Review: Greg Phillips. Photos: Jason Rosewarne.
I’ve alluded to it many times before, but if you ever need a prime example of a great Australian music festival experience, you can’t go past a day at Red Hot Summer, the quintessential Oz rock gig. You’re outdoors on deckchairs enjoying a drink with friends, reminiscing with the hits from your past and, in the case of Mornington, Victoria, yesterday, the sun is shining with not a cloud in the sky. Then there’s the stellar line-up: Ella Hooper, the Black Sorrows, Vika and Linda, Eskimo Joe, Birds of Tokyo, Men At Work and Australian Crawl.
Fans are generally in early to secure their best spot, consequently the opening act always gets to play to a sizeable crowd, which is the case for Ella Hooper (our October Musician of the Month). Coming straight off a tour promoting her new album Overnight Success, Ella is brimming with confidence as she kicks off her set with current single Cowboy Man. Spending a lot of time in Nashville, fulfilling her alt-country musical dreams, Ella notes that the Yanks find it hard to cope with the casual way Australians slip swearing into everyday conversation, before launching into Bad Word. Ella then follows with a ‘country-fied’ version of Killing Heidi’s Mascara, the opening track off the year 2000 ARIA Award-winning album Reflector. The crowd is generous with applause, in between positioning chairs and seeking out food and beverages. Hoops finishes strongly with an acoustic version of Killing Heidi’s Weir. The sound of her Maton guitar coming off stage is mighty sweet too.
For the first six gigs of this year’s Red Hot Summer tour, Boom Crash Opera is next up to the plate. Sadly, lead singer Dale Ryder finds that he is in urgent need of quadruple heart surgery and the rest of the band’s 2026 gigs have to be cancelled. We wish Dale well in his recovery.
Stepping in to replace BCO is the always road-ready Black Sorrows. Joe Camilleri suggests the audience come down the front and give it a little ten per cent extra for Dale before ripping into a vibrant Daughters of Glory, featuring James Black’s rollicking piano licks and Atlanta Mae Coogan’s dynamic backing vocals. Then, urging the crowd to join him in the intro to Jackie Wilson Said, Joe has the crowd in fine voice and party mode instantly. Shape I’m In and Harley and Rose incite the crowd to get further involved, before the old Falcons classic Hit and Run has everyone in the venue out of their seats and on their feet permanently. Reaching for the sax, Joe continues to inflict the joy upon us and brings it all home with a jubilant Chained to the Wheel, with the band in fine form, jamming it out to the end. For Joe, whatever band incarnation he’s playing with, the credo is always the same … give it one hundred per cent and the audience will follow. The guy just doesn’t know how to put on a bad show and today’s is a ripper.
Vika and Linda take to the stage and announce they wouldn’t even be here if it wasn’t for Joe and The Black Sorrows, referring to the fact that their careers kick off after appearing on the band’s 1990 album Harley and Rose. The sisters open their set with the lively Pigface and Calendula, off their own 2021 album The Wait. Dressed predominantly in white, Vika, Linda and band look sharp in the glowing afternoon sun. The groove-laden Hard Love transports us right back to their debut album. Linda tells the audience that The Black Sorrows take them all over the world and it is on one of those trips that they meet a young girl who ends up writing the next song. The tune … Raise Your Hand. The young girl … Kasey Chambers! Vika then gives kudos to another songwriter friend, Mark Seymour, who writes ‘When Will You Fall For Me’, always a fan fave and a song that goes down well with the Mornington folk too. ‘Bliss’ from the girls’ latest album Where Do You Come From? is a slick, soulful piece of pop, showcasing the pair’s versatility. Tackling a Nina Simone song is always a task; however, Vika and Linda perform a stunning version of Feeling Good for the crowd. There are many in the audience (including myself) who wonder why The Sorrows don’t play Never Let Me Go, the song which starts it all for the Bull sisters. The reason becomes apparent when Vika thanks Joe for not playing it so that they can include it in their own set. It is an epic way to end their Red Hot Summer day.
Following any Joe Camilleri band and then the golden voices of Vika and Linda must be a daunting challenge, but Fremantle’s Eskimo Joe seems up for the fight. Up front, they deliver energetic versions of Sarah and New York from the Black Fingernails Red Wine album, an album which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. Kav, Joel and Stu work hard every minute they are on stage and the effort pays dividends as the punters match their energy levels. Kav Temperley, he of high hair and black eyeliner, jokes that both The Eskies and fellow West Australians Birds of Tokyo (who are watching side stage) are responsible for bringing the sunny weather to Melbourne. The Middle Eastern motif that runs through sections of Foreign Land offers an aura of mystique to the rockin’ tune from their 2009 album Inshalla. Kav tells us that while recording Black Fingernails Red Wine, they are inspired by many other Australian bands who create such iconic albums. With that, they launch into a vibrant, fun version of Flowers’ We Can Get Together. Sensing the audience’s enthusiasm, Kav requests a call and response on the verse of Black Fingernails, Red Wine, to which the crowd responds with pleasure. From The Sea, the band’s first hit from 2004’s A Song Is A City, is a fitting way to leave us.
