LIVE: BABY ANIMALS with KILLING HEIDI – Perth, 24 May, 2019

Shane | 30 June 2019 | Reply

LIVE: BABY ANIMALS with KILLING HEIDI – Perth, 24 May, 2019
The Astor Theatre, Perth, Western Australia
Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar
Photography by Damien Crocker

If you still (inexplicably) need convincing that equality is relevant and necessary in this day and age, then this was the gig to get you on the correct side of history. Two superb Australian bands fronted by supremely talented women, Baby Animals and Killing Heidi thrilled the Perth crowds for two practically sold out nights of high energy rock n’ roll.

Killing Heidi delivered a set not only of their own favourites (Weir, Mascara, Real People), but also Ella Hooper’s pomp-and-power-pop Eurovision rocker Data Dust, Want Everything from her Fleetwood Mac-ey Verses side project, and a cover of The Divinyls’ Boys In Town. Empowering in a tight leopard print catsuit, Hooper makes no excuses for being influenced by the likes of Chrissie Amphlett and Baby Animals’ frontwoman Suze DeMarchi, and puts on an engaging and effervescent show.

A sparse rendition of Kettle – the song which started it all for them in 1996 on Triple J – by Hooper and a guitarist whose name I missed, standing in for mainstay Jesse Hooper.

[Show picture list]

Undeniably an excellent band, Killing Heidi’s only downfall is in needing more strong material to fill their set with. Time for another album, perhaps?

Baby Animals are always treated like hometown heroes in Perth, despite only Suze being left from those formative days. Hitting stage hard they launch into Rush You with long-time foil Dave Leslie on guitar, and you’re immediately transported back to 1991.

Email remains as scathing a breakup song as there’s ever been, stabbing at ex-husband Nuno Bettencourt for breaking up their thirteen year union via an electronic message. Ouch.

To many, the likes of Painless, One Word, One Too Many, Break My Heart are rock songs, to some they were the soundtrack to their special years and special times and special loves, while to a few (you know who you are) they’re more than inspirational, they’re essential and integrally important.

[Show picture list]

De Marchi pulls up the singer of a local Baby Animals tribute band to duet on a song which she unfortunately didn’t know the words to, but this is a minor misstep, and the young lady did as well as she could given she was in unfamiliar territory.

A gent who had flown all the way from Tokyo to see the band was granted his name on the door for the following night’s show, De Marchi showing she’s always been a humble and caring person, and a ferocious encore of Under Your Skin and Ain’t Gonna Get end the night in sensational fashion.

Baby Animals setlist:
Rush You
One Word
Email
Painless
Break My Heart
Invisible Dreamer
Tonight
Because I Can
Bupata
Backbone
Hot Air Balloon
One Too Many
Early Warning

Encore:
Under Your Skin
Ain’t Gonna Get

Killing Heidi setlist:
Calm Down
I Am
Outside of Me
Heavensent
Want Everything
Data Dust
Live Without It
Mascara
Boys in Town
Superman/Supergirl
Real People
Weir