There are few Australian bands with the pedigree of The Angels and none we’d ague with a catalogue quite like they have built over the years. Tonight The Angels’ 40th Anniversary Tour of the classic album ‘Face to Face’ hit Western Australia and a sold out crowd at The Ravenswood hotel was transported back in time to the days when Rock was a far simpler proposition and times were considerably less complicated.
Many bands of course have played classic albums in full over the years, it’s a device that bands of a certain age use to reward the faithful and keep it interesting for themselves. But I’ve seen bands as big as Aerosmith quickly can the idea if they don’t get the response but tonight its clear that maybe of all the angels releases that ‘Face to Face’ is the one closest to many fans hearts.
Supported by local act Lightning Jack who brings his own wonderfully home-made, ramshackle and passionate take on the Blues to the evening with his one man show and takes on the likes of Hendrix and Tom Waits; the Angels start out with ‘Face to Face’ in full as it was recorded.
Kicking off with ‘Straitjacket’ its hard to believe that music this potent is 40 ears old or indeed that Dave Gleeson who has now been fronting the band for 7 yeas was only ten years old when the album came out.’Take a Long Line’ is the first song the crowd in unison sing back to the band but the set already has pretty much the entire capacity crowd at Ravenswood right in the thick of it. Beer flows and some of the dancing may be of questionable quality but boy this is fun. There re even a few locals in the crowd who don’t look old enough to have been there for the 20th anniversary which is always a great sight at a rock gig.
It’s a night to let it all coming flooding back for most though, and ‘Marseilles’ keeps the nostalgia flowing whilst maybe lesser appreciated songs like ‘Live It Up’ and the wonderful harmonica that sweeps through it show the real depth of the release. The first set of the night ends with the classic ‘Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again’ which if you want to really understand Aussie Rock you need to hear especially the call and response section that came from the crowd back in the day and is now an accepted part of the song. It’s interesting that we end the ‘Face to Face’ set with a song that wasn’t on that record (unless that is you have the international version of the record that has a substantially different track listing) but there’s no better way to fire up the crowd before a short break.
The second set starts with many of the crowd still taking in the cool night air outside, but there’s a mass migration as soon as the first chords to ‘Waiting For the World’ from the ‘No Exit’ album rings out. More classics follow like the wonderful ‘After Dark’ and we’re almost bursting when ‘No Secrets’ with the wonderful horn section piped in, finally makes it appearance. The crowd sing along at a level that threatens the integrity of the low roof to just a backing of drums and all is right in the World.
Other early second set highlights include the brooding ‘Mr Damage’ and the rocking ‘My Light Will Shine’ from the overlooked ‘Skin and Bone’ album from 1996 (check it out it’s a classic). The red and green lighting and the back-lights along with the smoke might be a photographers nightmare but it creates a wonderful atmosphere and if you haven’t experienced The Ravenswood before its a rather unique venue by the River with a band room with a low ceiling and dining at the back, but the sound is always great and let’s face it that is all that really matters.
The bouncy rock of ‘Fashion and Fame’ gives way to the pure cool and swagger of what I think is one of the band’s best moments in ‘Face the Day’ and as if to confirm it Gleeson bounces with abandon (though to be fair he has been doing all that night)! Wild guitar and strobe lighting greet ‘Shadow Boxer’ and the crowd reach an impossible peak before we get to the real pointy end of the set. ‘Let the Night Roll on’ from ‘Beyond Salvation’ is a nice inclusion before the set proper ends with ‘No Exit’.
For the encore’s we’re treated to the Brewster Brothers ‘Blue Blood’ and an amazing take on the classic ‘Can’t Shake It’ as well as both introductions to the band and a name-checking of the line-up who created the ‘Face To Face’ album we all came to hear tonight.
You can’t beat a night of real Rock and Roll in a room with a great sound and a crowd who appreciate every minute. There’s no Aussie Rock band more real than The Angels, and in Dave Gleeson they’ve found a front man of real quality with real passion who at time really nails the lines that Neeson wrote yet still injects his own personality into these timeless songs.
The Angels play Perth’s Charles Hotel tonight – get down there!
