WITH endless charm and stirring emotion, the brand new single I Am Fire released last month from revered Australian singer-songwriter Pete Murray, offers a poised yet powerful ode to everyday heroes.
The single was accompanied by the announcement of a mammoth 56-date run that will see Murray expansively tour the country in solo acoustic mode for the first time ever, starting next month, and supported nationally by Rachael Fahim and Brett Wood.
Murray will perform at Swan Hill Town Hall on Sunday, May 18, at 6.30pm.
Murray’s largest tour ever, and with most shows being all ages, will see him visit a stack of markets he’s never been to, rolling through every pocket of Australia in 2025, with a whopping 56 shows lined up across regional Australia as well as capital cities from May through to early September.
Offering fans a second taste of a brand new body of work from Murray, following on from his 2024 single Wouldn’t It Be Good, I Am Fire finds Murray channelling powerful emotives and tranquil arrangements with a nod to one of his favourite guitar sounds, as he elaborates.
“I just bought a Gibson 1971 Classical guitar before I recorded I Am Fire and I knew this guitar had to be on this song,” he said.
“I love the classical guitar sound Rodriguez uses on his recordings, and it’s that same 60s/70s classical guitar sound that I was going for.
“The guitar created a real mood on the song that works well with the lyrics.
“The song is inspired by normal people who stand up against regimes and who stand up for humanity and risk their own lives to save others.
“They are the real heroes of the world.
“I have used elements, emotions and feeling to describe these people.
“The courage they have is enormous and the love they give is forever.
“This song is also about normal heroes like mums and dads who are always there for their kids.”
Again stepping into the producer role for his own music, Murray also worked alongside a team of creatives to bring I Am Fire to lustrous life, recording the track with Luke Palmer (Boo Seeka, Dead Letter Circus, Jacob Lee) on the Gold Coast, who also engineered and assisted with production.
And with local musicians Ian Peres on bass and keys, Sarah James on backing vocals and Kate Derepas on cello, I Am Fire also brought in Murray’s long-time guitarist Brett Wood on electric guitar, with drums recorded via Nashville courtesy of drummer and producer Aaron Sterling (John Mayer, Taylor Swift, Post Malone, Lana Del Rey); and an incredibly powerful accompanying music video that reminds us all of very real historical moments of hope and bravery.
Murray has sold more than 1.2 million albums, amassed hundreds of millions of streams, released three ARIA chart-topping albums, and boasts 17 ARIA Award nominations amongst multiple other wins and nominations.
Emerging with his debut full length album The Game in 2001, Murray’s breakout sophomore album Feeler in 2003 cemented his status as one of the all-time greats. With ongoing hits along the way, including Better Days, Feeler, Opportunity and So Beautiful, Murray’s stirring and enduring blend of positivity with acoustic, rock and folk elements has flourished across decades, including via his most recent full length album Camacho in 2017.
Now dominantly splitting his time in the studio and spending time with his family, Murray has also cultivated a stalwart reputation for his live show, from his own headline shows with his band at home and abroad, as well as performances with the likes of Missy Higgins, Icehouse, Rob Thomas and James Blunt.
“I feel really good about releasing this song,” he said.
“It’s one of my favourite songs off the new body of work I have just recorded.
“I feel this song is very appropriate for the times we live in now.
“And I’m really looking forward to getting out there and letting people see how these songs were written on acoustic guitar and telling them stories of my life journey so far.”
Tickets cost $84.90 and can be purchased online through swanhilltownhall.com/events/pete-murray.
Hear more from Pete Murray when The Guardian chats to him next week.
