16 June 2023 – Crown Casino, Melbourne – review by Harry Leithhead – photo by Nino Lo Giudice*
Classic Aussie rockers ‘1927’ brought their ‘Next Generation’ tour to Palms at Crown in Melbourne last night. Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances not publicly known, the remainder of the tour has been cancelled, with Palms and one other show being the only gigs they’ve continued with. Luckily, for my Dad (a huge fan of their debut album ‘…ish’) and I, we got to catch an energetic show by an 80’s rock band that still sound excellent live.
Jason Singh, former Taxiride frontman, opened with an acoustic set. A great singer, and a great entertainer, he warmed the crowd up and finished on a high with signature Taxiride song ‘Creepin Up Slowly’.
1927 came out in great form. They’re best known for their 1988 debut ‘…ish’, and this show played out as a bit of a greatest hits gig, with most songs of the setlist coming from this album. However, there were also a few songs from their 2013 album ‘Generation-i’ that fit nicely with the big hits and are performed with real passion. They have a classic 80’s pub rock sound, although with a touch more keys/synth than other classic Aussies like Cold Chisel, Midnight Oil or The Angels. Original frontman Eric Weideman (and only original member) leads the show. His voice is in strong shape, and he doesn’t spend much time chatting inbetween, acknowledging that we aren’t here to listen to him talk. He is also quite a humble performer with a good sense of humour, as when somebody in the audience calls out ‘you’re the best Eric!’ he simply replies with ‘thanks, but nah… I know someone better’.
The rest of the band all play tightly together. The drums had a classic 80’s sound; tight, sharp punchy tom fills and plenty of dramatic, cymbal-wash finales. The lead guitar sounded incredible – razor-sharp with plenty of wild solos from the era of excess in rock. It also sounded the best in the live mix (perhaps because we were seated directly in-line with the amp), taking the cake for both Dad and I.
The biggest hits were saved for the end of the night, with ‘Compulsory Hero’ and ‘That’s When I Think of You’ getting the loudest cheers and forcing everyone to their feet, before finishing with ‘If I Could’, which had all of us singing along together – a timeless ballad that tops off the night.
My Dad is a huge fan of ‘…ish’, so it was a great opportunity to take him to this show. He inspired a large part of my music taste, raising me on classic Aussie rock staples, along with the essentials such as Elvis, Springsteen & Bon Jovi. It’s always been the two of us going to the stadium shows together (most recently Guns ‘N’ Roses at the MCG), so to add another classic band to the list was amazing, even if I was the youngest one in the crowd by a decent go!
*photo from 1927’s date at the Princess Theatre in Brisbane
