RegurgitatorIt's one thing as an Australian act to achieve things like a number-one album, score ARIA Award nominations and be shortlisted for the Australian Music Prize. It's another level of achievement entirely, however, to be bestowed the most prestigious honour in our nation: A nickname.
When you've reached the level of Barnesy, Farnesy, Acca Dacca, Hunnas, the Oils and Grinners, that's when you know you're truly within the upper echelon of this country's musical canon. Today, we're here to talk about arguably the most unlikely act to achieve such illustrious status: The Gurge.
Unlike the other artists mentioned, Regurgitator are not an overtly ochre reflection of a sunburnt country. Their sound is not an easily categorised nor digestible one. Even when they've achieved commercial success, it hasn't been on the terms of what's been in fashion – it's been Prince tributes and perverted electronica.
So, what makes the Gurge as iconic as Acca Dacca or Barnesy? It's simple: We don't have anyone else quite like them. We never have, and we never will. Through sticking to their guns and cultivating a fiercely sardonic and perennially addictive body of work over nearly 30 years, Regurgitator have established a legacy entirely on their own terms.
With that, let's take a look at each of the band's studio albums to date to reflect on how exactly this legacy came to fruition.
Tu Plang (1996)
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When you open your album with a song titled I Sucked A Lot Of Cock To Get Where I Am, you're not here to play it safe. One of the most exciting, idiosyncratic ‘90s debuts – both nationality and genre regardless – Tu Plang immediately set Regurgitator up as outspoken outsiders with no qualms smashing together genres to throw at the wall and watch them stick.
You'll know staples like Kong Foo Sing and Blubber Boy, but deeper cuts like the the foul-mouthed hip hop of Pop Porn and the anxious, heart-bursting pop rush of Miffy's Simplicity are well worth revisiting.
Unit (1997)
It's not any kind of stretch to describe Unit as legacy-defining – hell, it has its own legacy unto itself, having been the subject of the illustrious 33 1/3 book series. It's Regurgitator's magnum opus: equal parts electric and electronic, funk and punk, salacious and sincere.
After all, its biggest song – the emphatically-titled ! (The Song Formerly Known As) – is a song about not going out that immediately makes you want to hit the dance floor. Unit contrasts and contradicts, and in another universe would have been dismissed outright. In this one, however, it won five ARIAs and set the Gurge up for life.
...art (1999)
Newton's law dictated ahead of time that ...art (don't forget the ellipsis) was going to live in Unit's shadow. For what it's worth, however, this may be the most underrated album in the Gurge's discog.
Strung-out opener Happiness is a contender for the best song the band's ever written, while the thrashy and anarchic I Wanna Be A Nudist kept their punk spirit alive. It's certainly not the Unit 2.0 the label had hoped for, but that's kind of why it works.
There were still corners of their niche to explore, and it's here where ...art succeeded rather than commercially.
Eduardo And Rodriguez Wage War On T-Wrecks (2001)
Five years after their debut, Regurgitator entered the new century on the verge of collapse – and, to be entirely frank, T-Wrecks didn't help. With founding drummer Martin Lee gone and new drummer Pete Kostic still finding his feet, the Gurge were in a state of flux.
The sneering Fat Cop and the harmonic power pop of Superstraight have both aged well a quarter-century on, but not a lot else from this loose, nomadic record has. Not even production from the late Andy Gill could quite piece this one together. Their final major-label release was ultimately a whimper, not a bang.
Mish Mash! (2004)
If the title doesn't ring a bell, perhaps the phrase Band In A Bubble does. Newly independent, Regurgitator undertook their most ambitious recording effort to date by setting up residence inside a giant bubble in Melbourne's Federation Square and recording it while the whole city peered in from the outside.
Needless to say, it's an experience they've spoken of with mixed feelings in the years since. For what it's worth, however, the album is all kinds of fun and seems to capture the band's sense of imagination once again with tracks like My Friend Robot and Don't Go 2 Sleep.
Love And Paranoia (2007)
For the first and only time, Regurgitator entered an album cycle as a four-piece. Seja Vogel, formerly of fellow Brisvegans Sekiden, was enlisted as the band's keyboardist after years of them toying with synths and keytars alike. Unfortunately, what should have been a fresh start mostly felt like the freshly-expanded quartet spinning its wheels (no offence to the very talented Vogel).
Only album opener Blood And Spunk, which felt like vintage Gurge with its infectious “go go go” hook, has properly survived from this era. The rest, ranging from decent to skippable, remains ignored by fans and the band alike.
SuperHappyFunTimesFriends (2011)
What's most interesting about SuperHappy is that, if the band originally had their way, this list would have ended on the album previous. At the end of the 2000s, they announced plans to only release singles from therein and abandon the album format. Needless to say, that didn't happen – and in retrospect, you're ultimately glad that was the case.
Their third decade making music kicks off with this rough diamond, forged out of a difficult musical economy but resulting in fun cuts like the faux-braggadocious All Fake Everything, the rocking Born Dumb and the undeniable earworm No Show.
Dirty Pop Fantasy (2013)
It feels unfortunate to consider Dirty Pop Fantasy as a footnote in the Regurgitator discography. Having said that: Without Googling, can you name a song from it? Have you seen them play any songs from it since they toured it over a decade ago? T-Wrecks was a failure, certainly, but at least it was an interesting one. You're never bored with it.
That, sadly, is something that can't be said of Fantasy – pound for pound, it might be their most phoned-in and uninspired album to date, with barely a hook, decent riff or even good laugh to be had.
