LIVE: WINGER with SHOTGUN MISTRESS – Perth, 10 April 2025

Shane | 15 April 2025 | Reply

LIVE: WINGER with SHOTGUN MISTRESS – Perth, 10 April 2025
Magnet House, Perth, Western Australia
Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar

Winger’s first and final Perth show is an exciting enough proposition to get a decent crowd into the city on a Thursday night, with a lot of local musos and fans mingling and anticipation running high.

If Melbourne’s Shotgun Mistress were in any way daunted by this, they didn’t show it – they’re thrilled to be here and aren’t afraid to say so. They’re also razor sharp after supporting Winger at every stop on this tour, they hit the ground revved up and chucking a burnout. The quartet are hot A.F., throw all the right shapes, and have a collection of immediately enjoyable songs which have the crowd on side from the start.

Save Me From Myself, Sweet Woman, If We Try, Jude Judas, Shoulda Taken Me There, From Hell and more are all impressive bluesey hard rock with hair metal pizazz and killer hooks that’s as effortlessly cook now as it would have been in 1989, so it’s no surprise that heads are shaking, hands are clapping and cheers are loud all the way through their set.

If Shotgun Messiah were very good, Winger were fantastic – hitting home run after home run. They started with Stick The Knife In and Twist, sequeing into Seventeed – and if the controversy around the teenage girlfriend lyrics (especially now sung by a dude in his mid-sixties) was a problem to anyone, they weren’t at Magnet House tonight! [Personally, I’d have amended them from “she’s only seventeen, Daddy says she’s too young but she’s old enough for me” to “she’s only seventy, Daddy says she’s too old but she’s young enough for me” at his age!] Anyway, it’s a killer song and everyone present sang along with gusto.

The crowd were enthusiastically in the mood, especially after the opening set, and sang along with just about everything. Can’t Get Enuff, Miles Away, Headed For A Heartbreak, Easy Come Easy Go, Madalaine were all favourites, with guitarists Reb Beach, John Roth, guitarist/keysman Paul Taylor and mainman (and bassist and lead singer) Kip Winger all interacting with each other and the eager crowd.

Two guys near me were beside themselves, having flown all the way from Scotland just for this show, and were not disappointed.

Winger’s voice is fantastic, richly emotive and not showing any ravages of time at all. In fact the band all look trim and healthy, and if they’re showing any signs of age – well, aren’t we all.

Both guitarists and drummer Rod Morgenstein deliver impressive solos that don’t overstay their welcome – Beach’s is especially impressive and following by his solo track Black Magic – and between the killer riffs, solos, harmonies and melodies there’s nothing at all to not enjoy.

The encore was a special treat, celebrating the last show of the tour with a good natured “let’s do three!” Hungry, one of their biggest hits from back in the day, is first up, then Winger asks for requests, settling on No Man’s Land before finishing on another classic, Blind Revolution.

After such an excellent last Australian show ever I have only one question: When can you come back and do it again?

Setlist:

Stick the Knife In and Twist
Seventeen
Can’t Get Enuff
Down Incognito
John Roth Guitar Solo
Miles Away
Rainbow in the Rose
Reb Beach Guitar Solo
Black Magic (Reb Beach song)
Pull Me Under
Time to Surrender
Drum Solo
Midnight Driver of a Love Machine
Proud Desperado
Headed for a Heartbreak
Easy Come Easy Go
Madalaine
Saints Solos