Live Review: Sweet – The Final Blitz Tour 2026 in Perth
30 October 2026 at The Astor Theatre, Perth Western Australia
Review by Lisa Lightjay
Photography by Erica Lorimer Photographer
Andy Scott is still Sweet.
At 77 he’s back with a vengeance, in the words of lead vocalist Paul Manzi, “He’s on Fire!”
Sweet’s triumphant farewell tour of Australia – The Final Blitz Tour – kicked off at the Astor Theatre in Perth on 30 October 2026, rocking a sold-out crowd with thunderous guitar, soaring harmonies and energy exploding off the stage.
“Are you up for Sweet?”
Not a text I expected at midday on a busy Friday, but of course my reply was ‘F%$k yes!!’ The Astor Theatre was definitely up for being Ballroom Blitzed and so was I.
Courtesy of Sheldon Ang Media this music journalist had an opportunity to review one of the defining British rock bands from the seventies, and there is palpable fear that I’ll fall short of the mark.
‘Are you ready? Let’s go!’
Queues of silver haired rock fans stretching down Beaufort St, many casually dressed in T-shirts from bands of the era, rebels ready to rock out to the songs of their youth. Excitement in the air, friends spying friends through the milling crowd, handshakes and hugs. We are ready to rock and roll!
You can see the occasional sparkling sequinned lady bringing the memory of the glam rock outrageous stage costumes and antics back to our minds.
Showtime! Hard rock fans who were happily catching up with each other made it a difficult task for the ushers to herd them into their seats. These fans were rebels from the ‘generations that raised themselves’.
One chap remarked to his grey-haired companions, “Look at you two classy ladies, drinking wine out of a paper cup” as they giggled their way out of the foyer and into the theatre.
The atmosphere was full of camaraderie and smiling faces, all anticipating reliving the memories that would be ignited by the songs they had grown up with, perhaps had their first pash to at the local hotel or school social.
The empty stage flooded with blue light as the spoken word outro from their 2024 song Full Circle rang through the theatre.
“The journey of life – a history through time,
Stratospheric highs to profound lows,
And where it starts is where it ends,
Full Circle…”
A burst of applause and cheers as the band arrived on stage with Paul Manzi demanding “Are you ready?’ and the band launched into the 1975 declaration of artistic independence ‘Action’.
Andy Scott’s dominant guitar riffs provided a thundering foundation for the impeccable soaring harmonies – a taste of the rich experience that was to follow with ‘Burn On The Flame’ hard on its heels.
The crowd sat mesmerised as Andy ripped into his filthy-yet-smooth guitar solos on the bright ‘Fiesta Red’ Fender guitar, its paintwork completely worn off in places yet still sounding as magnificent as in the 80’s when he first adopted it for live touring.
It was telling that Sweet opened with songs that displayed their musical credibility and the guitar chops of Andy Scott, these were written at the time by the four members of Sweet themselves, rather than the Chinn/Chapman partnership, celebrating their ultimate hard rock direction from the get go.
A swift foray into 2024’s ‘Circus’ to round out the opening numbers, then Paul’s cry of “Let’s take you back to the seventies”, was met with a massive cheer and stage banter about the music, fashion, drugs, sex – all the things that the seventies are remembered so well for.
‘The Six Teens’ sounded as fresh as when we first heard it back in 1974, the lush, sweeping harmonies thrilling and dramatic.
What a showcase of hits followed as the crowd became as one. The air was filled with real bonding and respect for this incredible performance we were fortunate enough to be witnessing.
Even after a “16 hour one way London to Perth” flight with his talented crew, Andy brought his unique banter to the captivated crowd, quipping “It felt longer”.
He spoke about the Australian musicians he had met along the way who were no longer with us, Angry Anderson, Bon Scott, Jon English until his watch interrupted him, “My watch keeps telling me – loud environment – sounds levels have hit 100 – and I thought is that all??”
“We need to bring the smiles back don’t we?”
Crowd shouts “YES!”
