They Will Have Their Way @Thebarton Theatre, Adelaide(11/11/11)

Tue 15th Nov, 2011 in Gig Reviews

While a lot of attention has been focused on a certain Nick Cave tribute concert travelling around the east coast of the country, another musical homage has been sneakily snaking its way around the country featuring the likes of Paul Demspey, Clare Bowditch, Sarah Blasko, Lior, Alexander Gow, Sally Seltmann and Holly Throsby covering the hits of famed sibling duo Tim and Neil Finn.

With the original concept forming out of two CDs (2006’s She Will Have Her Way and 2010’s aptly named He Will Have His Way), tonight’s proceedings at the iconic Thebarton Theatre saw these seven Australian artists coming together to perform some of the more iconic Crowded House and Split Enz material as well as showcasing both brother’s solo careers.

The evening opened up with a solo Sally Seltmann performing a truly stunning and ethereal version of Four Seasons In One Day which really set the standard for the evening. Her delicate vocals paired beautifully with the airy keys and the scenic backdrop of the intertwining trees just made it a hat-trick of perfection.

As the evening drew on it was clear to see that, whilst covers of songs have long been seen as the taboo of the music industry, either completely ruining a song or at the very least, replicating them unnecessarily, tonight’s showcase was out to prove that the cover has its place in music and covers can be done well if given care and attention.

The jewel in the Finn brother’s crown, Fall At Your Feet was buried deep into the set. Reborn last year by Boy & Bear’s stunning version, tonight it Clare Bowditch who took the reins, with Throsby, Seltmann and Blasko (aka Seeker Lover Keeper) as back-up vocalists. Making the song their own, the beautifully harmonised vocals of SLK matched perfectly with Bowditch’s more confident vocal style as the ladies commanded the stage and left many in the audience with goosebumps.

Musical talents aside, the evening was also driven by a real charm from the performers. Witty banter, corny jokes and plenty of audience interaction meant that the evening was not just a track-by-track run through. Bowditch’s tutorial in audience sing-along’s was an example of this and whilst it may have dragged on a tad too far, the audience enjoyed the chance to become a part of the performance as she launched into a soaring version of Better Be Home Soon with Dempsey joining halfway through.

Returning from the break saw a strong second half, Alexander Gow featured prominently in this half, the dark horse of the evening took on such songs as Poor Boy and a wonderful rendition of Something So Strong with Bowditch, to whom he presented a rose, something which I’m sure had many of the younger girl’s in the audience green with envy.

Seltmann returned to the stage again for a solo performance of Pineapple Head, a track she said had featured prominently on her mixtapes as a child, showing that herself, along with all the other artists tonight, were long-time Finn brothers fans, making the evening even more of a special affair.

Lior gave a back story behind the Tim Finn song Unsinkable, saying Tim wrote it after watching the film Titanic with his then young son and how his son claimed he wanted to go down in the ship with his father, a touching moment between father and son that Lior then transferred into his performance of the song.

Sarah Blasko’s solo of Don’t Dream It’s Over was a definite second-half highlight, with the singer revisiting her interpretation which she performed on Triple J many years ago. Her sublime voice and captivating stage presence. While the dubstep-esque beat may have irked a few people, I still feel the song was dealt justice and Blasko was the perfect candidate for the rendition.

As the evening drew to a close it saw Dempsey, Lior and Gow take to a blood-red stage for I See Red, at which point the seated audience got to their feet for the first time in the evening. Carrying on with the celebrations, the boys were joined on stage by the four ladies and the entire cast performed uplifting versions of It’s Only Natural and Weather With You to end the evening.

While the evening’s proceedings started off formally, by the final notes of Weather With You, you would be hard-pressed to find anyone who still remained seated. The seven musicians (and credit must also be given to the house band) took the audience through the very best of the Finn brother’s catalogue. With obvious choices and some real surprises, there was a great sense of nostalgia in the air as older generations relived the glory days of Crowded House and Split Enz and a whole new appreciation was passed on to the younger people in the audience who will hopefully keep the Finn brothers legacy alive for others to enjoy.