The Zep Boys have garnered a reputation, not only throughout Australia but also across Europe & the UK, for their raw energetic & electrifying shows. The Led Zeppelin Masters Live show spent the early part of the year travel as far as Liverpool, London and The Netherlands receiving glowing attributes wherever they went. So to get the witness this show in Perth was something I had waited for with baited breath… and it was well worth the wait.
Perth’s rock fans descended on the Crown Theatre in their droves & with the lower part of the building almost full to capacity I looked up to see the balcony seats filling also, as the lights began to dim. The Perth Symphony Orchestra (who only 24 hours before had been accompanying the music of The Doors at His Majesty’s) took to their seats and opened the evening with a medley of Zeppelin hits, wonderful conducted by the effervescent Dominic Harvey.
As the ‘Zepature’ drew to a close, the Orchestra were joined by Adelaide’s Zep Boys, as guitarist Tzan Niko, bass player Warwick Cheatle and drummer Bradley Polain, who was encased in a polycarbonate ‘box’ for the night, fired up the room as they broke into ‘Good Times’. The ever charismatic Vince Contarino strode onto the stage to start the evening of wonderful rock anthems, as he showed just why The Zep Boys have been such a huge hit since they started in 1986. ‘Nobody’s Fault’ & ‘Over The Hills’ were followed by the outstanding ‘Ramble On’ & ‘All Of My Love’ as Vince chatted between songs, with his colourful exchanges reminding you that these guy’s roots have always been grown firmly in the raw & rowdy rock pubs of Australia… and long may that live on.
‘The Song Remains The Same’, ‘Rain Song’ & the fantastic ‘Dazed & Confused’ had the crowd in a buzz, as Contarino continued to show just why he has sung these incredible songs for so long, as his powerful voice just breezed through them with utmost ease. As the first set drew to a close Vince encouraged us… no, demanded that we all get to our feet and get on down to the classic ‘Rock and Roll’.
The second half of the show opened with a spellbinding violin solo as we were led into the wonderful ‘Kashmir’. Some of Niko’s soloing was breathtaking tonight, as he teased the crowd with his Page-perfect guitar work and the energy-draining drum solo from Polain had even some of the orchestra members open-mouthed and amazed, such was its ferocity & intensity. The night moved on with ‘No Quarter’ & ‘Moby Dick’ and as alcohol started to play its part, some of the aisles had the occasional ‘dancer’ engulfed in the moment before being asked to sit down before they fell down.
The iconic ‘Stairway to Heaven’ was played the way I was expecting it to be – near perfection, but with the orchestra giving it layered dimensions that worked so incredibly well for this track but also all the others. The enthusiastic Harvey, conducting tonight in leather trousers & sparkled shirt, was an eye catching edition and I was, at times, drawn to his performance as he led the thirty piece orchestra with vigour & excitement. ‘Heartbreaker’ & ‘Black Dog’ finished the night with The Zep Boys and Harvey leaving to rapturous applause before returning for an encore of ‘Immigrant Song’ and finally ‘Whole Lotta Love’. The final bow from all on the stage received a well-deserved standing ovation from the entire Crown Theatre. Tonight was a magical & outstanding trip through some of the most anthemic rock songs of our time… but damn, I can’t wait to see The Zep Boys get down & dirty at The Charles Hotel again one day.
Set List:
Act 1 – Zepature, Good Times, Nobody’s Fault, Over The Hills, Ramble On, All Of My Love, The Song Remains The Same, Rain Song, Dazed & Confused, Rock and Roll
Act 2 – Kashmir, No Quarter, Moby Dick, Going to California, Stairway to Heaven, Heartbreaker, Black Dog,
Encore – Immigrant Song, Whole Lotta Love
