A clever bit of travel logistics allowed Thirsty Merc to continue with their tour as they slipped into Western Australia via Tasmania for night two of a six-show run which includes a trip to Broome & an intimate show at Friends Restaurant, as well as a host of pub gigs. Tonight’s encounter was in front of a full house at Hillarys’ Northshore Tavern and damn, it was good.
Kicking the night off was End of Fashion, and as a first timer seeing one of WA’s finest, I was mightily impressed as the four-piece set the tone of the night with a tight set delivered with precision and enthusiasm. From the off, front man Justin Burford showed why he is regarded so highly as he hit all the right notes leading the band through an eleven-song set, all the while joyfully conversing with the euphoric crowd. Newest EoF member, drummer Nick Dudman, joining brother Julian in the double ARIA winning band, held it all together with some impressive & visually striking drum work while Vanessa Thornton (Jebediah, The Tommyhawks) kept the rythmn section ever tight with her ever solid bass work. Tonight, End of Fashion fans were treated all their favorites like ‘O Yeah’, ‘She’s Love’ and ‘The Game’ as well as three new songs including the wonderful Move and forthcoming single ‘Ruby Lips’ before closing the set with ‘Rough Diamonds’.
Set List: BreakThru, Fussy, Move, Oh Strain, She’s Love, O Yeah, Wake Up, Too Careful, Ruby Lips, The Game, Rough Diamonds
It was only a few months back since I had seen the impressive Rai Thistlethwayte when he was last here in WA with The Fabulous Caprettos (Jack Jones, Russell Morris, Daryl Braithwaite) but tonight was the first time I had seen & heard him with Thirsty Merc. Thistlethwayte is just a joy to behold as he performs with a smile which can only lift spirits, and this was evident with the immediate audience reaction and reception that they received as soon as they took to the stage. Jokes, japes & laughter littered the set as it was obvious just how relieved the Merc are to still be playing live shows while the rest of the country returned to various degrees of lockdown.
I was immediately struck but the quality of the musicianship and faultless harmonies & backing vocals from bassist Phil Stack & guitarist which encapsulate a feel-good set filled with crowd favorites like ‘Someday, Someday’, ‘Tommy & Krista’, ‘Mousetrap Heart’ (including a fantastic drum fill from Ben Vanderwal) & ‘DNA’. Thistlethwayte encouraged the crowd to sing large portions of the exceptional ’20 Good Reasons’ with little need to ask twice. A one song encore was all that was needed after such an entertaining set, with the crowd erupting to the anthemic ‘In the Summertime’ with the band leaving the stage to rapturous applause and a room full of smiling faces!
After a short stint in Broome, Thirsty Merc will be heading to Prince of Wales, Bunbury (Wed 11 Aug) before returning to Perth this weekend with shows at The Stirling Arms, Guildford (Thurs 12 Aug), The Charles Hotel (Fri 13 Aug) and Port Beach, Fremantle (Sat 14 Aug). A special mention to Starr Special Events for managing to keep bringing live music to WA during these testing times.
PHOTO GALLERY
All Photos by Adrian Thomson
Thirsty Merc
End Of Fashion
