The Fabulous Caprettos trotted into town for the second night of their national tour and left a near sold out Astor Theatre crowd standing and applauding after putting on what I can only describe as an exceptional set filled with hits, laughter & genuine camaraderie.
The Fabulous Caprettos consisting of Daryl Braithwaite, Jack Jones, Russell Morris and Rai Thistlethwayte strode on to the Perth stage at nine o’clock sharp before firing through an eighteen-song set which had the crowd singing & dancing throughout the show. Morris kicked things off with his ‘Sweet Sweet Love’ before explaining that capretto means GOAT in Italian, referencing some of the great sportsman that have been given the accolade ‘Greatest of All Time’ and that being they didn’t want to be too egotistical they hid it within the capretto title.
And after that introduction we continued with Daryl Braithwaite taking centre stage with ‘Howzat’, which highlighted the wonderful harmony arrangements these front men were to perform throughout the evening. Jack Jones, under his trademark brimmed hat, delivered the Southern Son’s 1990 hit ‘Always & Ever’ before it was time for the youngest of the group, Thirsty Merc’s Rai Thistlethwayte to perform ’20 Good Reasons’… and what a performance it was too!
Musically the band were tight, even when Jones started playing the beginning of the wrong song as all the others stuck to the script… but even that slight error saw the four descend into laughter, reinforcing the bond these musicians have as friends and showing a glimpse of the fun that this tour is clearly going to be. We were treated to two original numbers tonight too, the first of which ‘Hit the Ground Running’ has an immediate catchiness which certainly left me hoping these four goats will write & record some more. Russell Morris once again led the way with ‘It’s All Over Now Baby Blue’ before stepping aside for Braithwaite to perform ‘Love Songs’.
A spellbinding version of ‘Hold Me in Your Arms’ from Jones left the crowd breathless (and possibly a bit teary such was the emotion in his voice) before Thistlethwayte tore into ‘Mousetrap Heart’. Another solid original, ‘Highway of the Heart’ had an almost Eagles/country feel to it before Rai once again showed us his outstanding talents with a great performance of ‘Understanding Love’.
And still the hits kept coming with Morris’s cover of Billy Joe Royal’s ‘Hush’ followed by Jones’s ‘Lead Me to Water’ & Braithwaite’s ‘One Summer’. It was at this point, to much laughter that Daryl asked if the crowd down the front were actually allowed to get up and dance or did, they get an electric shock if they did so, pointing out there was plenty of room for those who fancied to get up and boogie.
Thirty Merc’s ‘Summertime’ was the perfect song to kick start the crowd’s acceptance of this request for those still seated. Jack Jones’s ‘Heart in Danger’ ensured they didn’t return to their seats just yet and with Russell Morris’s classic ‘The Real Thing’ closing the set, The Fabulous Caprettos left the stage… to the shouts of ‘Horses’!
The band returned and gave the audience what they wanted, with a version of ‘The Horses’ that was at least ten minutes long and included each and every band member performing their version of that iconic chorus. Bows ensued and a much-deserved standing ovation followed, with the Astor Theatre masses acknowledging what they had witnessed tonight.
I’m calling this now, even as we only hit the month of May, but this will sit very highly in my ‘Gigs of the Year’ list! Special mention to Starr Special Events for bringing the show over to WA and to the exceptional rhythm section of Jason Vorherr (bass) & Gerry Pantazis (drums).
Set List:
Sweet Sweet Love, Howzat, Always and Ever, 20 Good Reasons, Hit the Ground Running, It’s All Over Now Baby Blue, Love Songs, Hold Me in Your Arms, Mousetrap Heart, Highway to the Heart, Understanding Love, Hush, Lead Me to Water, One Summer, In the Summertime, Heart in Danger, The Real Thing
Encore:
The Horses
PHOTO GALLERY
Photos by Sharon Burgess Photography
