Jewels & Bullets paid homage to Australia’s hidden musical past with a series of gripping performances by 12 special guest vocalists, all of whom were each given the task of reviving some of Australia’s lost classics.
Backed by the Bacchus Marsh Band, featuring members of the Boat People and Hot Little Hands, each guest vocalist brought with them a song from the depths of Australia’s musical past. Most of these were songs that, for one reason or another, have been largely forgotten, but have all had an indelible effect on the shape of Australian music.
The first guest, Jimmy Stewart, of Clinkerfield and the Miserable Little Bastards, performed electrified versions of the folksong ‘Streets of Forbes’ and Maurice Frawley’s ‘Dark Side of Sunday.’ The songs themselves are remarkably honest and bare, as was felt in Stewart’s dry and emotional delivery.
The backing band was solid, but it took until Steve Lucas from X joined them before they really made an impact. Lucas admitted to being “a bit out of it” as a result of the drugs he’d taken to abate the pain of recent back surgery and a hard fall down a flight of stairs. For three compelling minutes he wailed through Blackfeather’s ‘Seasons of Change’ without the appearance of any discomfort. He then slowly lumbered off the stage, appearing as if every step he made was causing him physical pain.
Liam Linley and Felicity Cripps of HOY started the second set with a stunning version of the Triffids’ ‘Raining Pleasure,’ which was soon followed by an appearance by Roman Tucker of Rocket Science. He began with the Missing Links’ ‘Wild About You’ and quickly followed it up with Fungus Brains’ ‘Pasty Faces’, balancing a perfect mix of noise and confusion. The animation and energy that Tucker brought to these songs made for the two strongest performances of the night.
Jewels & Bullets succeeded in honoring some of the most defining and important artists in Australian music history and the songs that have sadly been buried under the torrents of new music that persistently fight for our attention.
