I was lucky enough to be over in Melbourne this weekend to catch D-A-D’s show there so I knew in advance how awesome this night would be though with Qantas delays it was a case of straight from the airport to the show! The last date of D-A-D’s 2022 Australian Tour completed their triumphant return to Australia after 32 years in some style and even before a note was played the packed house at The Rosemount Hotel was swapping stories about how much they oved the band in anticipation. Having witnessed the show over East of course all I could do was grin from ear to ear as I made my way to the photo pit.
D-A-D is all about Rock and Roll and it’s been quite some time since Perth’s punters have seen a show like this. The band just knows how to Rock and Roll and from the very first everyone in the room is captivated. For a band that has been away so long to be able to do that is remarkable in itself, but to do that for an audience who I would say maybe 50% only have ‘No Fuel Left For The Pilgrims’ as a reference point is incredible. And that is testament both to the quality of the material and the stagecraft of this band.
Opening with ‘True Believer’ from ‘No Fuel’ elicits an instant roar from a Rosemount crowd I’ve never seen so excited. The masterstroke tonight though, as it has been all tour, is to cherry pick the rest of the catalogue whilst peppering the set with the familiar songs from ‘No Fuel’ and adding a heap of great new material from their latest, the exceptional ‘A Prayer For The Loud’ from 2019. It’s a plan that works wonderfully well as the title track and ‘Burning Star’ down just as nicely as the vintage goodness of ‘Jihad’ and ‘Girl Nation’.
The incredible thing about a D-A-D show is that there is no let up and after that wonderful opening the crowd are already just where the East coast crowds were – in the palm of Jesper’s hand. For a small stage there’s plenty going on, and whilst Jacob anchors the ship, dapper in his trademark top hat and straddling the pit at one point, Jesper engages us all, gets us singing and generally leads the fun. That leaves Stig to rev us up with his two-strings as he climbs the drum kit and throws his shapes and what can I say about Laust except that he’s a powerhouse drummer with his own unique style.
One thing I take away from these D-A-D shows is how you can engage an audience completely with just the quality of the material – and whilst everyone in the room might not be as familiar with the bands 90’s and 00’s output it doesn’t mean that you can’t instantly connect with them and ‘Everything Glows’, ‘Grow or Pay’ and ‘Riding With Sue’ are the proof of that.
One of my D-A-D favourites ‘Point of View’ sounds magnificent tonight, as do they all, but it’s newer songs like ‘Moster Philosophy’ from the 2008 album of the same name and the preposterously huge and fleshed out ‘I Want What She’s Got’ from ‘Dic.Nii.Lan.Daft.Erd.Ark’ (2011) which make you want to go out and revisit those records. ‘I Want What She’s Got’ is a wonderful set piece in the set that allows Laust and Jesper to have some fun with the crowd, and the crowd loves it. The main set ends with the wonderful ‘Bad Craziness’ and deafening applause!
The encores are suitable huge too, with the acoustic workout of the Binzer brothers Jesper and Jacob on ‘Laugh ‘n’ a ½’ showing yet another side of the band and ending with a wonderful almost Spanish style solo. All night Jesper has been trying to convince the Perth crowd it is a Friday and when he asks again we all know what’s coming. It maybe be a Tuesday night in Perth but in everyone’s hearts it is a Friday when the first chords of ‘Sleeping My Day Away’ ring out and we are treated to a real showstopper with the ‘No Fuel’ lead single of 4 minutes and 21 seconds blown up to an epic 15 minute Rock and Roll odyssey. The room goes crazy and you can see the smiles on the face of the band.
After the Melbourne show Jesper told me a little story about how someone had asked him why he wanted to go to Australia as it was the “Arse end of the world” but he knew they were wrong and was glad they came, then he told me that when he got to Australia and someone told him that Perth was “The Arse end of Australia” well tonight the joke is on them! Perth you did Rock and Roll proud tonight!
We close the night and the tour with Stig leading us through the melancholy ‘It’s After Dark’ before the fairground music takes us out and D-A-D’s first tour of Australia in 32 years is over. After this trip I can’t help but think they’ll be back. This is real Rock and Roll, real music and it is wonderful. Just like Disneyland after dark might be…
