LIVE REVIEW: Motor Ace - Perth, March 30th 2019

Motor Ace hit Perth Saturday night on their 20^th anniversary ‘A 5 Star Reunion Tour’ but it wasn’t without a couple of hiccups. None of which were Motor Ace related.

A mishap with flights from their tour opener in Adelaide meant that doors had to remain shut to give the boys enough time for a late sound check. Appreciative fans queuing in Murray Street weren’t complaining though, as early birds were gifted an unexpected preview from a band not heard live for 13 years. Once the doors opened, the Capitol was a cash only affair with EFTPOS and NAB going offline causing a little chaos amongst thirsty punters.

With time now a factor, a pressed Kat Wilson quickly sound checked, tuned up and proceeded to belt out a solo performance fit for the night. With a shy audience sitting back and leaving a gap front of stage, Kat’s powerful voice and excellent guitar work punched to the back of the room and was a pleasure to watch.

Tanaya Harper, introduced herself with some classic banter including her mum’s interesting history at this venue and, as a guitar duo, delivered some great airy songs and nice vocals. Some really cool work here that at times was Pixies-esque in guitar structure. Tanaya has just completed an EP which will be well worth a listen.

Motor Ace reunited on stage in front of cheering fans and opened with ‘Keeping Secrets’ from the popular Shoot This Album. Distractions aside, the boys were faultless and sounded as tight and as clean as one of their well-produced albums.

The whole night was a sing-along walk down memory lane as the adoring crowd, in full voice, knew and sang, every word from the bands catalogue of favourites.

All three albums got a work out tonight with Five Star Laundry and Shoot This making up the bulk of the material. Lead singer/guitarist, Patrick ‘Patch’ Robertson was humbled and expressed his appreciation at how well the reunion had been received. With the professional approach the boys had obviously taken to be at the very top of their game, the warm reception from attendees was never in question. The musicianship was there, and the sound was loud and full. It’s almost impossible to believe Motor Ace has been dormant for so long.

Favouring a short intermission rather than an ‘encore’, Motor Ace gave fans a 5-minute breather to fully enjoy the finale of songs we all came to hear. ‘Hey Driver’, ‘Chromakey’, ‘Death Defy’, ‘Chairman of the Board’ and ‘Carry On’ made up the 5-song set that finished the night on a massive high.

Every now and again we get transported back to a moment in time by something simple like a smell or more commonly a song. Tonight, Motor Ace, and their songs, gave fans a chance to go back to a time 20 years earlier. Everyone present tonight was reliving their own moment in time and loving every minute of it. A huge thanks goes to Motor Ace for making this happen, firstly for writing an unforgettable sound track to the lives of so many Australians, and secondly, to unselfishly reunite and give it all back to the fans.

PHOTO GALLERY
Photos by Sharon Burgess Photography