Dragon Live in Perth, 31 May 2013

Shane | 7 June 2013 | Reply

The Astor Theatre, Mount Lawley, Perth
Review & photos by Maree King

Dragon have reformed for their 40th Anniversary tour, which is not only a celebration of 40 years since their inception but also a homage to the near 40 members that have come and gone over the years, and they’re also here to promote their new EP Chase the Sun, the latest and long awaited instalment from Dragon.

The audience was an odd mix of old guys in leather jackets and young ones that must have grown up listening to their parents playing this music, but either way they danced in aisles and relived the rock heyday of the 70’s and the 80’s. The only original member in the current line-up is Todd Hunter (brother to lead singer Marc Hunter who passed away in 1998) and the band has seen much tragedy over the years. Reforming after being inspired to play again, Todd Hunter with the help of Bruce Reid on guitar reshaped some of the classics into a rock acoustic style.

[Show picture list]

Mark Williams has been the frontman now for the best part of a decade, and is a multi talented and well accomplished musician that certainly has had big shoes to fill, but he gallantly keeps the band on task and his enthusiasm saves them from falling into a lack lustre performance. They played all the old favourites plus Age of Reason (which was originally written by Todd Hunter and Johanna Piggott for John Farhnam), and some tunes from the new album Chase the Sun including the title track.

Once they got going Williams certainly had the crowd in the palm of his hand, many in the audience chanting along with the lyrics and dancing along to April Sun In Cuba and Sunshine, Speak No Evil and the classic Rain. Some even jumped on stage for a duet or just to join in the festivities, an unflappable Williams welcoming them and incorporating them into the sing-a-longs. Exiting the stage, the band returned not long after, with crowd stomping applause to round out the set with Are You Old Enough and the crowd screaming the lyrics as though they were teenagers again.

The crowd was a little sparse for such an iconic band but they played as though the venue was at full capacity. Williams jumped around on stage, moving from keyboards to guitar effortlessly and his vocals superb and giving the band a new musical direction that will see them continue on as producing rock music for another generation.