Blue, purple and green lights made it feel like an underwater oasis as Models opened for James Reyne at The Palms, Crown Casino Melbourne (6 April).
Models sound like something out of a nostalgic record collection, but also currently relevant: just like Sean Kelly looks like the guy out of 'Wayne’s World', but still the same age. You’d be forgiven for thinking he’s a generational replacement, but he was and still is one of the founding members fronting on vocals and guitar.
“Introducing Mark Ferrie on bass,” ironic since he’s also a founding member, “taking time off from 'Rockwiz'.”
It’s a regular three-piece sound with keys and synth that surely does away with any identifying markers that could place this band in a particular era. “But if you say the words, I will be around.” They pound out the lyrics of ‘Big On Love’, one of their tracks from 1984.
From the 1981 album ‘Local &/Or General’ comes the title track: “Out patients, in patients”… or is it patience?
“We like writing about conveyances,” they say. And later there’s the entertaining non-parody ‘Happy Birthday IBM’.
Andrew Duffield on keys pipes up. “Think of your most favourite football player, don’t say his name out loud 'cause we won’t mention him... this is a song for him.” What a voice he has! Don’t hide that away, gentlemen.
Sean reclaims vocals duty for their final banger: the 1985 number one single 'Out Of Mind Out Of Sight'.
Red and purple dominate the atmosphere’s tapestry behind James Reyne while he stands in the spotlight in gold and orange hues. I was not expecting the solid rock show I got – I was in for quite the surprise.
“Beyoo-tiful people… they just wanna take you down.” Reyne lectures us, with love, on society tonight with that Australian accent and playful accentuations Australian Crawl sowed into our record collections through the late '70s and early '80s.
Flanked by two other guitarists, one persisting with the familiar tones of a Telecaster, the other folding Gibson SG, Strat and Tele into the mix: James is armed with a hollow-bodied Gretsch Viking.
“Lakeside, lakeside, lakeside / Steal away, hideaway.” Oh man, singing about a terrific Torana; it’s so much more Australian landscape than just the gum trees.
The band is Brett Kingman on Tele, Josh Owen on other guitars, Andy McIvor on bass and John Weston on drums.
“You’ll never know what you do to me, five times a day...” James and the Crawl tackled some serious issues in their material. “You’ve been hanging with the nicest people / Hammerhead.”
James dedicates the performance of his own track ‘Harvest Moon’ (not the Neil Young one) to any people who’d come in from the country. To me the sensibilities of the lyrical presentation reinforce how perfect Models were to open the night.
‘Downhearted’ makes all our hearts soar. The voice and the smooth harmony (now four-part, since the bassist has chimed in) is majestic. James carries the accompaniment alone on his acoustic until after the second chorus when the Tele soars and the Strat chimes in along with the rhythm section – just like it’s done on Reyne’s 2015 release ‘All The Hits Live’.
A slow beat and lone bass note hums and the people “ahhh” in collective recognition – it’s ‘Reckless’ as a sea of stars appears on the backdrop.
They churn out hit after hit, including Aussie Crawl’s commentary on materialism ‘Hoochie Gucci Fiorucci Mama’ and another of James’ solo offerings ‘Motor’s Too Fast’. “Mama don’t want you, Daddy don’t want you, your motor’s running way too fast.”
‘Errol’ has people up out of their seats, shakin’ aaaaall over.
For ‘Water, Water’ blue stars shine out from behind the band. Reyne’s been back on acoustic for a couple of songs.
When it comes to the solo in ‘Oh No, Not You Again’, James nods “hey Josh” and I’m reminded what a sucker I am for a Stratocaster.
They cover ‘For What It Is Worth’ by Buffalo Springfield, and then Josh is back on the Gibson gold top for ‘The Boys Light Up’. The crowd are on their feet and the strobes are unbridled.
The encore is James playing a sample of a song about an English girl (it was a request for someone at the front), then straight into ‘Things Don’t Seem’... “Thangs justa, don’t seem, tah, be goin rah-ight.” Wow, they’re going better than alright mate. What an honour to watch this legend play.
James Reyne continues his 2019 residency at The Palms, the first Saturday of the month, joined each time by either Models, The Chantoozies, Taxiride or Boom Crash Opera.
