When promoter John Starr had hinted to me at a slightly different line-up to The Fabulous Caprettos for these January dates, I was filled with excitement and even more so as he whispered a name, then pulled back as a huge smile crossed his face and he simply said, “It’s a different kind of fabulous!”
Welcome to The Fabulous Caprettos Vol.2 – if you had seen Vol.1 with Daryl Braithwaite then you would know exactly what to expect – A night filled with banter, laughter and incredible songs… songs that have cemented themselves throughout the varying decades of Australian music history. Songs we know and love. But we will come to that shortly.
The support this evening was the wonderful Jason Ayres, an extremely gifted local singer-songwriter, who I hadn’t seen in a long while, so it was refreshing to see him back. Tonight, Jason had brought along the equally talented Morgan Joanel to accompany him throughout his set, bringing some exceptional harmonies to a series of covers & originals. Kicking things off with ‘Troubles of my Own’ from his self-tilted 2013 album, Ayres set the tone with his acoustic melodies, crisp vocal and storyteller-style lyrics.
Cher’s ‘Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)’ was given a new identity with a twist on the original, made even more fun with fairy-lights illuminating his guitar. The accompaniment from Joanel gave his already strong set another layer and added depth, and one which I enjoyed thoroughly. We were treated to a new track from a forthcoming album which we hope to see later this year. Closing with a version of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Go Your Own Way’, Ayres & Joanel left to warm applause from the 900-strong audience – Job well done!
The excitement built in the Astor Theatre as the lights dimmed and The Fabulous Caprettos strode on to the stage one by one…. Thistlethwayte, Morris, Jones and the newest of the goats to join the herd, Gleeson. The welcome was rapturous as they dived straight in, with Russell Morris leading the way with ‘Sweet Sweet Love’. Our first of The Screaming Jets songs was also one of my favourites in ‘October Grey’, with Dave Gleeson sounding as good as ever, with acoustic guitar slung around his neck. Jack Jones took us right back to the nineties with Southern Sons’ ‘Always & Forever’ before Rai Thistlethwayte delivered the fabulous ‘Twenty Good Reasons’, encouraging audience participation at every possible opportunity. ‘Hit the Ground Running’, a Caprettos original just shows what we could expect if they all had time to collective write and record – it’s a cracker!
‘Gleeso’ stepped forward to explain he was suffering not just from a bruised leg, as during much of the set he played the tambourine, but also from a bruised ego as his wife had nicknamed him ‘Tambourine Dave’ in recent months, as rehearsals took place. As usual Dave is a wonderful front man to watch, whether he is doing impromptu cartwheels, river dancing or just generally having fun and that clearly rubbed off on the rest of the band (at one point Rai even tried to hide his tambourine). ‘Baby Blue’ still sounds fresh with Morris sounding as good as ever tonight. ‘Helping Hands’ created a buzz in the room – with Braithwaite we get that feel-good pop vibe (which is still fabulous) but with Gleeson we got that rock-edge which changed the feel of the show tonight.
Jack Jones had to admit he wasn’t firing on all cylinders after picking up a bout of covid over a month ago. “I may need a hand from you folks tonight”, asked Jones before slugging back a shot of whiskey, with a mouthful of beer to wash it down with. Need we worry? No, he delivered a near-perfect version of ‘Hold Me in Your Arms’. Mesmerising. You could have heard a pin drop, before Gleeson piped up. “You can pack that right in! Russell we need to talk about this”, hinting that even at 85%, Jones is still an exceptional talent and one of Australia’s finest vocalists. Thirsty Merc’s ‘Mousetrap Heart’ had the room pumping again before another Caprettos original and another solid offering in the form of ‘Highway of the Heart’. Thistlethwayte delved back into the Merc’s back catalogue with ‘Understanding Love’ telling us that the verses talk of three types of love, one being the love of touring & performing.
Let’s talk about the rhythm section, as they are just as talented as the men out front – Jackie Barnes has carved a name for himself as one this country’s finest (and busiest) drummers and in bass player Jason Vorherr they have not just another wonderful musician but they have two members of the group that lend some incredible vocals to the collective in their own right. Back to the music and the hits just continued to rain down on us with Morris delivering ‘Hush’ before Gleeso stepped out with ‘Shiver’.
Once again the chemistry between the four out front was electrifying, each one performing to the highest of levels, all the while looking relaxed and having genuine fun, something that the audience pick up on and appreciate. Jack told us of his “living the dream” story, buying a house in a small town in country Victoria he always wanted, only to be washed out in floods a mere fourteen months earlier – ‘Lead Me to Water’ certainly had a different meaning tonight after hearing that!
One of the biggest cheers of the night came as Jones unleashed one of the best riffs ever written as The Screaming Jets ‘Better’ filled The Astor. Not only did it give the audience even more of an excuse to rock out, but gave Jones chance to show exactly what he can do with an electric guitar (as if we didn’t already know). The Fabulous Caprettos had us in the palm of their hands now as Rai belted out ‘In The Summertime’, Jones ripped through ‘Heart in Danger’ and Morris finished us off with a wonderful version of the timeless ‘The Real Thing’.
The baying crowd didn’t give the goats much time to catch their breath, as they returned for two encore songs tonight – Neil Young’s ‘Rockin in the Free World’ gave each of the Caprettos a verse to have a stab at and it was simply brilliant. The final song of the night went to the new member Dave Gleeson, and it was a song I’m sure he knew well from his time with The Angels, The Animal’s ‘We Gotta Get Outta This Place’ bought the house down and gave the audience an opportunity to show their appreciation with a standing ovation! This reviewer hopes we get to see this line-up of The Fabulous Caprettos again!
With thanks to Starr Special Events for the media access and to Astor Theatre and their staff for their hospitality.
GALLERY with photos by Hunter Brothers Media
Jason Ayres & Morgan Joanel
The Fabulous Caprettos
