RocKwiz fans treated to a night of stars
Music
From The Angels’ Doc Neeson to The Basics’ Wally de Backer (aka Gotye), an extraordinary who’s who of Australian music old and new wowed Adelaide fans at last night’s live RocKwiz show at the Thebarton Theatre.
Hosted by the ever-lovely Julia Zemiro and effervescent Brian Nankervis, the show is part of a three-city tour honouring the songwriting and production team of Harry Vanda and George Young – founding members of The Easybeats and the duo behind a host of hits including “Friday on My Mind”, “Love is in the Air”, “St Louis”, “Evie” and “Walking In the Rain”.
Audience members no doubt expected to hear many of these songs covered throughout the night, but with the performers’ names kept secret, few would have anticipated the star-studded line-up that unfolded.
The surprises began when de Backer took to the stage with fellow Basics members Kris Schroeder and Tim Heath, and continued with names such as Triple J darling Gossling (Helen Croome), The Preachers’ Isabella Manfredi, Deep Sea Arcade’s Nic McKenzie, The Choirboys’ Mark Gable, Dallas Crane’s Dave Larkin, and The Church’s Steve Kilbey.
Then there was Neeson, who, despite his battle with cancer, proved he can still rock it with the best of them, performing the Grace Jones’ hit “Walking in the Rain” and then thrilling the crowd with a ballsy rendition of “Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again”. The latter was a particularly fitting tribute, given that the 1976 Angels’ hit was produced by Vanda and Young, and there was clearly a lot of love for Doc in the audience, with many members getting to their feet at the end of his performance.
Of course, it wouldn’t be RocKwiz without the quiz element, and the first hour or so was dedicated to selecting four volunteer music “eggheads” to join the revolving group of musicians on the buzzers. With consummate showman Nankervis in charge and audience participation encouraged, even this aspect of the show is highly entertaining, warming up the audience and building a sense of shared anticipation for the performances to come.
A RocKwiz show attracts an eclectic crew – some of whom, it must be said, seem reluctant to part company with the ’80s – yet there is an enriching sense of camaraderie which comes from being surrounded by like-minded souls who aren’t ashamed to expose their inner music nerd by shouting out answers, singing along to choruses and dancing like a dag.
The chosen quartet of quizmasters did us proud, holding their own in the buzzer stakes while answering largely Vanda and Young-themed questions dating from the pair’s first meeting at a Sydney migrant hostel in the 1960s, through the Easybeat days, to their later project Flash and the Pan, albums produced for AC/DC, and their work with the likes of Stevie Wright, Rose Tattoo, The Angels and John Paul Young.
Interspersed throughout were the live performances backed by the excellent RocKwiz Orkestra, among which Doc was an obvious highlight. But there were many others, including Zemiro, Gossling and Manfredi singing “Love is in the Air” (in both French and English), and Gable, Manfredi and The Basics performing the three parts of “Evie”. For the diehard RocKwiz fan accompanying me, however, it was hard to beat Gable’s performance of “Run to Paradise”, which conjured happy ’80s memories of listening to Choirboys’ cassettes while driving around the countryside in a purple Torana.
Get InReview in your inbox – free each Saturday. Local arts and culture – covered.
Thanks for signing up to the InReview newsletter.
There certainly is a sweet nostalgic element to RocKwiz, but it also showcases impressive new Australian talent. The live show is slick – but never too slick. It’s fun, interactive, full of surprises and a seriously good night out. And with a running time of nearly three-and-a-half hours, you certainly get value for money … especially when you still have Friday on your mind the next day.
RocKwiz Salutes Vanda & Young was a one-only Adelaide show, with two more performances in Sydney and Melbourne.
Support local arts journalism
Your support will help us continue the important work of InReview in publishing free professional journalism that celebrates, interrogates and amplifies arts and culture in South Australia.
Donate Here
Comments
Show comments Hide comments