4 April 2025 – The Princess Theatre, Brisbane – words by Cecilia Pattison-Levi – pictures by Sarah Gilpin
What an amazing concert! The 27 Club Rock Show is an absolute must see if you are a music fan or have even a passing interest in rock music history! The 27 Club Rock Show pays tribute to musicians who died at the age of 27 – and as Alphaville put it – will be ‘Forever Young’. The 27 Club Rock Show was a respectfully curated journey into the musical legacies of Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Amy Winehouse, Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix and Robert Johnson. The Princess Theatre was the venue that hosted this ‘rockumentary through song’ which was a wonderful way to celebrate the life and achievements of these musicians whose musical impact is still reverberating down through the generations rather than commodifying the suicide and addiction problems they had suffered.
The modern musicians needed to pull it off 27 Club Rock Show would need to be highly skilled and they were. And, in elegiac splendour, four talented Australian singers: Dusty Lee Stephensen (Wanderers), Kevin Mitchell(Jebediah/Bob Evans), Sarah McLeod (The Superjesus) and Carla Lippis (Mondo Psycho) raised their voices and the roof off the Princess Theatre as they delivered this musical feast. The musicians who were supporting these modern rock gods and goddesses to perform these interpretations of classic songs and music were equally impressive. The backing band was comprised of Jack Strempel (keyboard), Matt Birkin (drums) and Milush Piochaud (bass).
The 27 Club – The Princess Theatre – photos by Sarah Gilpin
The musicianship on display was superb and the crowd was excited and upbeat about what this musical tribute experience was going to be like to those stars who shone so bright and then burned out, right at the height of their musical abilities, leaving them forever enshrined in immortal and eternal youth.
From the moment the band took to the stage, the atmosphere within the venue was humming. Dusty Lee Stephensen opened with a rocked-up version of Jimi Hendrix’s ‘Voodoo Child’ and the night was on. Then, Kevin Mitchell appeared on stage and raised the roof with Kurt Cobain’s ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’. This song for me was going to be interesting as I was at the Nirvana gig in May 1992 at the ANU bar where the band played the most amazing and memorable gig to us 100 punters when they were at the top of their game. It is a special memory for me and Kevin Mitchell did an awesome job at conveying that song’s essence along with those remembered feelings of what it sounded like live from Nirvana all those years ago.
The crowd had now been primed and then each artist thundered through a cohesive set of classics, and they performed their work with precision and finesse. The use of a simple, subtle and beautifully crafted artwork projected on to the screen at the back of stage illustrated each artist played and added the right dimension and tribute to the artist or song in focus. It was clear from the start that these seven musicians on stage were going to give it everything they had, and it was incredible.
The 27 Club – The Princess Theatre – photos by Sarah Gilpin
Carla Lippis’ powerfully delivered Jimi Hendrix’s ‘Fire’ and then she slowed the pace to sing a empathetic take on‘Rehab’ by Amy Winehouse. Then, Sarah McLeod rocked out the Princess Theatre with Janis Joplin’s hit ‘Cry Baby’. The guitar of Robert Johnson played through the changes between each vocalist. And the last part of the first act of the show saw: Kevin Mitchell play ‘You Know I’m No Good’ by Amy Winehouse, Carla Lippis delivered an emotional and stripped back version of Kurt Cobain’s ‘Lithium’ and Dusty Lee Stephensen performed ‘Love Me’. Sarah McLeod and Carla Lippis, then got together as a duet, and closed out the first act with a stirring interpretation of ‘Me And Bobby McGee’ that included crowd interactive participation with a sing along.
The 37 song setlist is a carefully curated journey through the discographies of the 27 Club’s most famous members. Each song was performed with such authenticity and passion that it was easy to close your eyes and imagine you’re hearing the original artists live. And, as the ensemble went to intermission, through their explanations and conversations about the songs and the musicians, they had taken the crowd on a journey and it was immersed in the world of song.
After the intermission, everyone was ready for act two, and the discussions around “Sarah’s black tiger pants” and the rockstar lifestyle “which the studies show on average is around 56 years old – and isn’t that getting close!” Dusty Lee Stephensen and the band started with a rocked-up version of Robert Johnson’s ‘Crossroads’ and then Carla Lippis who was on the lounge chair got up and performed a moving and emotional version of Amy Winehouse’s ‘Back To Black’. As the emotion faded, Kevin Mitchell with Dusty Lee Stephensen started the opening riff of Kurt Cobain’s ‘Come As You Are’ – before a slight halt to change guitars and re-adjust – and then launched straight into a blistering rendition of the song. And, it was followed by ‘Breed’.
The 27 Club – The Princess Theatre – photos by Sarah Gilpin
Jim Morrison songs then featured with the classic ‘People Are Strange’ sung as a duet with Sarah McLeod and Kevin Mitchell. ‘Love Her Madly’ followed and was played by Dusty Lee Stephensen and Carla Lippis working together and there were just beautiful harmonies being created by those two musicians.
Sarah McLeod’s a capella rendition of ‘Mercedes Benz’ (vocally backed by the other musicians) was amazing. Her voice was perfectly suited to singing Janis Joplin’s material as she has a unique vocal quality that easily lent itself to replicating that style. She had an amazing rapport with the crowd as she came down off the stage to sing and get close to them.
Carla Lippis’ portrayal of Jimi Hendrix’s ‘Foxy Lady’ was outstanding. Then, Dusty Lee Stephensen played the very popular version of ‘Light My Fire’. It was followed by Kevin Mitchell as he covered another great Nirvana song ‘About A Girl’. Sarah McLeod belted out ‘Move Over’ next. Then, Carla Lippis delivered the classic Jimi Hendrix’s‘All Along the Watchtower’ and trailed it with a graceful cover of Amy Winehouse’s ‘Valerie’ before the whole ensemble started to sing along.
While individually the performers were all amazing, the crowd especially loved it when they came together as a collective force for some dynamic group performances and the last two songs of the evening ‘Take Another Piece of My Heart’ and ‘Roadhouse Blues’ were really special. Kevin Mitchell blew everyone away with his harmonica playing as he roamed around the venue. Dusty Lee Stephensen showed off his phenomenal guitar skills which he had been doing throughout the show, most memorably with the classic Jimi Hendrix style of playing guitar behind his head and his back.
The 27 Club – The Princess Theatre – photos by Sarah Gilpin
At the end of the show, when you let what you have just seen and experienced sink in and you consider the concept of the show dedicated to a group of musicians who all died when they were 27 years of age. It could seem a bit macabre and sombre. But it wasn’t anything like that given the musical legacies these musicians left behind, and as the 27 Club Rock Show demonstrated: it was a thrilling and heightened celebration of rock ‘n’ roll.
The 27 Club Rock Show delivered the soundtrack of our lives over a 70-minute set and did a fantastic job of reminding us why these six musicians’ legacies have endured and changed the landscape of music forever. This show has been rightfully lauded by music and entertainment critics. It has earned many five stars reviews for its relentless high-octane, energetic performances and pure rock bliss. And, I agree. The 27 Club Show was outstanding and was more than just a concert: it was a masterclass in delivering rock ‘n’ roll that left the crowd on their feet and longing for more.
