Motor Ace return from 17-year hiatus with killer, catchy rock track, 'Knock Knock' and 20th anniversary tour for 'Five Star Laundry'

Photo by Rhys Graham

Melbourne rockers Motor Ace have officially returned from the sonic wilderness after 17 years, announcing a brand new single Knock Knock that traces its origins all the way back to the early 2000s.

The new track relishes in hard-rocking riffs and the potent spirit of the group’s breakout 2001 debut album Five Star Laundry; a fitting connection, with Motor Ace also imminently gearing up for their Five Star Laundry Anniversary tour, kicking off at Freo Social on June 10, before rolling through to Badlands (Perth), The Triffid (Brisbane), The Factory Theatre (Sydney), The Cambridge Hotel (Newcastle), The Gov (Adelaide) and concluding with a special hometown show at 170 Russell in Melbourne on June 24. Featuring Melbourne noughties rockers, Klinger as special guests at all shows, excluding WA.

‘Knock Knock’ does not sound like 17 years has past with Motor Ace. There’s still the catchy Australian alt-rock tones from the mid 00s present as ever. Not over-produced, you can hear the guitar tones as they should be, the drums sound like you’re sitting at a live show, the bass is in your face, and vocalist/guitarist Patrick Robertson’s distinct vocal delivery sounds effortless (with special appearance from Icehouse’s Paul Gildeg). Australian Rock isn’t dead… it’s just had a little nap, grabbed a coffee and is ready to melt your face again.

The jangly ‘Knock Knock’ sprang from an idea that had actually been written between Motor Ace’s 2001 debut full-length Five Star Laundry and the ravenous follow up, 2002’s Shoot This; but the universe had other plans for this new 2022 earworm, as Motor Ace vocalist and guitarist Patrick Robertson explains, ‘It’s an idea that was kicking around back in the day, but we never got around to finishing it. We’d always loved the sound, but it was written between the first and second records and didn’t really fit with what we were aiming for on the second. Probably should have finished it then!’.

The accompanying video for Knock Knock offers fans a tantalising fly-on-the-wall peek behind Motor Ace’s 2019 Five Star Reunion Tour, with Melbourne video wunderkind Matt Jasper utilising up close and personal backstage and onstage moments from the tour shot for a Motor Ace documentary to adorn the band’s first music video in close to two decades.

Collating an all-star cast of players to bring Knock Knock ultimately to life late last year, Motor Ace worked alongside Five Star Laundry producer Craig Harnath (Hothouse Studios) and acclaimed producer and mixer Forrester Savall, resulting in an energetic snapshot of the band’s permeating essence alongside a renewed vigour for the brand new chapter that was itself sparked by the band’s sold-out reunion shows back in 2019.

As Pat explains, ‘Coming back after 15 years away and receiving such a huge reaction at our shows was really humbling. It was a lightning rod for a new creative venture with the band. We wanted to capture the spirit of Five Star Laundry, which in retrospect we all feel had an energy and simplicity that was never fully explored. The process of recording was extremely straight forward - no rehearsals. We wanted to capture the essence of band without overthinking every aspect of production – less talking, more playing. Sonically the track is up there with my favourite Motor Ace tunes yet.’

Needing very little introduction, Motor Ace’s standing in the Australian music scene harks back to their debut album Five Star Laundry which went gold within its first month of going on sale. The group would go on to relentlessly tour and release albums over a short space of time, boasting support slots alongside Foo Fighters, Oasis and Blink-182, and three studio albums in just under five years.

Motor Ace’s rollicking tunes were airwave mainstays at the turn of the millennium, alongside sold-out shows and ARIA chart domination, including the #1 debut of their sophomore album Shoot This in 2002. And while the world and the music industry at large has changed drastically since the early, heady days of the 2000s, the 2022 iteration of Motor Ace has aged like a very fine wine – this is Motor Ace fresh out of the noughties, and things are only just getting started.

‘Knock Knock’ is streaming on all digital platforms now. Tickets to their upcoming Five Star Laundry 20th Anniversary Tour are available now.