Subiaco’s art deco Regal Theatre promised to provide the perfect setting for a set list of Australian classics (or songs that may be classics, one day). Eddie Perfect is well-known to Perth audiences through his musicals, with many previous performances at the same venue, and Tripod had their fans in attendance, with a raucous female fan club for Yon.
The ‘Waltzing Matilda’ opening swiftly segueing into an a cappella version of Gotye’s ‘Pieces of Your Heart’ was a promising start. Cleverly arranged and re-worked a cappella tunes were mixed in with songs featuring instrumental accompaniment. Each singer took turns to feature as the lead, from Perfect’s delicious hat-sporting delivery of Lanie Lane’s ‘(Oh Well) That’s What You Get (Falling in Love with a Cowboy)’ to Gatesy’s exuberant channelling of the Little River Band over backing ‘vocussion’. The chemistry between Perfect and Tripod built through the show, the banter and patter neatly bridging a solid presentation of songs, without causing the show to drag. There was also an opportunity for physical comedy, including Yon’s very special dance moves, particularly in the a cappella treatment of Kylie Minogue’s ‘Better the Devil You Know’, a song taken so far from its dance roots as to be nearly unrecognisable.
The high-paced, hilarious gift of John Farnham’s ‘You’re the Voice’ was a high-energy finale, soon eclipsed by the sublime arrangement of Paul Kelly’s ‘Meet Me in the Middle of the Air’ of the first encore. The work that first brought Perfect and Tripod together made it is easy to see how they were inspired to continue exploring their potential vocal combinations, as Perfect’s arrangement of the song was divine, milking the original’s haunting qualities and adding virtuoso vocals. Picking up the pace, concluding the night with an Archie Roach singalong, they flaunted their experience at working a crowd, leaving us on a rousing burst of song and encouragement to buy their tour tea towels.
Individually, each song was enjoyable, but the determinedly eclectic song list and variation in quality of arrangement and delivery ended up delivering a patchy show that, while lacking any genuine lowlights, was not consistently entertaining. The best bit about Australian Songs was that the creative sides of Perfect and the members of Tripod were unleashed and combined, but that was also the main weakness, as popular considerations were disregarded. For fans of Perfect and aficionados of Tripod, of whom there were many in attendance, it was a great night, regardless. For fans of Australian music, it was informative and entertaining, but frustrating in a sense of seeing performers nearly miss their stated target of delivering (potential) classics.
Rating: 3 ½ stars out of 5
Perfect Tripod Australian Songs
Regal Theatre, Subiaco
30 – 31 August
Additional performances:
Sydney Theatre, 19 – 21 September
