Wests Leagues Club, Lambton
Sunday September 15, 2013 :
Having a hit album at 65 is like discovering you’re pregnant at the same age, it’s remotely possible but if it happens you are highly surprised. This was one of the parting comments Russell Morris said to a crowd of 400 people at Wests Leagues Club last night. Having seen Morris a number of times over the years he has never failed to deliver.
The past five years or so he has been reluctant to tour alone preferring to ride with the pack, that being the late Daryl Cotton, Jim Keyes or Brian Cadd. So wind the clock forward to 2013 and ask yourself this question, how many 65-year old artists with a new album can play that album in its entirety and maintain the interest of the crowd? Well that is exactly what Morris did at Wests on Sunday night, taking the stage and completing the tight four piece outfit were three talented musicians with Mitch Cairns (bass), Peter Robinson (guitar) and John Creech (drums).
Which brings us to Sharkmouth, this quintessential body of work rewarding Morris with the number one album spot on the ARIA’s for two weeks in a row. Rarely has an album been released that tells of Australia notorious past better than this piece of work. Morris thankfully takes the time to tell the audience about each song. Opening with the ‘Black Dog Blues’, the set list continued with ‘Bendigo Blues’ and ‘Big House’ which ironically is not about a jail but the bank. ‘Sharkmouth’ was followed by ‘Les Darcy’, a song about arguably Australia’s finest fighter. The fight of the wharfs during the 1920’s was highlighted in ‘Bout to Break’, ‘Sqiuzzy’ was introduced to the audience via conversations Morris had with his grandmother and her times spent in Melbourne.
At this point in the show Morris has a flashback to a time that is psychedelic, and a time “I had hair”. The journey into the greatest hits of Russell Morris has begun. Starting with a full six minute version of the classic ‘The Real Thing’, you could be forgiven for forgetting just how many hits there were. ‘Part Three Into Paper Walls’ (a personal favourite), ‘Rachel’, ‘Hush’, ‘Wings On An Eagle’, ‘Sweet Sweet Love’ and ‘Mr America’. Hearing each of these classics left me wondering why it took until 2008 to induct this guy into the Australian Rock & Roll hall of fame. After leaving the stage Morris returned to do his take on the Beatles ‘Please Please Me’ and finish with the Dylan classic ‘It’s All Over Now Baby Blue’, a song he personally recorded in 1967.
Overall, a really enjoyable evening that was almost spoilt by a pathetic support act who I will not even bother to name but he calls himself a comedian. Having spent 25 minutes insulting everything from audience members to immigrants, this jerk found himself being laughed at only once and that was when he was leaving. Comedy, stick to your day job mate.
Reviewer and Photographer: David Jackson
[nggallery id=147]