Icehouse made the most of their show in the great southern land.
After an unfortunate cancellation in late 2022, Icehouse returned to Melbourne on Saturday (11 February), accompanied by fellow Australian acts Eskimo Joe, Motor Ace and Frente! – punters were in for a real treat on an already gorgeous day.Kicking off the evening, local legends Motor Ace and Frente! took to the stage as people piled in to secure their seats. Capturing the audience's attention, you could see fans singing along to their favourites in each set.
As the nostalgia hit, Eskimo Joe took to the stage with their hit 'Sarah'. From the first chord, energy rose at the outdoor venue.
After getting to know Eskimo Joe all over again, frontman Kav Temperley took time throughout the set to share some stories about their tracks 'London Bombs' and 'Setting Sun'.
The band's energy onstage was matched by their fans as they interacted and kept the audience waiting for hit after hit. With 'Black Fingernails, Red Wine', you could hear the crowd singing along to each word. Closing with 'From The Sea', the venue was packed out.
As Eskimo Joe finished, you could feel the anticipation rising for ICEHOUSE. Seated fans gathered in front of the stage to see the band and dance to each hit. Seated on the green, the same excitement was shared with faces lighting up.
Celebrating 40 years of their unofficial Australian anthem 'Great Southern Land', ICEHOUSE graced the stage starting with their self-titled track 'Icehouse' (originally released in 1981 when the band were known as Flowers).
Digging into the set list, the band really hit every mark and were on fire throughout. Playing 'Electric Blue', 'Touch The Fire' and of course, 'Great Southern Land', ICEHOUSE were tight and put on a great show.
The light show and visual effects on the large screen behind them added to the atmosphere of the show. Using the whole stage to their advantage, there wasn't a lull in their performance.
Stealing the show, the spotlight really shone on band members Michael Paynter (keys, guitar, vocals), Hugo Lee (saxophone) and Paul Wheeler (drums).
Lee played a phenomenal solo in 'Don't Believe Anymore', which had fans howling. Accompanied by a solo from lead guitarist Paul Gildea for 'Don't Believe Anymore', the sound rang throughout the Music Bowl, only emphasising the tracks as ICEHOUSE played through.
As 'Man Of Colours' was next on the set, Paynter was front of stage on the microphone with his incredible vocal range, starting the track acoustically before the band sent the song.
While frontman Iva Davies introduced all members of the band, Wheeler took his time to shine with a drum solo that felt like it lasted for many, many minutes. Showing off what the drummer is really made of, the solo was rhythmic, tight and kept you guessing where it was going next.
Closing the night, Temperley got back on stage to perform 'We Can Get Together' with the band. A childhood dream of the EJ frontman; cheers echoed.
Wrapping up with a cover of The Angels' 'Marseilles' and 'Nothing Too Serious' (from ICEHOUSE's 1987 album 'Man Of Colours'), ICEHOUSE put on a performance of a lifetime, celebrating more than just the 40th anniversary of their biggest hit, but celebrating live music of the great southern land.