Headroxx (2018)
Yes, album number nine generally fares better than the decidedly middling Dirty Pop Fantasy. In the interest of honesty, however, it should be noted it's not by much. While there's fun to be had on tracks like the knowing wink of I Get The Internet and the rocking quasi-title track Roxx For Brains, many of the album's ideas feel unfinished and the band's defiantly-youthful energy can only get so much across the line.
An exercise in obligation, it's clear in retrospect that the band were saving most of their creative energy for what was to come next...
The Really Really Really Really Boring Album (2019)
Regurgitator's Pogogo Show is a collaboration with Melbourne artist Jerico 'Kayo' Wallace that focuses the Gurge's efforts into children's music. Never feeling too cloying or condescending, Really Boring instead captures the exact kind of goofy silliness that young kids thrive off. Even the adults will find themselves wanting to crowdsurf to I Don't Wanna Dog or Ghost Cat.
The band even scored their first ARIA nomination in an astounding 19 years for it, though ultimately lost to Dan Sultan. But hey, if there's one thing kids should learn early, it's that there's no shame in losing to Dan Sultan.
Invader (2024)
The latest instalment in the Gurge canon is their best start-to-finish album in 20 years – a testament to the band's ongoing pursuit of the same creative vitality that put them on the map in the first place.
With a guestlist boasting Big Day Out comrade Peaches and firebrand Bundjalung rapper JK-47, the Gurge sound properly alive across Invader – perfectly blending their patented nonsense with well-timed political undertones. Cocaine Runaway is a love letter to ‘80s pop, sax solo included, while Wrong People will make you feel like you're in the Big Day Out mosh again.
Catch Regurgitator on tour across February, March, April and May in almost every state and territory on their Jukeboxxin' national tour. Tickets are on sale now.
REGURGITATOR
JUKEBOXXIN’ - with a fistful of fizzers
2026 retrospective singles tour PART#2?
With special guests DEM MOB, Tonix, The Subculture Clique, Mankind, Golden Sunbird, Special Features, Rat Salad, Last Quokka, Media Puzzle, Kirklandd, Tropical Low and more...
FRI 6 FEB SA - Mt Gambier/Berrin THE GLOBE (outdoors)
SAT 7 FEB SA - Adelaide/Tarntanya THE GOV - SOLD OUT
SUN 8 FEB SA - Port Lincoln/Galinyala PORT LINCOLN BREWING CO - SELLING FAST
FRI 13 FEB TAS - Hobart/Nipaluna ALTAR - SOLD OUT
SAT 14 FEB TAS – Launceston/Kanamaluka DU CANE BREWING
SUN 15 FEB TAS - Ulverstone THE PIER (doors 3 pm)
FRI 20 FEB VIC - San Remo/Yallock Bulluk Beek WESTERNPORT
SAT 21 FEB VIC - Ballarat VOLTA - SOLD OUT
SUN 22 FEB VIC – Bendigo/Dja Dja Wurrung ALL SEASONS
THUR 26 FEB QLD - Byron Bay/Cavanbah GREAT NORTHERN
FRI 27 FEB QLD - Gold Coast/Kombumerri MIAMI MARKETTA - SELLING FAST
SAT 28 FEB QLD - Sunshine Coast/Kabi Kabi NORTONS - SOLD OUT
FRI 6 MAR WA – Fremantle/Walyalup PORT BEACH GARDEN BAR*
SAT 7 MAR WA – Dunsborough/Wardandi DUNSBOROUGH TAVERN*
SUN 8 MAR WA – Perth/Boorloo THE CARINE* (doors 5 pm) - SELLING FAST
FRI 13 MAR NSW - Ulladulla MARLIN TAVERN*
SAT 14 MAR ACT - Canberra/Kanberri THE BASO* - SELLING FAST
SUN 15 MAR NSW – Albury/Bungambrawatha SS&A CLUB*
FRI 20 MAR NSW – Wollongong/Woolyungah LA LA LA’s - SOLD OUT
SAT 21 MAR NSW - Newcastle/Mulubinba KING ST - SELLING FAST
SUN 22 MAR NSW – Sydney/Gadigal Land CROWBAR - ALL-AGES - SOLD OUT
FRI APR 10 VIC – Melbourne/Naarm 170 RUSSELL - SELLING FAST
SAT APR 11 VIC – Melbourne/Naarm THE CROXTON
FRI APR 17 NQ – Cairns/Gimuy TANKS ARTS CENTRE
SAT APR 18 NQ – Townsville/Gurambilbarra THE WAREHOUSE
SUN APR 19 NQ – Mackay/Yuwibara McGUIRES HOTEL
FRI APR 24 QLD – Brisbane/Meanjin THE TIVOLI - SELLING FAST
SAT APR 25 QLD – Brisbane/Meanjin THE PRINCESS - ALL-AGES (doors 3 pm) - SELLING FAST
APR 26 QLD – Toowoomba/Tawampa THE EMPIRE - ALL-AGES (doors 4 pm)
FRI 1 MAY NSW – Sydney/Gadigal Land LIBERTY HALL
SAT 2 MAY NSW – Bathurst Dalman KEYSTONE 1889
SUN 3 MAY NSW – Springwood/Oryang-ora BLUE MOUNTAINS THEATRE - SOLD OUT
REGURGITATOR
JUKEBOXXIN’ - with a fistful of fizzers
2026 AOTEAROA NZ retrospective singles tour
with special guests DISPLEASURE and more...
WED 13 MAY NZ - Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland DOUBLE WHAMMY
THUR 14 MAY NZ - Whāingaroa/Raglan HARBOUR VIEW HOTEL
FRI 15 MAY NZ - Ōtautahi/Wellington MEOW
SAT 16 MAY NZ - Te Whanganui A Tara/Christchurch LOONS
