We wandered Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris in 2017 looking for Jim Morrison. My son is a Chopin fan so we had to locate the composer’s grave first, then we stopped to admire Oscar Wilde’s grand burial spot marked by a superb sculpture by Sir Jacob Epstein.
We knew Jim Morrison was buried here, too, so when I heard some American accents I asked a young couple nearby if they knew where Jim was.
“Just over there.” They pointed and we found the grave of The Doors’ enigmatic and charismatic frontman. A small adoring group was gathered there. If you are a fan of The Doors, like me, and you are in Paris you will want to do as we did.
And as we stood there we mused over the loss. How young he was at just 27. Dying at 27 seems to be a thing in the rock world. So much of a thing – as there is a group of very significant artists who we lost at that age and they form what is known as the 27 Club.
The 27 Club began with the deaths of several popular musicians between 1969 and 1971 … Brian Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Jim Morrison. Members of the 27 Club usually died as a result of drug and alcohol issues or other unnatural causes.
It was Kurt Cobain’s death in 1994 that really cemented the phenomenon in the zeitgeist. In 2011 Amy Winehouse was also tragically added to the list, which is pretty long and goes back to the great blues artist Robert Johnson, the man who inspired The Rolling Stones and so many others. Yep, he died at 27 in 1938.
So, it’s definitely a thing, albeit a somewhat grisly thing. It’s not really something to celebrate but it is worth paying tribute to these great artists.
In April 2025 a stellar cast of Australian artists will be doing just that, bringing the iconic songs of the 27 Club to life at venues across South East Queensland. They will be backed by a band featuring some of Australia’s finest musicians.
Sarah McLeod (The Superjesus), Justin Burford (End of Fashion, Rock of Ashes), Carla Lippis (Mondo Psycho) and Dusty Lee Stephenson (Wanderers) will reboot the songs of the 27 Club, kicking off at Redlands Performing Arts Centre on April 3.
The 27 Club show features a jammed singalong of songs by Nirvana, Jim Hendrix, The Doors, Amy Winehouse, Robert Johnson and Janis Joplin.
27 Club is the brainchild of creative producer Zac Tyler and had its world premiere at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival in 2015, to rave reviews. After a hiatus, the show returned in 2021, revamped for the Adelaide Fringe. Over the past few years the show has continued to remind people of the great musicians we lost and the great music we gained.
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The 27 Club has grown over the years to include people like the artist Jean Michel Basquiat. But the core members remain those doomed rock artists.
The 27 Club show has been described as “a live rockumentary”, which sounds enticing. It’s a celebration of the legends who will forever be 27 and the legacy they left behind.
27 Club South East Queensland Tour 2025: Redland Performing Arts Centre, April 3; The Princess Theatre, Brisbane, April 4; Empire Theatre, Toowoomba, April 5; and The Station, Caloundra, April 6
27clubshow.com
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