Review: Greg Phillips. Photos: Jason Rosewarne
Traditions have to start somewhere and for Vika and Linda Bull’s annual Christmas concerts, it all began last year with the success of their chart topping album Gee Whiz, It’s Christmas and the ensuing live version of the show. It’s no surprise that the Bull sisters have once again packed out the Melbourne Recital Centre, despite the rain and surrounding construction works for the return appearance of their Yuletide show Gee Whiz, It’s Christmas Again … A Family Affair. This year the Bull sisters invited Mark Seymour and his daughter Eva, Henry Wagons and his daughter Casper, and the Stephen sisters, aka The Little Stevies to help deliver their end of year gift of song.
The night’s hosts Henry and ten year old daughter Casper Wagons welcomed us to country and summoned Vika and Linda to the stage to fittingly perform Christmas All Over again, the opening track of their 2022 Chrissy album. Gee Whiz, It’s Christmas, the album’s title track followed, showcasing the talented band, The Bullettes consisting of musical director Cameron Bruce (keyboards), Ben Edgar (guitars), Richard Bradbeer (bass) and Lachlan O’Kane (drums), with Suzy Goble and Hailey Cramer on backing vocals. Australian sax great Andy Bickers also made the trip down the highway from Sydney to add his touch of class to the event too.
With so many songs with the word Christmas in the title (We’ve mentioned the word ourselves half a dozen times already), Vika admits that it’s hard remembering which is which and consequently announces Someday Christmas instead of Spirit Of Christmas, on which Linda takes the lead reins. O Little Town of Bethlehem breaks the sequence and yields one of few traditional songs of the night.
Henry and Casper returned with their genial spiel on Christmas crackers (featuring plenty of cheese) and introduced Bethany and Sibylla, The Little Stevies to dispatch their folk-based, feel-good energy. Next guests Mark and Eva Seymour offered us the beautiful The Whole World Is Dreaming, highlighting Eva’s impressive vocal capabilities before the inevitable Throw Your Arms Around Me had the crowd singing.
Vika tells us that Mark Seymour wrote their first single, When Will You Fall For Me (performed earlier in the night) and coming full circle nineteen years later, Mark’s daughter Eva wrote a song titled Teeth for the Bull Sisters album The Wait. Featuring Eva, Suzy Goble and Hailey Cramer, Vika and Linda launched into a powerful version of the tune.
Paying tribute to the recently departed Pogue’s singer Shane McGowan, Linda paired with Henry to perform a wonderful interpretation of Fairytale in New York, the Christmas classic made famous by McGowan and Kirsty McColl.
There were many high points of this joyous concert tonight but none more touching than the a cappella rendition of Amazing Grace featuring Vika, Linda, Hailey and Suzie at front of stage. How blessed we are to have such amazing voices within the Melbourne music community.
With the full cast returning to the stage, they all ripped into a rockin’ I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday, a song which originated with British glam rockers Wizzard. In our pre-gig interview with Vika and Linda, they said their goal for the evening was quite simple, “to have fun, that’s all it is, to have fun!” That goal was achieved from song one and continued on through to the end. Vika and Linda’s Christmas shows at the Recital Centre should be everyone’s annual ritual and we hope they become as much a Melbourne institution as Carols By Candlelight over the road. See you next year.
