It’s certainly been a long line for Aussie rock royalty The Angels, who are hitting the road yet again for the second leg of their ‘A-Z Tour'.
Round one featured the band perform to sold-out crowds in England, France and Sweden, which original guitarist and songwriter John Brewster says was a great lead-in to the upcoming Australian run. “It’s great; round two is the same show basically,” he says.
“Every time we go out we have to come up with some kind of idea, so this is a song for every letter of the alphabet. It’s 26 songs which makes it a long show, plus encores but it’s great for us because it gives us a chance to play some songs that people love but we don’t normally play.
“Songs like ‘Skid Row After Dark’, ‘No Exit’ and ‘Who Rings The Bell’ to name a few. Plus songs from our 'Talk...' album, which was an album we did with Dave Gleeson, released last and we’re very proud of that album. There’s a few of those songs in there as well.”
John says The Angels’ sold-out Paris show was a surprise considering it’s been 35 years since they last played there. “Way bigger, I couldn’t believe it. The audience we performed for in Paris was unbelievable; they were singing Rick’s guitar solos; I could hear them over the top of the band,” he laughs. “They were even singing rhythm guitar, it was incredible.
“I had no idea because we hadn’t played there since 1980, which was really quite stupid when I think about it. I had no idea; we sold out the show in Paris and we could have sold a couple of those. It’s a place we’ll definitely go back to; the band really for many years couldn’t go overseas because Doc didn’t want to travel and these days we can. They’re [the fans] loving it and so are we.”
Since the sad passing of original, enigmatic frontman, the inimitable Doc Neeson last year, The Screaming Jets’ vocalist, Dave Gleeson, has stepped up to the microphone, joining the band both in the studio and live on-stage. “One of the things I love about Dave … he has made no attempt to fill anyone’s shoes, he just brings his own thing to the party, but he’s got the right sound in his voice for our material. He has some similar characteristics to Doc’s sound without him trying, it’s just natural; he’s not trying to sound like Doc but he actually does sound a bit like Doc.”
Along with bands like Rose Tattoo, AC/DC and Australian Crawl, The Angels pioneered the definitive sound of working-class Australia in the 1970s: pub rock. Forty years later, John says the biggest change he’s seen in the Australian music industry is the dwindling number of opportunities for starting musicians and bands to play live. “I don’t really follow the Australian music scene except that I’ve got three sons who are all excellent musicians and I know they can’t do what we did.
“Back in the ‘70s we got into my EH Holden station wagon and just drove around Australia doing gig after gig, we’d play every night of the week. There’s no such thing as playing every night of the week anymore, you can’t do that. So you can’t do what we did.
“You could, say, go on 'The Voice' or 'Australia’s Got Talent' or one of those crap shows and you get five minutes of fame then you’re forgotten about because it’s only a TV thing. Some people come through and have a big career but I’m not into all that.”
The Angels A-Z Tour Dates
31 Jul & 1 Aug - Bridge Hotel (Rozelle, NSW)7 Aug - Penrith Panthers
8 Aug - Wenty Leagues (Wentworthville, NSW)
14 Aug - Doyalson RSL (NSW)
15 Aug - Revesby Workers (NSW)
21 Aug - Country Club Showroom (Prospect Vale, TAS)
22 Aug - Wrest Point Show Room (Sandy Bay, TAS)
27 Aug - Woombye Pub (QLD)
28 Aug - Acacia Ridge Hotel (Bris)
29 Aug - Beach House Hotel (Scarness, QLD)
4 Sep - Chelsea Heights Hotel (VIC)
5 Sep - Doncaster Shoppingtown Hotel (VIC)
