Few urban legends encapsulate the ferocity of rock & roll as strongly as the 27 Club.
This mythical beast snuffs out the stars burning brightest and quickest, right at the height of their arc, leaving them forever enshrined in eternal youth. Hendrix, Joplin, Cobain, Winehouse and Morrison are some of the names this beast has claimed.Aside from their talent and fervour, these names possessed one thing in common – outstanding, timeless songs. Zac Tyler felt these songs deserved to be heard together, but songs such as these demand a super-band of talented rockstars to do them justice. So form a super-band he did.\
The highly successful show evolved to its current iteration of Sarah McLeod (The Superjesus), Justin Burford (End of Fashion, Rock of Ages), Carla Lippis (Mondo Psycho) and Dusty Lee Stephensen (Wanderers), each bringing their own flavour. "The 27 Club approached me, and I thought, 'that sounds really cool'," Sarah McLeod shares.
"It turned out to be this great, long partnership. The show has built up over the years and every year it gets better. People are coming back two or three times to see it. They love it."
Besides offering a lesson in rock & roll excellence, the show shares the stories behind the legend, as McLeod reflects on the artists' prolific nature. "The stories behind it are really informative. It's like a rock & roll education. It's all quite tragic, because they’re all so talented; and you think that they only lasted to 27.
"I'm 51 and still don't feel I've reached my potential yet, but these guys did so much and released so much music.
"I write so many songs. I make elaborate demos and get everything off my creative chest. Because they're good, but not good enough to release, it stops me from going to record it, because I think it's not going to sound as good as the demo.
"It's a weird mind twist, but if you look online, there's so much stuff, especially from Hendrix, there's so much stuff released by him in such a short amount of time. Maybe I need to be inspired by Hendrix, and let go."
McLeod took on the vocals of Janis Joplin, which is no mean feat, and found an appealing freedom in the performance. "Talking about letting go, with the Janis songs, you've really gotta let go. "I've gotta take myself out of me, and not think about anything, not think about pitch, not think about the words, not think about the audience. Just let it rip.
"It's a good educational move, because I'm always in my own head. I find it hard to get out. But with her, I find it easier to get out, because I go to a place that's not me. With my own stuff, I'm calculated and thinking about those people in the front row. With her, my body feels different, even my moves are different."
With a thrashing set list that keeps the crowd moving, the show won the 2021 Adelaide Fringe's Best Music Award. McLeod confirms that post-show energy is sky high. "It's really intense and there's a lot going on and then, boom, it’s over. You walk off and you're like, 'whoa, I could probably do that again'. I feel like the energiser bunny."
Hendrix's guitar parts demand a special kind of player, so the group called in Dusty Lee Stephensen. "Dusty is an incredible guitar player and a really good singer. He makes it look easy. He does it on his back and behind his head. He plays it with his teeth. He's just out there. He's one of those geniuses, like John Mayer. Super soulful," McLeod confirms.
McLeod's favourite track to perform is a culmination of the band's all-in energy. "I like doing 'Piece Of My Heart', because it's really fun. The other singers jump in, we're all doing choruses together and bouncing off each other. It's near the end in the finale, and it's like a crescendo. It's also really fun to sing, there's some really good notes."
As the world forever mourns all the music that could have been, McLeod reflects on which member of the club she would have most liked to see another album from.
"Hendrix. At the time his stuff was released, it's actually really modern for today. If you think about Rage Against The Machine, their music sounds like Hendrix's music, just with different guitar sounds. A new record from him would be really interesting to see where his brain would go in this day and age, considering he was already here back then."
With so much power on one stage and definitive songs, The 27 Club is a show that rock & roll lovers need to see while they can.
The 27 Club plays 2025 Adelaide Fringe @ Gluttony from 21 February to 23 March.
The 27 Club 2025 Tour Dates
Thu 3 Apr - RPAC Concert Hall (Brisbane)Fri 4 Apr - The Princess Theatre (Brisbane)
Sat 5 Apr - The Empire Theatre (Toowoomba)
Sun 6 Apr - The Station (Sunshine Coast)
