Brisbane’s long-running, uncompromising metal-punk juggernaut Dreamkillers have released a track simply called Shirley, as a tribute to the late Shirley Strachan, the legendary frontman of one of Australia’s greatest bands, Skyhooks.
Today, January 2, would have been Shirley‘s 74th Birthday!
Why the tribute? The band explain. “Shirley, is a homage to one of the true Australian rock icons Shirley Strachan, the charismatic singer and frontman from the mighty Skyhooks, who has been a long-time inspiration to us all. With the anniversary of his birth, we thought what better time to pay tribute to a true Australian legend, both on and off the stage, with a song dedicated to him and the music he created with Skyhooks on our new album.”
Frontman Les Jobson continues, “Before punk there was a dark place. Disco and stadium bands had taken over the world. Out came The Skyhooks – glam as fuck but dirty street level. It had dangerous grooves, and it climbed up ya back like a dizzy monkey. The choruses were about the world in the seventies.
Every kid that ever sang along knew full well Shirley had an unusual voice, impossible to copy, it soared like a wedgetail and floated like a stuck toad in a bucket of water. The voice that climbed inside your head at night. The anthems that made you want to wag school. The best days of my life.”
Shirley is featured on Dreamkillers new album, Proiphys Cunninghamii, along with previously released singles, Mulberry Sky and Close Down The Circus. The album will be released on January 23, 2026. Pre orders are available now https://lnk.to/g37LSG
Listen to Shirley at https://lnk.to/BG3jp0
