14 April 2023 – The Princess Theatre, Brisbane – review by Damien – pictures by Nino Lo Giudice
I’m going to begin this review at the end and say, “Seeing Pseudo Echo play Funky Town live is one of the greatest musical experiences of my life”.
Now that I have gotten that out of my system, let’s rewind to the start.
It’s a Friday night, and after queuing for half a block, I have made it inside the Princess Theatre to watch one of Australia’s most successful bands from the 1980s.
I’d like to say that I am someone who holds their opinions loosely and that I try to keep an open mind, but there are some things that I am completely certain of, such as the fact cats make better pets than dogs; pineapple is a completely acceptable pizza topping; and pop music reached it’s pinnacle in the 80’s and has been on a steady decline ever since.
Judging by the number of knee braces, receded hairlines and dad bods in the audience, I’d say the same can also be said for Gen-X/Boomers.
Thankfully for the 300ish crowd, it’s a seated show (which surprised me at first, but made sense when I saw the room fill with people who had both graduated high-school before the internet was a thing, and yet had also bought up all the Microsoft Shares when they were only five bucks ).
Someone who hadn’t let age get the better of them though was band front man, Brian Canham. I literally had to check three different sources to confirm he is actually 60 years old. Whatever dark magic he is indulging in (probably ‘exercise’ and ‘eating well’) is working for him, and I was definitely making notes on how I can improve my style based on how he presented himself.
There is no support act, and the show begins with a dramatic entrance from Pseudo Echo, which explodes into the opening number, ‘Stranger in Me’. The clock is immediately wound back for the audience, who at the beginning of the song had given the band a polite, theatre welcome, and by the end were screaming and yahooing like it was 1985.
With the energy in the room immediately lifted, bodies in seats start swaying and bouncing, and some hands are even starting to wave in the air as the band move through the second number for the night, ‘His Eyes’.
The on-stage visuals are superb. Each member of the six piece is dressed in mod style clothing, and they look a tight unit as they move about. Behind them a huge wall of projected images adds to the vibe, and the lighting is very much on point. It is a truly spectacular event!
A few technical issues with Canham’s wireless guitar transmitter are the only ‘glitch’ on what is an otherwise perfect production, but in true professional style, the lead man works around them and keeps the show rolling, moving through early songs from their Autumnal Park album, such as ‘See Through’, ‘Destination Unknown’, ‘A Beat For You’ and ‘Dancing Until Midnight’.
The audience are lapping it all up, now enjoying an opportunity to sing along with ‘I Will Be You’.
Sensing that perhaps they just need permission to get up from the seats, Canham invites them to dance.
And dance they do.
The room erupts with the band moving into ‘Don’t Go’ from their 1985 Love An Adventure album, and you get the impression that there may be a lot of lower back complaints tomorrow morning, and a number of 50 year-old couples saying “I just don’t move like I used too!“, but that is a future problem.
The band continue with several other tracks from Love An Adventure, which is appreciated by all, however it appears that too many years of chasing corporate success and arguing with teenage kids has taken its toll on much of the crowd, who are unable to maintain the stamina that the members of Pseudo Echo seem to have in ample supply, and thus, albeit a handful who have pushed their way to the front of the room, the majority have returned themselves to seated position.
Luckily for them, respite is coming.
Now 13 songs deep into the night, the band throw themselves into the title track from Love An Adventure, which further cements my belief that 80’s pop is unbeatable. Everything about this song is glorious. It’s fun, wholesome, catchy, and best of all, the version comes with a stellar keytar solo!!
My night would have been made at this point, but it turns out, we’re only half way through the show, and an intermission occurs, giving the band a chance to freshen up, but moreso, allowing the punters a chance to get replenish their fluid intake.
Returning from the break, our hosts then lead us through hits from their 1988 album, Race, which includes songs like ‘Eye of the Storm’, ‘Take On The World’, and ‘Fooled Again’.
The energy of the show is quickly reignited by Canham and his band, who are showing no signs of fatigue and are throwing out sugary sweet synth pop candy left right and centre.
It is a masterclass of professionalism and performance, which is taken even further when the first of a number of covers gets presented to the room.
As the unmistakable intro of ‘Nutbush City Limits’ pierces the air, you can almost hear the internal conflict between the spirit that wants to throw caution to the wind and dance like no-one’s watching, and the body, that is trying to protect itself from the sufferings of early arthritis.
But as we all know, you only live once, and those who’s bodies had won the initial argument soon find a way to silence their aches as the band the launches into ‘Send Me An Angel’, which now has the entire room on its feet.
Frustratingly, at least for Canham, the wireless transmitter issues that plagued his guitar earlier, return at this point. Nevertheless, he finds a way to banter with the audience and hold their attention.
Whether it is the allure of the singers persona, or the fact it’s easier on the knee joints to now stay standing, the audience remain on their feet for the brief hiccup, and are soon swaying and singing again with the penultimate song for the night, ‘You’re Not Listening’.
And then the moment that will forever be remembered and glorified in my memory as one of my most revered live music experiences: ‘Funky Town’.
I first heard Pseudo Echo’s cover of the Lipps Inc hit as a child when it appeared on the Young Einstein soundtrack. It’s a song that has always held nostalgic fondness for me and one where the cover version is definitive over the original. And tonight, that was trumped by the live version, which featured the inclusion of homages to ACDC and Deep Purple as well as a near 10 minute drum solo.
It was a moment of magic that would have blown the roof off any other venue, but fortunately for the Princess Theatre it’s ceiling is exceptionally high.
Naturally the cries for encore followed, although they carry the bittersweetness of knowing that the climax of the night has already been reached.
Nevertheless, the band grace the stage one last time for the night to thank their adoring fans with one last song, ‘Ultraviolet’, and thus concludes the Brisbane leg of their Ultimate tour.
