. Arch returned to Australia in 2007,bangs the odd drum with the Cool Charmers and works as Save the Children Australia's Humanitarian Director.

Matthew Eddy recorded a solo album in 2000 called Egg, released by Corduroy Records. He works as a high school Indonesian and Geography teacher.

Reunions

The band reformed in June 2002 to play the Melbourne radio station 3RRR Sex Pistols Celebration at the Esplanade Hotel in St. Kilda.

The band played a show on 9 October 2009 at the Corner Hotel in Melbourne, along with The Stems, Even, The Dolly Rocker Movement.

To celebrate the re-release of their album '12 Days to Paris', the band reformed for a number of concerts on the east coast of Australia in October and November 2011.[1]

The band played a show to support The Sunnyboys at the Forum Theatre in Melbourne on 22 March 2014.[2]

Discography

Australian releases except as noted

  • King Of The Road (track on Asleep At The Wheel, Au Go Go ANDA-33, 1984)
  • Slow Attack/Happy Days (2 tracks on Cooking With George, ABC L-80201/2, 1984)
  • The Murderess/Happy Days (7", BTS 1455, Big Time, 1985)
  • 12 Days To Paris (album, Big Time, 1986)
    1. I Will Persuade You
    2. Guilty
    3. Life Fit for a King
    4. Part the Seas
    5. I've Been Around
    6. Autumn Leaves
    7. Long Hot Summer
    8. Don't Even Think About It
    9. King of the Road
    10. True Love Baby
  • My Cherie Amour/True Love Baby (7", Big Time BTS-1706, 1986)
  • I Will Persuade You/I've Been Around (7" BTS-1774, Big Time, 1986)
  • I Will Persuade You (Extended Mix)/I've Been Around/The Murderess (12" BTE-1011 Big Time, 1986)
  • Autumn Leaves/Don't Even Think About It (7", Big Time BTS-1849, 1986)
  • Pretty Flamingo/25 Words Or Less (7", BTS 23, Big Time, 1987)
  • Skin Of My Teeth/Come Another Day (7", Big Time, 1987)
  • So This Is Paris (album, BT 7805, Big Time, 1988)
    1. Skin of My Teeth
    2. Rack My Brains
    3. Edge of Darkness
    4. When You Sleep
    5. Visually
    6. This Day Is Mine
    7. Better Days
    8. Nights Become Your Days
    9. Keep to the Beat
    10. Slow Attack
    11. Time Heals All Wounds
    12. Pretty Flamingo (Missing On BT 7805 Vinyl Pressing; U.S. LP cat #: 837 134-1)
  • Rack My Brains/When You Leave (7", Big Time, 1988)
  • Keep To The Beat (album, Big Time/Polydor, 1988) — U.S. and Canadian release of So This Is Paris
    • same track listing minus "Pretty Flamingo"
  • Small Mercies (12" EP, MUS MLP 2014, Musicland, 1990)
    1. Small Mercies
    2. Everyday Things
    3. Anytime Of Day
    4. Ghost Town
    5. Little Secrets
    6. Going To The Dogs
  • Afterlife (complication, Shock Records, 1996)
    1. I will persuade you
    2. Autumn leaves
    3. Swallowed my pride
    4. Part the seas
    5. My cherie amour
    6. The murderess
    7. King of the road
    8. Skin of my teeth
    9. This day is mine
    10. Rack my brains
    11. Better days
    12. Small mercies
    13. Any time of day
    14. Everyday things
    15. Going to the dogs
    16. Killing time
    17. Sign of the times
    18. All the time
    19. Nothing to me
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References
  1. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-03-31. Retrieved 2014-03-31.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. "/". The Music. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
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