An incredible night is about to unfold at The Fortitude Music Hall as 10cc return to Australia bringing their greatest hits tour.
Andy Martin and Maisy Taylor provide initial entertainment, both touching and soaring, playful and candid.The main show starts with a track of GG/06's, 'Son Of Man’, before the band enter to raucous applause.
Singer Iain Hornal is amazing in 'The Second Sitting For The Last Supper' and guitarist Rick Fenn gives an indication of what's to come.
'Art For Art's Sake' begins with a solo stream of light down onto Fenn as Hornal plays dramatic cymbals. A bass solo by original member Graham Gouldman follows, before drummer Paul Burgess takes over the spotlight.
As the chorus harmonies hit, you remember just how good 10cc's songwriting is. The song ends with a bit of cheekiness as Fenn throws over to Hornal, who daintily hits a very small triangle.
10cc - image © Clea-marie Thorne
'Life Is A Minestrone' ensues and it is pure frivolous fun. The kind of slightly annoying song that stays in your head on repeat for days afterwards, but is easy to love.
Gouldman dons a guitar and commands the lead vocals for 'Good Morning Judge', a satirical story that shines atop country-style guitar picking and golden lights.
"That song is important to me," Fenn shares, "because the day that video was made was the day I was invited to join this band." The crowd goes wild, before 'The Dean And I' again showcases the band's perfect harmonies.
"This next song was written a year after that one by Kev and Lol," Fenn explains, "and they were young men imagining themselves shaking their booties rocking in their 30s, 40s, 50s, maybe even 60s!"
10cc - image © Clea-marie Thorne
"We'll stop there," Gouldman advises jokingly. "'Old Wild Men'," Fenn introduces the song, heeding the advice. Thin lights stream on the three axe players as they perform a synchronised solo, almost too much fun is happening here tonight.
"Cream and Lol were known for writing whacky lyrics," Fenn again shares. "None more whacky than this song about the discourse between a plane, and a bomb on said plane."
'Clockwork Creep' plays as the lights tick from side to side. The song ends with the bomb's 'explosion' as the lights drop to black. It's humurous and fun, true 10cc form.
'Feel The Benefit' takes a serious stance, beautifully poignant. "Tell me where would we be?" The band actually fades out, a sound technique rarely seen live, as Fenn takes over leading for an interlude, before the full band return. They've really hit their stride now, it's full and delicious.
Fenn plays one of the most memorable and life-changing solos ever. If you can ever see this man play, do it.
10cc - image © Clea-marie Thorne
Next into 'The Wall Street Shuffle', a damning indictment on the greed of New York City. "Bet you'd sell your mother," Gouldman sings; Fenn again transcends human ability on guitar.
'Floating In Heaven' follows, a song written by Gouldman that featured Brian May. "Brian May is not here tonight," Gouldman jests as the audience laughs, "but Rick Fenn is." The crowd cheers.
'The Things We Do For Love' is characteristically loveable, and gets everyone shaking and bopping. 'Say The Word', a Hornal cover is choppy and aggressive, unfolding into a beautiful symphony of harmony.
'Silly Love' is controlled chaos, the guitarists swinging spasmodically in unison providing the highlight, before 'I'm Mandy Fly Me' is delicately beautiful, a showcase of perfect and intricate songwriting.
The showpiece moment, 'I'm Not In Love' is simply astonishing. The song is so full your heart is bursting. The harmonies are perfect. As the song draws to a close, the lights shine behind the band forming four silhouettes. A moment emblazoned on the minds of all here for eternity.
10cc - image © Clea-marie Thorne
'Dreadlock Holiday' closes the set with fun and sing-abililty, showing 10cc's hallmark tongue-in-cheek writing from the first chorus: 'I don't like cricket. I love it.' They finish the song with: "I don't like Brisbane. I love her."
'Donna' commences the encore a ccapella and is wonderful. Hornal takes the high notes by pretending to clench his nether regions, and the quartet bob with keyboard player Keith Hayman out of time, until they pat him on the head and bring him in time.
Drummer Burgess, absent the majority of the song, strolls out in the dying stages and hilariously takes the final note an octave lower than the rest. It's terrific fun.
'Rubber Bullets' is raucous, a perfect ending to a brilliant show. It's hard to easily convey the magnificence of a 10cc show. Just go. Can we do it again?
More photos from the show.
Main image credit: 10cc - © Clea-marie Thorne
