Live – Kim Wilde, Perth, 20 October 2013

Shane | 23 October 2013 | Reply

Live – Kim Wilde with Nik Kershaw, The Astor Theatre, Perth, Sunday 20 October 2013

By Shane Pinnegar
Photography by Maree King

Kim Wilde positively bounces onto the Astor stage as her band – featuring brother Ricky, his daughter Scarlett and support act Nik Kershaw – flex their muscles on her early hit Chequered Love.

Kershaw’s opening set was an early highlight, culminating in his big hits Wouldn’t It Be Good and I Won’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me, proving him far more than a faded pop idol.

The Astor Theatre is dancing and singing from the get-go, and to get the superficial out of the way, Wilde looks radiant and happy, sporting a smart black suit, blonde locks blowing in the stage fans. She was a hot young lady in the eighties, she’s a gorgeous woman now.

Listening back to Wilde’s early hits one can sometimes be left thinking her voice is a bit girlish – weak, even, and lacking in oomph. Not so live today- it’s a powerful and mighty thing as she hits every note seemingly with ease, and boasts abundant depth and resonance.

The band likewise do her hits great justice, striking – to use her own words – the right balance between rock and pop. It brings these songs up to date without losing any of their original charm or essence.

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View From A Bridge and Cambodia – introduced by a giggling Wilde as “I think it was a big hit here… I hope so!” – are next, followed by late eighties and early nineties tracks The Second Time, the Gibb brothers’ If I Can’t Have You and Never Trust A Stranger.

The new arrangements not only remove any early eighties production cheesyness, but they bring pop, dance, pop rock and new wave tracks from throughout Wilde’s eclectic career into line stylistically, united not only by her voice but also by the band.

A family interlude is next as just Wilde, guitarist Ricky, and backing vocalist Scarlet tackle Love In The Natural Way from 1988’s Close, the slinky Love Blonde from 1983, and a gorgeous take on Black’s eighties hit Wonderful Life (which appears on her 2011 covers record Snapshots). Wilde lets her niece shine especially on the last of these acoustic renditions.

The band resume their places for a romp through Water On Glass and a great version of Chrissy Amphlett’s Divinyls hit I Touch Myself. Ricky Wilde’s rhythm guitar playing is great as ever, muscular and full of crunchy tone, but the revelation here is how feisty Nik Kershaw’s lead guitar is.

You Came, also from ‘88’s Close, led adroitly into her U.S. number one smash You Keep Me Hangin’ On and a fantastically spirited Kids In America finished the set on a huge high.

Wilde and Kershaw return to take a bow before joined by the band for a duet cover version of Pink’s hit Try, and together they smoulder. Even though they finish the night with a slower ballad rather than a faster paced track, it’s a great version of a great song, and detracted nothing from a wonderful night that was more than pure nostalgia.
Setlist – Kim Wilde:
Chequered Love
View From A Bridge
Cambodia
The Second Time
If I Can’t Have You
Never Trust A Stranger
Love In The Natural Way (acoustic)
Love Blonde (acoustic)
Wonderful Life (acoustic)
Water On Glass
I Touch Myself
You Came
You Keep Me Hangin’ On
Kids In America

Try
Setlist – Nik Kershaw:
Wide Boy
Radio Musicola
Dancing Girls
When A Heart Beats
The Riddle
Have A Nice Life
Bogart
Don Quixote
Human Racing
Wouldn’t It Be Good
The Sky’s The Limit
I Won’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me