Dr Sure’s Unusual Practice Share Live Cover of The Peep Tempel’s ‘Carol’

Dr Sure’s Unusual Practice have unveiled a raucous cover of one of the finest Australia songs of the last decade, sharing a live rendition of The Peep Tempel’s iconic “Carol”.

First released back on their 2014, Australian Music Prize-nominated album Tales, “Carol” fast became the biggest song released by the now-defunct Peep Tempel, and remains one of the most underrated Aussie songs of the last decade. Equally cathartic and simplistic, the almost minimalist instrumentation, paired with its ferocious passion and message of unrequited love, seemed to strike a chord with many music-lovers, and has since been covered love by a handful of Aussie bands.

Now, one of the latest covers of the track comes by way of Melbourne’s own Dr Sure’s Unusual Practice. Having first appeared on the scene back in 2018, the Victorian outfit have wasted no time in curating an admirable discography, with recent album – 2021’s Remember the Future? Vol. 2 & 1 – receiving a four-and-a-half star review from Rolling Stone Australia.

In the wake of the album’s release back in November, Dr Sure’s Unusual Practice celebrated with a sold-out album launch show at the John Curtin Hotel in Melbourne, where they complemented their set with a cover of the classic “Carol”. As Dr Sure’s frontman Dougal Shaw explains, the live cover provided a much needed ray of sunshine following a couple of years spent in stasis.

“This is a taste of a full live recording we did at the launch of Remember the Future? Vol. 2 & 1,” Shaw explains. “The show fell right in that honeymoon period between the end of our last lockdown and the emergence of Omicron. Full house at the Curtin, it was our only non-restricted, full-capacity show in the last 2 years. Got pretty lucky to pull it off.

“Cook-Up came through and filmed the show, we had Cake Industries on stage design, and Nao & Jemma Anzai on sound and lighting. Proper dream team. We played through the album from front to back and rounded it out with ‘Carol’.

“It’s the first cover we’ve done as a band,” he adds, turning his attention to the audience member that helped out on vocals. “I’ve gotta thank our unannounced guest for the help on this one, I think my voice was just about shot from all the excitement. If that’s you, get in touch and we’ll send you a tee or something for your efforts.”

A blistering example of not only the sort of phenomenal live presence that Dr Sure’s Unusual Practice have, but an indicator of just how much this stunning song means to the group as a whole, it’s a truly powerful performance, and arguably one of the finest live covers you’ll hear for some time.

While it remains to be seen when we’ll be hearing more live material from Dr Sure’s Unusual Practice, the group are already in the midst of a run of national tour dates, with shows booked in for Sydney, Wollongong, Brisbane, the Sunshine Coast, Hobart, and Adelaide, alongside an appearance at Ninch Fest in Victoria early next month. Check out the original version of “Carol”, along with the full tour details, below.

Dr Sure’s Unusual Practice Tour Dates