Bad//Dreems Confirm Indefinite Hiatus

Mary Varvaris

“We feel incredibly lucky to have had the opportunity to do things beyond our wildest dreams,” said guitarist and songwriter Alex Cameron.

Bad//Dreems(Credit: Supplied)

Bad//Dreems

It’s a big day for Adelaide rockers Bad//Dreems, who today release their new album, Ultra Dundee, and confirm that they’re embarking on an indefinite hiatus. Fans will have the opportunity to farewell the band this April and May, when they tour across the country.

Since their beginnings in a warehouse on the banks of the River Torrens in 2012, Bad//Dreems have become one of Australia’s most essential rock bands, having toured alongside Midnight Oil and DMA’S. They’ve released five albums, with Ultra Dundee and Dogs At Bay in particular exploring the darker side of the Australian psyche.

“It seems only yesterday that we started Bad//Dreems in Sharpies warehouse in an Adelaide heatwave,” reflected guitarist and songwriter Alex Cameron. “We feel incredibly lucky to have had the opportunity to do things beyond our wildest dreams.”

Cameron continued, “In particular, we feel very privileged that people have taken an interest in what we do, turned up to shows and bought our records. For now, we’re putting the band on ice to percolate on all that we’ve achieved, and to give us all a chance to dedicate more time to our families, jobs and other projects.”

Recorded at Mixmasters Studio in their hometown of Adelaide and produced in conjunction with Dan Luscombe, Ultra Dundee is the group’s first since the release of 2023’s ARIA top ten-placing Hoo Ha!, and their first recorded with new bassist Deon Slaviero. It was released via the band’s own record label, Gutto Records.

Frontman Ben Marwe has explained that Ultra Dundee is a psychedelic version of Mick “Crocodile” Dundee, Paul Hogan’s titular hero from the films, blended with unsavoury characters such as Chopper and Bad Boy Bubby. Not someone you’d want to meet in a dark alley…

“Ultra Dundee is a man, but he is also the road that made him, shaped by distance, heat, work and self-inflicted consequences,” Marwe said. “He is philosophical, lucid and quietly mad. He is not chasing redemption. He is living with awareness and the horror of seeing himself clearly and choosing to stay anyway.

“Ultra Dundee didn’t lose himself to the wilderness; he lives inside it. He’s your primary school teacher. He’s the stockbroker. The clock man. Your brother’s drinking buddy. The real estate agent on ketamine. The man on the barbecue at the local RSL. Ultra Dundee is me. Ultra Dundee is you.”

You can check out the album here and watch the music video for the new single Night Shooting below.

Throughout April and May, Bad//Dreems will perform headline shows across Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane, with support from The Pretty Littles, Don't Thank Me Spank Me and Caitlin Harnett & The Pony Boys.

In addition to the shows, Bad//Dreems will offer something special for their hometown when they present the new, two-day festival, GATHER SOUNDS. Held at Cloisters and UniBar at Adelaide University, the event coincides with the AFL’s Gather Round, which sees footy teams playing in the band’s backyard and over 50,000 fans visiting the city.

The festival will see Bad//Dreems perform alongside their mates Beddy Rays, Phil Jamieson, West Thebarton, Dr. Piffle & The Burlap Band, The Empty Threats, Jack Griffith, Caitlin Harnett & The Pony Boys, Don’t Thank Me Spank Me, and more.