LIVE: BILLY OCEAN with JASON AYRES – Perth, 17 Sep 2025

Riverside Theatre, Perth, Western Australia

Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar

Photography by Adrian Thomson

It’s more pop and bop than 100% ROCK for us tonight, and it makes a welcome change of pace. Trinidadian singer Billy Ocean – he’s been resident in Britain since the late 70’s – had a string of big pop hits in the mid-80’s and judging by the packed house and enraptured response of the crowd, he’s still adored for them all these years later.

 

Support act Jason Ayres has enough style and warm, friendly charisma to not only fit in on the bill, but also win over much of the Billy Ocean’s crowd – he’s a spiritual cat, too, talking about listening more closely to The Universe, and this only endears him further to Ocean’s fans. The chatter in the audience grew quieter and quieter through spirited originals (Troubles Of My Own, The Highway [“about all the things that glitter but aren’t gold” on the road], Wild River) and covers (Nancy Sinatra’s Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down), Chris Isaak’s Baby Done A Bad, Bad Thing) before dissipating completely during closer Coming Back To You, the crowd erupting in particularly rousing cheers as he held his acoustic guitar aloft in triumph.

 

Billy Ocean cuts a dashing and contrasting figure as he shimmies onto the stage in front of his nine-piece band: while the band are clad exclusively in black or dark blue, he’s resplendent in a white suit, long, regal, grey dreadlocks, blinding smile, and wastes no time delivering exactly what the loving crowd want, starting with the title track of his most recent album, 2020’s One World and the bouncy joy of Love Really Hurts Without You.

 

He may be 75 but he’s still got some fancy dance floor moves and isn’t afraid to use them. Cue adoring squeals from the ladies (and some of the men). Then there is that voice of silky spun gold and his relentless positivity and sheer exuberance at being there and making so many people so happy for a brief period.

 

We could all be so lucky to be similar at that (or any) age.

 

The biggest cheers and singalongs come from the biggest hits, of course: The irrepressible Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car, Bob Marley’s No Woman, No Cry providing a nod to his homeland, Suddenly, Loverboy and When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going from the Michael Douglas/Kathleen Turner film Jewel Of The Nile. In between the dancers, the many (mostly) women wanting a brief touch from Ocean’s hand, and a dance-bombing attention-seeker who repeatedly tried to make himself the show in the aisle before being ejected, Riverside’s overly officious security had a hard time reigning in the fun.

 

Even the few tracks from One World sound like the 80’s, and in a show as upbeat, joyous and fan-friendly as this, that is not in any way a criticism: Ocean knows what they want and delivers in spades.

 

“Forty years – time flies. Time is invisible. Forty years ago I was forty years younger and sexy!

 

“Now I’m forty years older… and still sexy!”

The fans lap it up, constantly shouting out “I love you,” “You’re a legend Billy,” “Come home with me” and more. Half the time he stands there between songs basking in the brazen adulation – and who could blame him.

 

The band is red hot, sax and flute player David Jean-Baptiste the MVP, and features Ocean’s daughter Cherie amongst the trio of backing vocalists.

 

The biggest of the biggies is saved for last: Caribbean Queen – a song so celebratory, joyous and uplifting that you’d have to have a pretty dark soul not to get caught up in the sheer happy fun of it all, ending a great show on the highest of notes.

 

Set List:

 

One World

Love Really Hurts Without You

Nights (Feel Like Getting Down)

Stay the Night

Red Light Spells Danger

Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car

The Colour of Love

No Woman, No Cry

Mystery

Suddenly

Loverboy

When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going

Daylight

Caribbean Queen