To start the evening off, Rusty Brown from Electric Mary treated us to a solo performance. Rusty came on at 9pm to an appreciative crowd and by the time he had played his last chord at 9.40pm he finished to a full house of cheering punters. His 7 song set was raw and unfiltered. Just a rocker and his guitar. It reminded me of the MTV unplugged sessions. Rusty’s vocals have a crisp, raw and husky rock’n’roll sound.
This solo set highlighted his talent. Without his Electric Mary band mates the set had an intimate feeling and showed off Rusty’s story telling ability. Song 4 of the set was a favourite of mine, the hauntingly beautiful “Shaun” written for a longtime friend and writing partner who has passed away. Rusty has been performing since 1975 and to quote Rusty “Which makes me 30 years old” and his years of experience shone through with every note of his performance.
For South Australian readers, Rusty fronting Electric Mary will be performing in Adelaide on April 26th 2025. Adelaide you’re in for a great live music experience.
Tonight is a night of nostalgic music and the energy that made White Lion a major part of the hard rock band of the 80’s and early 90’s. Mike Tramp is a Danish singer/guitarist who was an original member of White Lion and the sole continuous member until their disbandment in 2013. Now known as Mike Tramp’s White Lion. Mike has been performing as the lead singer in one version or another of White Lion since 1985.
Mike has surrounded himself with quality musicians with Jerry Best on bass, Marcus Nand on guitar and Brent Arcement on drums. This tour is the 1st time in 20 years that he has performed songs of White Lion in Australia. Mike has a great love of Melbourne as he lived here for a long period of time. The Corner Hotel was at full capacity and the crowd were hyped to see the live performance they had been waiting years for. Mike Tramp’s White Lion came on at 10.15pm and played a 16 song set full of hits including “Little Fighter, Til Death do us part, Wait” and “When the children cry”.
Mike had a sheriff badge on his sleeve and I found it fitting as he struts around the stage like he is the enforcer of the 80’s rock scene. With the band all dressed in their rockstar clothes and flashing lights, there was no need for any other “razzle, dazzle”. The music spoke for itself. Like fine wine the music and musicians have got better with age. The sound was awesome, the harmonies were top notch and the mix of vocals and music were perfect as neither overpowered each other. Both Mike’s and Marcus’s guitars looked weather beaten and bruised, but WOW did they know how to make those strings sing.
Mike is a great story teller and filled the spaces between the songs with tales of regret, fun times, loves and laughs. As a shoe was thrown on stage (set up). Rusty Brown appeared with a beer and a microphone and before he joined the band to perform “Lights and Thunder”, Mike was made to do a shoey to the chants of “Aussie, Aussie”. I could hear many in the audience singing word for word every song and by the look on their faces the wait was worth it. Tonight’s performance was recorded for future use, so maybe sometime in the future a live video or album could be in the making.
All photos by Steven Green – OZGreenys Photography
MIKE TRAMP GALLERY
RUSTY GALLERY
