Not many bands can boast to have performed for thirty years and still be present and persistent, but Australia rockers Chocolate Starfish can… and they seem to show no signs of letting up. Tonight ‘The Fish’ continued with their Best of Everything Tour which has been snaking it’s way across the country, with a couple of extravagant stop offs on the way! Perth had been under a cloud of cold, wet and dismal weather for over a week but for the 700-strong crowd surrounded by the wonderful art deco of The Astor Theatre, those clouds were swept away with the appearance of Adam Thompson and his trusty companions, delivering over two hours of hits.
The show was in two halves and for not want of spoiling it too much, we were entertained with a stripped back set of songs for the first set. Thompson dressed in a pearl silver/white sparkled suit, perched atop of a stool, front & centre surrounded by the rest of the band. Darren Danielson was at ease with a variety of shakers and brushes, while guitarist Zakk Zedras drifted along with his relaxing acoustic work. Meatloaf’s classic ‘Two Outta Three Ain’t Bad’ was instantly recognisable with Norman Falvo playing those opening notes, ‘Sign of Victory’ had Thompson encouraging victory signs to be held aloft in unison, before a wonderful version of ‘All Over Me’ continued the intimate vibe.
A beautiful but sad tale about the creation of the song ‘Motherless’ was explained by Thompson, who lost his own mother in his early teens, had the room holding their breath before the band were joined on stage by the With One Voice choir for a stunning rendition of a song from 1995 album ‘Box’.
After a brief interlude we were welcomed to a much more familiar stage layout with the room filling with the sounds that could only be the start of ‘Bat Out of Hell’. Having caught the guys only six days earlier at the Mundi Mundi Bash, I must say it’s an album they have delivered with sheer class. Powerful yet fun, their classic series choice made for an unforgettable tour so it was nice that The Best of Everything was just that and this was followed by ‘Took The Words Right Out of My Mouth’, another belter dispatched to perfection.
They brought things to the present with the title track from their last release ‘Beautiful Addiction’ before we were treated to one of my faves. With Hunter Brothers Media recording visual footage for a forthcoming documentary celebrating the 30 years of the band, ‘Mountain’ was always going to be a highlight, with phone lights raised and waved in unison – a real sight to behold.
The set continued with songs that were scattered throughout the band’s career including ‘If God and I Know’, ‘Rocking Horse’ (a rare treat) and Queen’s ‘Radio Gaga’ from Thompson’s Bohemian Rhapsody shows. ‘Never Tear Up Apart’ reminded us of another Classic album series when The Fish tackled INXS’s ‘Kick’. The sing-a-longs came thick and fast with ‘Four Letter Word’ and ‘Your So Vain’ delivered with incredible gusto and echoing back equally loudly from the joyous fans. This reviewer even took a sneaky walk to the front to soak up the atmosphere and once there, I stayed for an encore to finish us off. New single ‘Candyman Blues’ is an earworm with big John Nixon and Zedras laying down some incredible rocking rhythms.
The loudest voices were saved for the last as the 4 Non Blondes classic ‘What’s Up?’ threatened to take every last drop of air from our lungs. Adam Thompson promised they would be back very soon and by the sound of the excited fans, he better be good at keeping promises or he will be hunted down and dragged back to WA. Fantastic night to leave a smile on 700 faces!
Photos by Linda Dunjey Photography
With thanks to Cardinal Spin for the media access
GALLERY (From the first set)
