LIVE REVIEW: ROCKWIZ – VANDA & YOUNG, Perth, 22 March 2014

Shane | 8 April 2014 | Reply

LIVE REVIEW: ROCKWIZ – VANDA & YOUNG, Perth, 22 March 2014
Perth Zoo, Saturday 22 March, 2014
Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar

The Rockwiz crew bring their live rock n’ roll quiz show cabaret tribute to songwriters Harry Vanda & George Young to Perth with a host of guests and a finger on the buzzer for a damn fine night’s entertainment.

Brian Nankervis hosts the first half – narrowing 18 wannabee contestants down with an interactive quiz process, joking as he goes and warming up the crowd who lounge on the Perth Zoo grass, gingerly looking skywards at the approaching clouds. Luckily they hold their water until the tail end of the show.

When it comes time to party through the show proper, Dave Larkin and Hayley Kramer take the spotlight to sing the first of many Vanda & Young songs, Good Times, joined by local guitar legend Dom Mariani.

Glamourous host Julia Zemiros makes her entrance and captivates from the first moment. Whatever IT is, she’s got it in spades.

Nankervis’ quiz questions focus on Vanda & Young’s songs, work and lives, spanning a massive career which started with their 60’s band The Easybeats, led through the 70’s producing Young’s brother’s band AC/DC, and many hit songs written or produced by them at Alberts Studios for artists as diverse as John Paul Young, Cheetah, William Shakespeare, Flash & The Pan and many more.

Research is impeccable as always – who knew George Young moved to Portugal so he could smoke inside? Harry Vanda is Abba’s Agnetha Faltzkog’s cousin!

Super roadie Dugald speaks/sings Hey St Peter, whilst lanky legend Tex Perkins tackles the similarly half spoken Walking In The Rain (just released as a single by Doc Neeson, who performed on the Eastern States stretch of this tour.) Nankervis even has a bash through a foghorn for Down Among The Dead Men, and as with all of these songs that are so ingrained in the psyche of a generation or two in this country, most of those present sing every word.

Julia is next up on the mic, samba-ing her way through the first verse of JPY’s Love Is In The Air in French, before being joined first by The Grates’ Patience Hodgson then Hayley Kramer again. Hodgson goes on to sing Ted Mulry’s solo hit Falling In Love Again as lightning begins to appear on the horizon, but the crowd are having too much fun to pack up and leave yet.

As Russell Morris joins Hayley for a rocking and bluesey St Louis, lying on the grass feels like we’re at the biggest backyard party shoot for the funkiest and most laidback TV quiz ever. Yeah – it’s that much fun, largely due to the natural charm and charisma of Zemiro and Nankervis and the easy rapport they have with their guest stars and quizsters.

The an unscheduled interruption appears from fireworks somewhere nearby. They go on popping and booming for five or ten minutes, but the band and Zemiro steer us through like pros. It’s bizarre that councils don’t compare notes as to what performances are on nearby!

Tex Perkins is back for Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again, an Angels song produced by Vanda & Young, Dave Larkin returns for High Voltage, Zemiro flirts shamelessly with Perkins on the panel (“professional flirting, ladies & gentlemen,” she says with a wink), praises and teases the contestants, jokes with the crowd and while the scores are tallied by Nankervis & Dugald the ever-rock solid Rockwiz Orchestra start the massive three part Evie with Morris, Hodgson and Mariani taking the lead for each successive part.

The winners are announced almost as an afterthought – there’s no prizes here, but everyone wins a damn fine evening – and as the lightning inches closer and drizzle starts falling, the entire ensemble congregate onstage for the Vanda & Young song voted as the finest rock song to emanate from this country, ever: Friday On My Mind.