“The music will do that. I’m telling you, the music”
The band is off rocking and rolling again with the song that surprised Sweet when it raced up the charts in 1974. ‘Peppermint Twist’ brought many to their feet, and the rafters rang with the audience bringing their best voices to the “yeah, yeah, yeah” call and response.
That song became the ignition point and the atmosphere exploded into the final seven songs with the chant “We Want Sweet” ushering in ‘Teenage Rampage’ as the years were stripped away from everyone present and we were back in those days of splendour and youthful exuberance.
‘Wig-Wam Bam’, ‘Little Willy’ the incredible ‘Love Is Like Oxygen’ with a massive instrumental showing us just how relentless this crew of incredibly talented musicians were.
Sweet achieved 100 per cent crowd participation with their energy, musical mastery and catalogue of hit tunes – by the end of the night the entire crowd would be on their feet with hands in the air, voices in full chorus, “Fox on the run, you scream and everybody comes a-running”.
‘Blockbuster’ and ‘Ballroom Blitz’ brought them dancing into the aisles with age-defying adrenaline.
These were generational anthems and they were alive and well in Perth this October evening!
Spent, sweaty and fulfilled, nothing but Sweetness tonight.
Sheldon Ang Media would like to thank John Howarth, Metropolis Touring and Sweet for the media accreditation.
Sweet are touring across Australia. Tickets are available from SWEET (UK) The Final Blitz: Greatest Hits | Metropolis Touring
Sweet Setlist in Perth 2026
Full Circle – Full Circle (2024)
Action – Strung Up (1975)
Burn on the Flame – B-side to the single ‘The Six Teens’ (1974)
Circus – Ful Circle (2024)
The Six Teens – Desolation Boulevard (1974)
Lost Angels – Off The Record (1977)
Windy City – Off The Record (1977)
Set Me Free – Sweet Fanny Adams (1974)
Lies in Your Eyes – Give Us A Wink (1976)
Co-Co / Funny Funny / Poppa Joe (medley) – Funny How Sweet Co-Co Can Be (1971)
Peppermint Twist – Sweet Fanny Adams (1974)
Teenage Rampage – Non-Album Single (1974)
Wig-Wam Bam – Non-Album Single (1972)
Little Willy – Non-Album Single (1972)
Love Is Like Oxygen – Level Headed (1978)
Fox on the Run – Desolation Boulevard (1974)
Block Buster! – Non-Album Single (1972)
The Ballroom Blitz – Non-Album Single (1973)
About the Writer
Lisa Lightjay is a professional multi-instrumentalist with a lifetime background in music education and music performance. After a history of performance on piano, guitar, songwriting, brass band, rock band, orchestra, Bolivian folk music, choirs, swing jazz, solo gigs, and community events she is currently the female lead singer with nine-piece Ska and Two-Tone band Last Train to Skaville. She also manages a Maritime Training Organisation and volunteers with Marine Rescue. A passionate live music enthusiast, she brings a performer’s perspective to concert reviews, with a particular interest in musicianship, stagecraft and the connection between artists and their audiences.
About the Photographer
Erica is a freelance photographer who loves capturing images of live music and travel photography. She enjoys shooting film with vintage cameras and making prints in a home darkroom. She has lived in Japan, the UK and Nigeria. Erica holds a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) from the University of Western Australia (UWA), majoring in English Literature and Economics, and a Certificate IV in Design.
About Sheldon Ang Media: Sheldon Ang, photojournalist, writer and the founder of Perth-based Sheldon Ang Media (est. May 2022) has been accredited to over 250 of the hottest acts including Taylor Swift (ERAS Tour in Sydney), Coldplay (Perth), AC/DC, KISS, Metallica, Iron Maiden, RHCP and P!NK with reviews shared by the likes of Belinda Carlisle, UB40, Delta Goodrem, and Roxette. He has interviewed the late Ace Frehley (KISS), Suzi Quatro, John Steel (The Animals), Frank Ferrer (Guns N Roses), Phil X (Bon Jovi), Andrew Farris (INXS) plus over 100 artists. He’s also a contributor on Triple M Radio as a music journalist.
