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"Long may The
Dingoes howl!"
(reprinted from
Rhythms Magazine)
From Rhythms Magazine
Latest Music News
The Dingoes Live Again!
10 August 2010
Ian McFarlane sees 'one of this country’s greatest bands.'
THE DINGOES
Theatre Royal, Castlemaine, VIC
August 5, 2010
Ian McFarlane reports.
It was quite a privilege to see a band play live you’ve long admired but
never got to see first time around. The Dingoes have reformed for a
national tour and they played their fourth gig here in the Central
Victorian goldfields town of Castlemaine, co-incidentally the town that
lead singer Broderick Smith now calls home.
Yet, as Brian Wise pointed out in the last issue of Rhythms, this is not
just any ol’ reunion tour. Not just some hack jaunt around the countryside
to relive past glories and rake in the cash. No, this band has a glorious
new album, Tracks, to promote and they didn’t put a foot wrong all night,
which is excellent considering they haven’t played together since 1978.
The guys have kept playing full-time, except perhaps bassist John Bois
who’s a teacher these days in Washington DC, but his playing hardly
suffered.
Brod was in fine voice and fine form, laughing and entertaining us with
his between song chatter talking about anything that remotely entered his
head, whether it made any sense or not.
Guitarist Kerryn Tolhurst was superb on pedal steel and electric,
naturally slotting into the role of MD; through the use of brief on-stage
hand signals, the occasional nod, a subtle move of the body in a certain
direction, he was keeping track of things. Not surprising, in a way, as he
wrote a good portion of the material.
The other main song writer, Chris Stockley, was content to stand and play
guitar, slide and guitar mandolin with consummate ease.
With the addition of new blood in drummer Ashley Davies, replacing the
sadly deceased John Lee (and big shoes Ash has to fill too), guitarist
Kevin Bennett (from the Flood) and the great Chris Copping (from Procol
Harum) sitting almost unobtrusively up the back but playing a pivotal
musical role on keyboards, it was a well rounded presentation.
True, many of the songs tonight were from the band’s three original
albums, recorded between 1974 and 1978 but they stand up pretty well.
‘Come on Down’, ‘The Last Place’, ‘Smooth Sailing’ and ‘Child in the
Middle’ found the band in rocking good form, loose but with all the right
elements in place, a classic rock ‘n’ roll edge to the country feel. ‘Way
Out West’, ‘Shine a Light’ and ‘Singing Your Song’ were more laid back but
no less effective.
I was happy too that they played probably my fave Dingoes song, ‘Waiting
for the Tide to Turn’, with its wonderful crescendo of guitar and organ
(played on the original album track by The Band’s Garth Hudson, fact
fans). I was hoping they might also do something unusual from the old
days, such as ‘Marijuana Hell’, but no mind as there was plenty of
highlights to go around.
Of course, they have the new album to promote with a number of new songs
aired and even if unfamiliar to the audience, there was no drop in
attentiveness from the floor. Certainly a couple are mellower in mood
(hey, the guys have grown older gracefully). ‘Rolling Around the Sun’, ‘No
Rain No River’ and ‘Snow-Blind Moon’ (actually revised from one of Brod’s
solo albums) all possess a subtlety without losing site of the groove.
All the same, the toughest new song, ‘Damascus Road’, is a full-bodied and
smouldering blues-infused creation which took the set out on a high after
an hour and a half.
Fortunately they had enough gas left in the tank to return to the stage to
sign off with a refined ‘Boy on the Run’ which led into a pile driving
‘Sydney Ladies’. Talk about rocking out! I could have sworn it was a young
hard rock blues band doing ‘Crossroads’ it was that intense.
Grabbing a few words with Brod afterwards he declared he enjoyed himself.
John was smiling even if he said, rather self-deprecatingly, “it wasn’t
like the old days”, but I for one wasn’t complaining.
A hilarious postscript to the night came when a guy, with a few too many
beers under his belt, strode up to the edge of the stage as the guys were
packing up and declared loudly “what about that song ‘Gypsy Queen’”! Close
– Kerryn was a member of Country Radio and played on the song – but no
cigar.
The Dingoes were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2009 which
legitimises their legendary status.
Irrespective of that (admittedly important) accolade, they proved tonight
what we’ve known all along: they are one of this country’s greatest bands.
Long may The Dingoes howl!
Ian McFarlane
* Check out
The Dingoes Official Website
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