James Reyne, Jack Carty @ Melbourne Zoo Twilight Series, Melbourne (30/01/2015)
The 2015 series of Melbourne Zoo Twilights concerts kicked off on January 30th with Australian Crawl front man James Reyne performing a set of his iconic band’s classics to an appreciative crowd.
On the warm and sunny evening, support act Jack Carty set the scene early with his impressive acoustic guitar playing and strong, soulful voice. His laid back interaction and storytelling connected with the crowd (for example, his tale of his near lost opportunity to support Hot Chocolate was warmly received). The performance also featured quality songs such as 'Honey, Do You Know the Way Back Home?', 'Be Like the Water' and 'Travelling Shoes'. It was clear to fans of Australian alternative folk rock that this was an act to follow and support (he performs at Melbourne’s Corner Hotel on March 12). However it was clear that the crowd was there for James Reyne! Reyne has long included Australian Crawl songs in his set list, but the opportunity to see him deliver a full concert of his former band’s songs was a tantalizing proposition for fans and Reyne delivered magnificently. It worked on several levels – the quality of the songs was unquestionable; lesser known |
classics that would rarely get a run in a James Reyne solo show were performed and embraced by all present; and the band of backing musicians did a mighty job in meeting the challenge of faithfully reproducing music that was already embedded in the memory banks of die-hard Crawl fans.
Things kicked off with the band’s 1979 rocking debut single 'Beautiful People' (and yes they’ve still got a Robert Palmer t-shirt in their travel bag!) but other early set highlights included 'Lakeside' 'Indisposed', 'Shut Down' and 'Down Hearted'. The beauty of the set though was that there was room for other Crawl songs, and strong performances of lesser played gems such as 'Love Beats Me Up', 'Trouble Spot Rock', 'Always The Way' and 'Unpublished Critics' sat comfortably, and rightfully, alongside the radio hits to show their importance as part of the Oz Crawl legacy.
Like his backing band, James was in great form. He came across as particularly relaxed and it was great to see this veteran of over 35 years in the Australian music industry, connecting comfortably with the sounds of the band that started it all. His rapport with the crowd was warm and the little anecdotes were fun (his tongue-in-cheek introduction for a solo performance on the key board of 'Hoochie Gucci Fiorucci Mama' being an example). While contributing guitar for the majority of the set, he did venture behind the keyboard for 'Hoochie', 'Always the Way' and a powerful 'White Limbo' (from 1983’s Semantics EP). Reyne often performs the other big song from Semantics in solo acoustic guitar mode, but this time 'Reckless' was given the full band treatment, and while it is a great song under any arrangement, it was great to hear that classic original sound.
A great night was rounded out with a set of songs that remain truly remarkable examples of Oz Rock. Lawn chairs and blankets were ignored; the crowd was on its feet and the aisles filled with dancing Aussies re-connecting with the sounds of their youth. 'Errol' rocked, 'Oh No Not You Again' pulled at the heartstrings, 'Things Don’t Seem' and 'Boys Light Up' were just plain awesome! The crowd called for more and 'Daughters of the Northern Coast' was delivered deftly as the final song for the night.
It was a great gig - James Reyne has retained a powerful voice and stage presence to match. While it was an event that musically was very much connected to the Eighties, it served as a powerful reminder that in 2015 he remains a great Australian performer in his own right!
Darren Parker
Things kicked off with the band’s 1979 rocking debut single 'Beautiful People' (and yes they’ve still got a Robert Palmer t-shirt in their travel bag!) but other early set highlights included 'Lakeside' 'Indisposed', 'Shut Down' and 'Down Hearted'. The beauty of the set though was that there was room for other Crawl songs, and strong performances of lesser played gems such as 'Love Beats Me Up', 'Trouble Spot Rock', 'Always The Way' and 'Unpublished Critics' sat comfortably, and rightfully, alongside the radio hits to show their importance as part of the Oz Crawl legacy.
Like his backing band, James was in great form. He came across as particularly relaxed and it was great to see this veteran of over 35 years in the Australian music industry, connecting comfortably with the sounds of the band that started it all. His rapport with the crowd was warm and the little anecdotes were fun (his tongue-in-cheek introduction for a solo performance on the key board of 'Hoochie Gucci Fiorucci Mama' being an example). While contributing guitar for the majority of the set, he did venture behind the keyboard for 'Hoochie', 'Always the Way' and a powerful 'White Limbo' (from 1983’s Semantics EP). Reyne often performs the other big song from Semantics in solo acoustic guitar mode, but this time 'Reckless' was given the full band treatment, and while it is a great song under any arrangement, it was great to hear that classic original sound.
A great night was rounded out with a set of songs that remain truly remarkable examples of Oz Rock. Lawn chairs and blankets were ignored; the crowd was on its feet and the aisles filled with dancing Aussies re-connecting with the sounds of their youth. 'Errol' rocked, 'Oh No Not You Again' pulled at the heartstrings, 'Things Don’t Seem' and 'Boys Light Up' were just plain awesome! The crowd called for more and 'Daughters of the Northern Coast' was delivered deftly as the final song for the night.
It was a great gig - James Reyne has retained a powerful voice and stage presence to match. While it was an event that musically was very much connected to the Eighties, it served as a powerful reminder that in 2015 he remains a great Australian performer in his own right!
Darren Parker