Strolling onto stage, backed by an epic orchestral piece, Birds of Tokyo burst into the infectious I’d Go With You Anywhere. Offering a Melbourne connection, next up the band delivers a rockin’ Smith Street. These guys are a tight unit, look great and their music simply radiates off stage. Of course, as always, the audio production at these Red Hot Summer gigs is impeccable and perfectly suited to a full-bodied brew such as Birds of Tokyo. Lead singer Ian Kenny is both comfortable and commanding with the microphone, strutting from one side of the stage to the other, engaging as many people in the venue as he can. Unbreakable from 2020’s Human Design album is fast and furious, as drummer Michael Hardy drives the sound via his Ludwig kit. In general, the Birds’ song structures build from melodic verses into epic choruses, perfect musical fodder for large outdoor gigs such as this one. Changing tempos, the band gives us the ballad The Greatest Mistakes and awakens the crowd’s voices. Laying a new song on us called Medic, Kenny suggests that if they fuck it up, we’ll never know, as we’ve never heard it before. Guitarist Glen admits to one chord error afterwards. The Travelling Wilburys’ Handle With Care is a wonderful surprise for the now very vocal crowd. Good Lord is the penultimate tune before the monumental Lanterns demands all hands in the air.
Colin Hay has an intriguing music career, one that almost falls into three categories. There is the initial international success with Men At Work hits such as Down Under, Who Can It Be Now and Overkill. Next comes the solo era, where he distances himself from the band’s name and embraces his Scottishness. Then comes later-in-life recognition for his catalogue, spurred by Men At Work’s music use in the hit TV show Scrubs and Colin joining the Ringo Starr All Starr Band. Now, for the first time since the ’80s, Colin Hay returns to Australia as Men At Work, even though he’s the only original member in the band now. However, it gives Men At Work fans a rare chance to enjoy the back catalogue for the first time in decades, and for many in the Mornington crowd, this is why they come. Men At Work arrive as the sun sets, beginning with Touching the Untouchables from the Business as Usual album, and showcase a very talented band. With the audience yelling out requests, Hay alleviates fears by telling them to be patient; the hits are coming. While the performances of deep cuts such as No Restrictions, I Can See It in Your Eyes and Down by the Sea are impeccably played, I can sense some restlessness in the crowd. Perhaps an earlier-placed banger may help. The lap home, however, is well worth the wait, starting with the sublime Overkill, leading into the catchy, reggae-flavoured It’s a Mistake. By the time we reach Who Can It Be Now, all is forgiven and the crowd is totally invested. Down Under not only sends the audience topsy-turvy but also the giant inflatable kangaroos and jar of Vegemite that they punch up and down the standing area. Be Good Johnny caps off a set full of wonderful, nostalgic Melbourne-made music, led by one of our finest storytellers, the amusing and amiable Mr Colin Hay.
Much like Men At Work, Australian Crawl have their fair share of band member conflict and legal fights, and frontman James Reyne is also reluctant to tour under the band’s name. For similar reasons, Red Hot Summer is a unique opportunity to hear a full set of Australian Crawl classics. Added to the occasion is the fact that this is the band’s home turf. In a magical Mornington moment, the side-stage screens light up with the simple words ‘For Brad and Guy’ (former band members no longer with us), as James Reyne strides to the microphone to sing Hoochie Gucci Fiorucci Mama, accompanied only by piano. At one point, Reyne forgets a lyric; however, the crowd already has his back. It is a beautiful moment and sets the scene for what is to come. Then, ripping into the band’s biggest hit, The Boys Light Up, the Mornington crowd must feel like they are right back at the Pier Hotel Frankston in the 1980s. Unlike Men At Work’s build-up to hits, Aus Crawl literally machine-guns them off the stage, following up with Daughters of the Northern Coast, Beautiful People and Indisposed. Lakeside and La Califusa receive a huge reception too, as the dual guitar energy of Josh Owen and Brett Kingman makes their presence felt. The rhythm section of John Watson on drums and Andy McIvor on bass makes its mark on the dub-flavoured White Limbo. James Reyne is a quirky cat and always delivers some unique vocal phrasings, as well as occasional odd stage patter. Perhaps it runs in the family; his brother David Reyne, on percussion tonight, also possesses an eccentric manner in his TV travelogues. As expected, Downhearted has the audience swaying and they certainly find their voices for Reckless. Perhaps the biggest reaction of the set comes with Errol, the Guy McDonough tune. The band then leaves the stage, only to return a minute later to rock the crowd one more time with Things Don’t Seem.
These Red Hot Summer gigs continue to deliver on every level, chock-full of world-class talent, thick with nostalgia and good vibes. You can’t ask for much more.
https://www.redhotsummertour.com.au/
