Review: Craig Eriksson. Photos: Mushroom Creative House
Yesterday we ventured to Mount Duneed Estate to see JIMMY BARNES perform on his Working Class Man 40th Anniversary Tour. What an incredible celebration of Aussie music, which also included special guests – Icehouse, Ian Moss and Kate Ceberano.
KATE CEBERANO performed a high-energy, fun and powerful set of her Australian Made Live 2025 material, which celebrates the history of Australian Music over the past 40-years through a blend of her own hits and interpretations of iconic Aussie covers. Joining Kate on stage were guitarists Kathleen Halloran and Harts (also on keys), both providing quality backing vocals too. Ceberano played drums, keys and cowbell and her vocals were exceptional, showcasing her versatility and range. I attended the Australian Made concert at Olympic Park back in 1987 when Kate’s band I’m Talking was part of the stellar line-up which also included Jimmy Barnes, INXS, The Models, Divinyls, The Triffids and Mental as Anything. Kate performed covers from these artists along with several other iconic Aussies such as The Church (Under The Milky Way), Renee Geyer (It’s a Man’s Man’s World), James Reyne (Slave), Silverchair (Straight Lines), Daddy Cool (Eagle Rock), The Black Sorrows (Harley and Rose), Wolfmother (Joker & the Thief) and Split Enz (I See Red). Kate also performed a few of her solo songs like Pash, a reggae version of Bedroom Eyes and a medley of I’m Talking songs Do You Wanna Be / Trust Me / Holy Word. There was a real buzz to her show and set a feel-good vibe amongst the crowd who literally sung along to every track.
IAN MOSS performed a strong set of Cold Chisel classics and his solo work that included several hit songs from his iconic 1989 Matchbook album such as Tuckers Daughter, Telephone Booth (featuring The Rolling Stones Start Me Up guitar intro), Mr Rain and Out of the Fire. An eternal crowd favourite is always Mossy’s soulful cover of Georgia (On My Mind), which included a wonderful guitar solo by both him and his guitarist Ollie Thorpe. Zoe Hauptmann on bass and backing vocals also brings light to the songs. He delivered a few songs from Rivers Run Dry (2023) with Nullarbor Plain and the title track. Mossy is an outstanding blues guitarist and much to the delight of all the Cold Chisel fans in the crowd (many wearing Chisel tees), he sang his own interpretation of My Baby and Choir Girl. The set would not be complete without ending with audience favourite Bow River.
ICEHOUSE put on a strong performance with frontman Iva Davies distinct, emotionally rich vocals, remaining as strong as ever. Guitarist Paul Gildea provides smooth backing vocals and between Iva and Paul they project feel-good, brotherly love on stage with friendly stage banter creating a jovial vibe. The music is timeless and a standout was their brilliant saxophonist who performed numerous solos and had the crowd in the palm of his hands. They opened with Electric Blue with the stage backdrop adding great atmosphere. The set included Crazy, Fatman, Hey Little Girl, Can’t Help Myself, No Promises and We Can Get Together. When Iva sang Don’t Believe Anymore and the saxophonist Hugo Lee performed a solo, I felt the hairs on my arms raise. Absolutely stunning! Paul asked everyone to stand up and sing the National Anthem for Great Southern Land which was another standout. Michael Paynter joined them on stage for Touch the Fire and they finished their set with the energetic Nothing Too Serious.
JIMMY BARNES celebrated his iconic 1985 album Working Class Man opening with I’d Die To Be With You Tonight, which instantly indicated that we were in for something very special this evening. You could see that Jimmy was pumped for this show and his voice was as strong as ever, as he belted each song from the album over the next 2-hours. Next was the energetic Ride The Night Away, which had wild horses displayed on the cinematic backdrop. American Heartbeat followed and Barnsey announced that he was not going to sing each song in order as they appear on the album as that would just f*ck him up. Vision and Thick Skinned showcased Barnsey has ‘still got it’ with his raw, gritty and powerful vocals. For someone that has had heart surgery, you wouldn’t know it. When he sang Promise Me You’ll Call, I don’t know who was singing harder, me or Barnsey (lol). Barnsey then spoke about his wife Jane and told us the song Without Your Love was written for her. One of the ballads from the album Daylight showcased the harmonious 3 backing vocalists which includes his wife Jane Barnes, daughter EJ Barnes and Juanita Tippins and they even had a bagpiper join them. I saw that Michael Paynter was part of Barnsey’s 10-piece band too and he provided guitar and backing vocals. Also part of the band were Lachy and Clayton Doley on piano and organ, Barnsey’s son Jackie Barnes on drums and 3 guitarists creating a great wall of sound. Jimmy belted out Boys Cry Out For War, the rockabilly Paradise, No Second Prize and finished with the anthem Working Class Man. No sooner had they completed the 12 songs from the album and launched into Flame Trees when the rain finally came. Barnsey announced to the crowd with a cheeky smile, “I am known as The Rainmaker!” They kicked on with another 14 songs that included a greatest hits of Jimmy’s solo works – Too Much Ain’t Enough Love, Lay Down Your Guns, When Your Love Is Gone, Last Frontier, Let’s Make It Last All Night along with more recent songs Shutting Down Our Town (which saw a bagpiper re-join them on stage), That’s What You Do For Love and Defiant. Lachy Doley performed a wonderful organ solo for the intro of the Cold Chisel classic Khe Sanh. They performed a 4-song encore as the rain got heavier but that did not deter fans as everyone in the house stuck it out to see them sing Driving Wheels. Ian Moss joined Barnsey on stage for a Cold Chisel classic with Merry-Go-Round, which was a highlight of the show. Beyond the River Bend followed with the bagpiper joining them again for the third time. Jane Barnes also played bagpipes and Barnsey announced to the crowd: “Two things I love about my wife are that she can play the bagpipes and loves to drink scotch.” For the final song, Mahalia Barnes joined Jimmy on stage to sing a cover of The Easybeats Good Times. Absolutely brilliant!
