Review by Nick Corr.
Stoneage Cameo – Hoodoo Gurus Live at Sidney Myer Music Bowl 16 Sept 2022
Melbourne’s Even opened their 30-minute set with ‘Six Monkeys’, the first single from the eighth studio album Reverse Light Years. It was great to hear the retro pop of ‘Stupid Dream’ from their Ten To Forty-Six EP. A swagger filled ‘Black Umbrella’ from 1998’s Come Again was next. The trio was joined by extra guitarist Anton Ruddick from Swedish Magazines for ‘Dandy Stomp’ from Reverse Light Years – an appropriate but bold selection for the evening given the song was named after its similarities to a Dandy Warhols song. Even closed their all too brief set with the great ‘Rock and Roll Save My Life’ from 2001’s A Different High.
Portland, Oregon four-piece The Dandy Warhols were up next for a somewhat laid-back set. Easing into things with ‘Godless’ the opening song to their 2000 album Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia, complete with singer/guitarist Courtney Taylor-Taylor singing the distinctive horn parts. The focus tonight was on their better-known material – so the 50-minute set included ‘We Used to Be Friends’ and ‘You Were the Last High’ from 2003’s Welcome To The Monkey House. Crowd favorites ‘Get Off’ and ‘Bohemian Like You’ from Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia. Before closing with a drawn-out and drone-heavy ‘Boys Better’ from 1997’s The Dandy Warhols Come Down.
The Hoodoo Gurus kicked off with a blast through ‘(Let’s All) Turn On’- a great opener, as singer Dave Faulkner pointed out: the first song from their first album 1984’s Stoneage Romeos. It was a record that saw a lot of love tonight – with the Gurus playing eight songs from the album including back-to-back ‘Dig It Up’ as a crowd request, into ‘I Want You Back’, ‘My Girl’, ‘Tojo’, and main set closing ‘I Was A Kamikaze Pilot’. ‘Be My Guru’, technically not on the original album but the ‘My Girl’ b-side is included on most re-issues, opened the first encore, while the band returned for a curfew baiting second encore of ‘Leilani’.
Showing they aren’t just a nostalgia act – The Hoodoo Gurus featured songs from their most recent album Chariot of The Gods, including the nasty ‘Answered Prayers’, ‘Don’t Try To Save My Soul’, title track ‘Chariot of The Gods’, the catchy ‘Hang With The Girls’, and guitarist Brad Shepherd sung ‘I Come From Your Future’.
From there it was really just a smorgasbord of some of brilliant guitar pop as the Gurus cherry picked classic after classic. Highlights included the country-tinged ‘Death Defying’ and a harmonica drenched ‘Poison Pen’, ‘Bittersweet’ and an encore closing ‘Like Wow – Wipeout’ from 1985’s Mars Needs Guitars. The rarely played ‘Out That Door’, catchy ‘Good Times’ and Australian radio staple ‘Whats My Scene’ from Blow Your Cool!.
While unexpectedly the focus tonight was on their debut album, The Hoodoo Gurus showed they have one of the most impressive back catalogs of any Australian guitar-rock band – filling a 25 song set tonight, with easily another dozen brilliant songs that could have been featured.
Full Hoodoo Gurus setlist:
(Let’s All) Turn on
Answered Prayers
The Right Time
Death Defying
Don’t Try To Save My Soul
Out That Door
Dig It Up
I Want You Back
Chariot of the Gods
My Girl
Tojo
Hang With the Girls
Come Anytime
Poison Pen
I Come From Your Future
Bittersweet
Miss Freelove ‘69
Good Times
1000 miles away (cut short Brad shepherd guitar probs)
What’s My Scene
I Was a Kamikaze Pilot
Encore 1:
Be My Guru
1000 Miles away
Like Wow Wipeout
Encore 2:
Leilani