A Better Australia Day: concert review by Paul Nolan
Luke’s kind friend Paul Nolan who writes for the Sydney Arts Guide wrote us a little review for me to publish online and for us to save as a keepsake! How lovely is that!! C
The focus of the latest Clare Heuston studio concert was our diverse Australia, and our need to find a way to sing together. In particular this country’s reconciliation of past wrongs and the many true voices of musical creatives past and present rang true in fair dinkum voice.
The Australian musical accent has always sat boldly beside others on the global stage, as we were ably reminded of here.
The Better Australia Day concert was a substantial chronological medley highlighting in a very fair go our country’s diversity of comment, style, humour and our engaging sense of grit.
Whilst administrators still stumble over fundamental blocks of dealing with the effects of colonisation in all its horrific glory, the two massive sets heard here ensured any musical critics of the Aussie voice were given a right serve.
Here was more than enough proof that local songwriters are so worthy, multi-hued and detailed when it comes to packaging narrative and getting stuff off their chest.
Songs made world famous even before You Tube were heard in a fresh light here. It dawned on me listening that the level of description and word-mongering of local writers is some of the best anywhere.
The true humours and colourful sentiments were nicely presented by the singers on the night in their sea of bonza flanelette. Some stunning covers have obviously been well-prepared by the keen and clever workin’ class persons with mentor Clare here.
And the icing in the lammo were two very beaut self-accompanied originals in premiere by Matilda Danta and Elizabeth Yung Cheung.
From the broad range of choices chucked pretty carefully on the barbie here, something of a decent Great Australian Songbook excerpt was started.
Even without Men At Work, Barnsey or Farnsey, feeling was still able to ring out true, to grab us by the throat and keep our interest like any fair beer garden chat. The ebb and flow of contrasted Aussie tides was quite deadly, to borrow a word from a community of survivors still battlin’ for real recognition.
From Luke Travis Tuite’s bold start with Bow River and later well-shaped heartstring storytelling of Missy Higgins, we also heard Teri Lianos’ beautifully intoned Truly,Madly Deeply from those classic nouveau-romantics Savage Garden. Then we went walkabout right through Cold Chisel, Crowded House, Olivia, expat Tina Arena (so nicely réalisé by Julie Le Roy) and many classic Aussie stars right up to the hectic Kate Miller-Heidke and the demanding modern art song tone of Montaigne, whose character and complexity was poignantly presented by Edwina Howes.
All songs and performers chockers with integrity included in this event-and there are too many to round up by each name here-gave us a too-right musical wake up call.
They showed us if nicely rehearsed songs can work in live performance to express reality then surely politicians can work to prepare necessary change in the government chamber to issues as simple as one non-offensive National Day of joint celebration.
We certainly heard local talent in songwriters and emerging artists during this concert to show what bounding-kangaroo enthusiasm and freshness is capable of.
From intimate outpourings through to rock anthem, from heartbreak and ‘head in the ditch’ moments of band blokes like Crowded House and Hoodoo Gurus to the wisdom of wry wit from Thirsty Merc, James Reyne and Tame Impala, Heuston’s Sydney stable of rising Southern Cross stars reminded us of the hope and working variety this country can produce on any day of the year.
©️Paul Nolan 2022