Words & photos by Linda Dunjey Photography
One of the best aspects of winters nights in Western Australia is the chance to experience the warmth and intimacy of a gig, particularly live music in a dive bar! Few places do it as well as the Aardvark in Fremantle. Down a flight of stairs and you’re into the thick of it and a world away from whatever the weather outside is throwing at you. Saturday night was no exception with the opening act setting the bar high for the rest of the night. Comparative newcomers to the blues/rock scene, Redcliffe have only been playing together since May of 2021, already cutting their musical teeth on a steady stream of local shows including Blues at Bridgetown and not least of all, tonight opening for Australian blues/rock royalty Datura4. It should be said that a seemingly meteoric rise of an artist/s is generally viewed with some excitement, curiosity and some healthy scepticism. However any scepticism was laid to rest once Redcliffe played! The trio of Tim Schilperoort (vocals/guitar), Sam Tout (bass) and Chris Passalacqua (drums) play the blues like old souls. Schilperoort’s world-weary but clear voice was the perfect foil for the driving throb and growl of bass and drums. All songs in their set were originals, apart from “Third Stone From the Sun/If You Love Me Like You Say) – their homage to Jimi Hendrix and Albert Collins. Standout songs included the shimmering instrumental “Aurora” and the best sort of earworm “Rosy Retrospection” – also the title of their EP release from September last year. We were also treated to a preview of “Somewhere, out there” – a song scheduled for release in July. Redcliffe is a group that needs to stay on our radar and if there’s an opportunity to experience their live music, take it!
Next up a Delilah Rose concert always contains some theatre, laughter along with a little adventure that we’re invited to join in on and tonight lived up to that promise. The set began with a recording of “Aint That Peculiar” (Fanny) with the 5 musicians donning masks, jumping down into the crowd; dancing, clapping and whooping, making sure everyone felt a part of the magic right from the beginning. This incarnation of Delilah Rose includes something of a female supergroup with Elana Haynes on guitar (Legs Electric), Erin Gooden on bass (also Legs Electric), Jess Harris on drums (Tommyhawks/Unicorn), golden-voiced Nici Bull on backing vocals (Holy Smoke) and Delilah Rose on vocals and guitar. Shaking off her past catalogue of country music, the multi-awarded Rose has drawn from her past – growing up in Cunderdin (Country WA) to a soundtrack of 70s country rock. With this new direction, Rose has resurrected the genre, put her unique stamp on making sure it lived and breathed in each of the mainly original songs. A testament to their experience, the talented group moved effortlessly from “I’m So Tired” a bluesy ode to the daily grind of parenting small children to the hard hitting blues rock of “Jack’s House” – a newly released single. The camaraderie between the artists was evident in every twist and turn of tempo, lyrics and life experience and the audience was invited to be a part of it.
The highlight of the night came from Datura4 (tonight a quintet) with the hotly anticipated single launch of “Going Back to Hoonsville” – from Neanderthal Jam – album due out later this year. Much has been said and celebrated about Dom Mariani, a major force on the Western Australian sonic landscape, with a career spanning 41 years. Tonight, Joe Grech took over Dave Hole’s guitar parts from the recorded version of the single and he put his own powerful spin to it to make it very much his own. Mariani seemed genuinely in awe of Joe’s skills throughout the night and this was ever apparent as you could clearly see each and every band member showing respect to each others playing during their powerful & tight set. For a band who have had the legendary Stevie Van Zant rave about them releasing the “coolest song in the world” the crowd were itching to hear the new material due to be unleashed later this year and they weren’t to be disappointed as ‘Black Speakers’ & ‘Bad Times’ were given a run. Fans of the older material were not to be disappointed either with Datura4’s previous album releases all represented well. Datura 4’s line-up was Joe Grech (guitar slide), Bob Patient (Hammond), Stu Loasby (bass), Warren Hall (drums) and Dom Mariani (vocals, guitar).
Set List
Highway Cosmic, Mary Carol, Worried Man’s, Trolls, Black Speakers, Bad Times, You be the Fool, Looper, Going Back to Hoonsville, Get Out, Blessed Boogie, Oop Poop
Encore: Black Dog
GALLERY by Linda Dunjey Photography
REDCLIFFE
DELILAH ROSE
DATURA4
