A packed Charles sees a Rose Tattoo band tonight who I think sound better than I’ve heard them in decades, and opening with the classic ‘One of the Boys’ they don’t put a single foot wrong all night. Angry may well still be sporting his ginger we but tonight his dissertations from the pulpit of the stage are more measured and more unifying than I’ve heard in the past, there’s a real feeling of togetherness and love bursting from the great man and even though he has a gentle poke at ‘the feminazis’ in his early aside about ‘Foreplay’ it’s all in good fun.
“Freedom” he exclaims “that’s what rock and roll is all about” as the band breaks into a stunning rendition of that staple ‘Rock and roll outlaw’ with Dai’s fingers on fire adding that wonderful side to the mix.
Tonight is the second last day of the ‘Rock and Roll Outlaw 40th Anniversary Tour’ and it does indeed feel like a celebration and early on Angry acknowledges what everyone can hear from the stage – the “Solid a backbone as you’ll find” of bassist Mark Evans and drummer Jackie Barnes. Tonight though it’s all about what this line up have done with the songs and there are plenty of extended breakdowns and jams to accentuate the great setlist – in ‘Outlaw’ they lay down such a thick groove you feel like you don’t want it to end and its great to see so early in the set the whole crowd clapping whole Angry wails “Freedom” and riffs as he writhes like Joe Cocker.
Tonight musically is already a world away from the good yet rather loose set we saw in Fremantle back in February. This is a band who have grown together over the months and the European Summer and boy do they sound tight. And the rock an roll standards keep coming – the spoken word ‘The Butcher and Fast Eddie’ rides it’s huge languid bass riff as Angry tells his tale. Blues is the huge rock this all clings onto and when the slow and lazy solo kicks in its timeless – Bob nails it and Angry is clearly a man tonight feeling the groove through his pores.
“They all talk all about pace” Angry confides, “Well we’ll get to that, it’s all about timing” ever the man to mix his entenres with his musings on music. And all we in the crowd can think is “God they’re good tonight.” And with an “All for one and one for all” we’re into the bluesy hard rock of ‘Rock and Roll is King’ – a wonderful song and just hat Rock and Roll should be – uplifting, a party and a great drinking song all in one.
Then we’re right into ‘ Bad Boy for Love’ and again the chug of that great riff and that sky high slide drive the crowd to a new high – dancing wildly all the way through another great breakdown which Angry starts with the command “Boogie” it’s Melbourne meets Texas blues a la ZZ Top!
Being the last date of the 40th anniversary tour we get the band intros injected with the usual Angry wit – from the
“spiritual conscience” of the band Bobby Spencer, through “Poet and philosopher” Mark Evans, “the Genghis Khan of percussion” Jackie Barnes on drums all the way through with the man with that peerless slide guitar or as Angry tells us “It’s an insane thing to say, but next is the man who needs no introduction” he pauses “And I’m just about to give him one” he continues as the crowd applauds wildly “Every time you’ve looked at me over last 14 years there he is Dai Pritchard!”
And after those the jam continues “It’s a well known fact we don’t do encores” Angry tells the crowd “Because we give you 100 percent from the start. Goodbye brothers and sisters thank you for everything” Thank fully that’s not the end of the show though there’s more wild rocking as Angry songs into the drums sipping on his wine,before he declares “Obviously we’ve done with foreplay! Thank you for being decent human beings. The great Australians that you are.” And then we’re into ‘Scarred for life’ one of my favorite Tatts songs lyrically and tonight simply glorious as the crow belts out every word.
There’s another “Good night’ before we fall into ‘Snow Queen’ and a blur of ‘balls out rock and roll.’ “Let’s raise our glasses spiritually speaking” says Angry “Most of us were lucky to have been born here. And you rest of you can stay as long as you behave yourselves. Be proud Australia!” It’s a nice sentiment to launch into what might just be the best version of ‘We can’t be beaten’ I’ve ever heard.”Get your hands in the air” Angry screams and I can’t see a single hand in the packed room not in the air. I think I even spot the bar staff right at the back joining in!
“We aren’t asking for much” he continues “We don’t need much. Loyalty. Respect… Guitars!!!!” and on cue the guitars cut in and we’re thrust into the slide-guitar drenched frenzy of ‘Nice boys’ and it’s at this stage that it all seems to happen,Mark trips on his bass lead and seems to really hurt himself and Angry loses his mic and moves over the Dai’s stand to continue before the lost item is repatriated by a stage hand.
“You have been extraordinary… extra ordinary! Goodnight” and the guitar wails, the drums crash and it’s all over. The last date of the ‘Rock and Roll Outlaw 40th Anniversary Tour’ has been an absolute triumph, Angry’s pipes never better and the band on fire from start to finish. This may well have been the best show I’ve seen Rose Tattoo play. Simply stunning.
Support tonight came from Melbourne band Echo Del Tusker who quite simply were stunning, bringing a youthful fire to a heady classic rock sound and getting the audience really fired up for the veterans. We loved them so much that we’ve done a separate review of their show at the Ravenswood Tavern the previous night where the band got to play a full set. All I can say is to expect big things from these guys in the future!
After the dreadful events in the early hours of Sunday morning our thoughts and prayers go out to Angry and his family.
