Hoodoo Gurus, Thirsty Merc,Diesel, Lowrider @ A Day OnThe Green, Annie's Lane(19/1/2008)

Mon 28th Jan, 2008 in Gig Reviews

The grounds of Annie’s Lane presented a private oasis of green in the parched brown surrounds of the Clare Valley. Dark-hued clouds loomed imposingly in the otherwise bright blue sky, occasionally providing shelter from the searing sun, but withheld the rain so longed for by the land and the merchandisers selling ponchos.

Queues formed at the bag-search tables where punters pleaded ignorance to the no-BYO rule, at the porta-loos where two hours’ discomfort was traded for a few moments of relief, at the wine tent where the aspiring louche asked for the “sweetest white you’ve got”. A surprising number of children could be seen. Surprising, that is, until it became apparent they were brought along to ferry drinks and nibbles from the esky. Political correctness may have left us less with which to discipline our kids than our parents meted out to the family budgie, but the family hierarchy will continue to evolve as long as dad still wants for beer and chips.

Right on cue, Adelaide’s Lowrider took to the stage and eased into the set with gentle beats that wouldn’t sound amiss in a cocktail bar. The lukewarm-up was soon over, though, when the band played Riverside, a soulful hand-clapper redolent with the bass and organ interplay of Labi Saffre’s I Got The…. Singer Joe Braithwaite ventured through the audience with his radio mic, “Papa” John Bartlett cut loose with a boogie-soul keyboard solo and Lowrider scored a bag of new radio requests.

As they sauntered from the stage, Diesel strutted purposefully on, packing a white Les Paul intended for one thing: rock and mother-fuckin’ roll. And that he did. While arguably one of Australia’s most under-rated musicians, Diesel is undeniably our most under-rated guitarist. Though he is an accomplished songwriter, the real feature of his live sets is his fret mastery – the extended solos and outros could be called self-indulgent if they weren’t so sell-your-soul-to-Satan-to-play-like-that good. Even on favourites like Tip of my Tongue and Cry in Shame, his skilful improvisation overcame the propensity for audiences to require note-for-note replications (and the boredom with playing them for fifteen years, perhaps).

Bada-bing bada-boom, Diesel was off and Thirsty Merc were on. Like Diesel, Thirsty Merc played a bombastic live set that is rarely reflected in their refined studio recordings. She’s My Brother bounded along and showcased Rai Thistlethwayte’s piano skills. The rocking was almost undone by the balladeering of Homesick, but a surprisingly loud 20 Good Reasons and the Deep Purple-esque The Vision recovered the vibe to finish in style.

The audience’s steady migration past me and towards the stage heralded the arrival of the night’s headliners, the Hoodoo Gurus. The Gurus’ brand of power-pop is remarkably enduring for a sound so quirky. Its ongoing appeal must be attributed to its catchiness: as the masses danced and sang along to favourites like What’s My Scene and Miss Freelove – œ69, the songs’ infectiousness was still very evident – as was the verve for trotting them out all over again.

And so, with a theatrical crescendo, A Day on the Green had become night, the wine tent had run dry and, thankfully, the children would be at hand to bring all the mums and dads some aspirin in the morning.