Kicking off his set last night, James Reyne accompanied by his five piece band featuring incredible musicians such as John ‘Watto’ Watson on drums and the incomparable Josh Owen on guitar, The Boys Light Up with that instantly recognisable harmonica intro set the crowd on fire.
The world is full of music, artists despite whether they seek longevity or not, each delivering into the arms of their fans little pieces of themselves. Some of these songs may be flash in the pan, one hit wonders, others become melodies that endure the passage of time and are generational.
James Reyne is a man that has gifted the world some of those timeless classics. Tracks that have lived on despite the changes in how we as society listen to music.
In 1978 Australian Crawl were founded, at the helm was James Reyne, their songs became synonymous with Australian summers, road trips and were a staple of the radio stations. Just eight short years later, The Crawl as they were affectionately known was done, and James Reyne broke off into a solo career.
It is a track that has stood the test of time, but along with much of that material from those days, it is a track that Reyne would like to move on from – or more so – the breakup of Australian Crawl themselves.
In a recent interview, Reyne jested that if he had had his way the tour would have been called “Get Over It” rather than the actual title of “Fall of Crawl.” He has a love-hate relationship with many of the songs from his Australian Crawl days, and one has to wonder if such a huge track was played at the beginning of the set rather than at the end in order to get it out of the way, so to speak.
Regardless, it electrified the room, voices rang out in unison and smiles were plastered across many a face, Powerstation had opened its doors early being a Sunday night and the venue had the feel of a Sunday summer BBQ rather than a room full of predominantly strangers sharing space to witness an artist they love.
Not an easy feat to create an atmosphere like that with such ease, and yet James Reyne has the ability to do so.
Moving into Daughters of the Northern Coast and Ferris Wheel, the latter from his 1999 solo album Design for Living, it was lovely to see how well his band brought these songs to life, providing them with a richness that elevates a live performance so seamlessly.
Dressed like the Aussie surfer boy he always has been, faded blue jeans and a nondescript t-shirt, Reyne’s voice did not falter once, that distinctive Aussie twang still just as endearing as ever, especially during his brilliant cover of Way Out West by The Dingoes. Ramping it back up 1980’s Beautiful People soon led the way for Slave – a song that even casual fans would recognise from the 90’s for often featuring on mainstream radio, its upbeat rhythm prompting serious foot tapping throughout the venue.
Reyne took a moment at that point to thank everyone for coming out on a Sunday night even though most would have work in the morning, before grinning and pointing out however that “Any day above ground is a good day” to which the fans cheered in emphatic agreement, his statement alluding to the next track that he would be playing.
A lovely version of Downhearted soon followed before one of the true classics of music held the room in a vice like grip; from the opening notes of Reckless (Don’t Be So…) the audience were almost in a trance, the bar was empty of customers, and all eyes were focused on the stage.
It is a song that builds in intensity, the drums leading from the forefront as Reyne’s vocals launch into a chorus that stirs something in the soul regardless of how many times it has been heard. It is the favourite track of at least two well known New Zealand musicians (including a recent Taite Award finalist) and is one that despite being over forty years old will continue to be loved, shared, and listened to for many decades to come yet.
But while this tour features many of the classics, it also features the new, Reyne as previously mentioned acknowledging the importance of the songs written during his time in Australian Crawl, but pointing out that many of them were penned when he was a mere nineteen years old and that he is still out there making music and looking at the world from a different angle as one does when they mature and discard the cocoon of youth.
Going Back to Nashville is Reyne’s latest offering, a country rock anthem that was inspired by his relationship with Tony Joe White. As a lifelong fan of artists such as John Prine and Townes Van Zandt it is little wonder this song came about so naturally for him, no doubt more material like this will be warmly welcomed by his followers.
The pace was picking up, the band not wanting to rush anything, but it seemed they were all conscious of the time, as there was barely a secondary beat between songs as Motor’s Too Fast saw many of the ladies down in the front rows lend their voices to the chorus.
Fall of Rome, Water, Water and Oh No Not You Again brought the night to the closer of Errol, a song penned as a lyrical biography of the one and only Errol Flynn and his reputation as a “womanizing swashbuckler.”
Despite Reyne’s emphatic thanks, especially for coming out on a Sunday despite it “not even being a long weekend” and the promise of seeing them again soon, the audience weren’t quite ready to say goodnight just yet.
Cheering and demands for an encore, floated above the diehard fans, and a few moments later Reyne and co returned for a kick ass version of Things Don’t Seem which featured an impressive, head turning Hotel California guitar solo in the middle of the track thanks to Josh Owen.
A brilliant showcase by James Reyne of both his collaborative work with The Crawl and his solo career that has no intention of slowing down any time soon, not when the man can deliver classics that span decades in time.
Review by Sarah Kidd
Photography by Leonie Moreland
James Reyne
Josh Owen
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