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| L-R. Richard Burgman, Jeremy Oxley, Peter Oxley. Photo by Carbie Warbie |
21 March 2014
Far from the hordes of Cat Empire fans across the road in Federation
Square in average age and explicit enthusiasm, tonight the Forum attracts a
more discerning crowd. Selling out the first of two shows, Australian power-pop
legends Sunnyboys are amidst a comeback the likes of which they couldn't have
predicted a couple of years ago.
Much like the red wine his surname suggests, Ron S Peno and the Superstitions are an acquired taste. Here he,
and his proficient band, hold the reverent, attentive and largely over-40,
crowd in his thrall. Moving like a flamenco dancer demonstrating ineffective
swimming strokes, Peno is a galvanizing presence, but it’s not until the last
third of the show that his voice opens up and we can hear what he’s feeling. Then,
it's captivating. Call Your Name is
the turning point of the set and by
the closing with Myself in Thee the
sound is huge and game is won.
After a brief video comprising live and promotional footage from their
early days and a scene-setting interview the Sunnyboys stride out, accept the euphoric applause and launch into
a thorough overview of their three albums. After opening with As I Walk, early song Love to Rule and Tunnel of My Love guitarist Richard Burgman (a man who doesn’t stop
grinning all night) says 'It's been a long time boys and girls and we're very
glad to be here'. Singer/songwriter Jeremy and brother bassist Peter Oxley are
joined by another brother Jim for an exuberant take on Happy Man, and Alastair Spence jumps in on keyboards for Let You Go as the audience increasingly
resemble the crowd across the street.
“How does it sound?” asks Burgman rhetorically to his bandmates after a
brace of thrilling guitar pop that takes in What
You Need, It’s Not Me and You Need a
Friend and a lot of inter-band smiling. “I think they like it boys!” he laughs.
The first set closes with a Nuggets-worthy I’m
Shaking, before returning for Trouble
in My Brain, the immortal Alone With You
and a rugged Show Me Some Discipline.
Howled out for a third encore, the victory lap of early single The Seeker introduced as “a song we
haven't played in 20 years,” fills the room with joy. A stunning show, and not
just to those who were lucky enough to grow up with the catchy musings of
Jeremy Oxley on their Walkman.
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