Live Review: By the C – May 2023
By The C, 7 May 2023 at Whitfords Nodes Park, Hillarys WA
Review by Angela Frodsham
Photography by Erica Lorimer Photographer
Perfectly positioned alongside pristine beach at Hillarys, Sunday’s By The C beachside music festival more than lived up to the mission of organisers Zaccaria Concerts and Touring (ZCT) to deliver festival goers “iconic music that has defined their lives…all against a beautiful backdrop that makes you glad and proud to be an Aussie”. Add in a pop-up bar, an array of food trucks, showground amusements and rides and this was truly a family friendly festival of Australian music to amuse and delight all ages within an inclusive environment.
46 Brigade
We made sure to arrive early as the music menu was just too good to skip any courses. 46 Brigade sparked the eight-hour sonic journey through their local Perth four-piece indie power pop/rock band, proving a fine start to an impressive line-up. Clearly enjoying themselves their enthusiasm was infectious, casting an energetic performance that cranked the crowd and fueling the show into an early high gear.
“Follow Me”, their single from a 2022 EP “Against the Tide” was uplifting, melodic and rhythmic – as was all their material. Craig Ballantyne, the charismatic and engaging lead singer, has a terrific voice and stage presence. Craig introduced “Raise Your Hand” as all about community and having fun, setting the scene for the whole day. The band is definitely one to add to your playlist and hopefully see them live.
46 Brigade have supported 1927, who together with the Models were originally slated as part of the event line-up. Both bands had to withdraw at the eleventh hour after the festival was rescheduled from 29 April due to Iva of Davies of Icehouse requiring emergency surgery. Thankfully, Iva has made a good recovery, and the ZCT were able to achieve the near impossible.
After the performance, SAM asked the zestful lead vocalist about the euphoria of rocking the stage to a sea of old school rock fans;
“As an artist, the experience of performing at By The C was one of complete joy; the people, the sound, the lighting, the bands, the fairground rides, the foodtrucks, the event staff…it was completely surreal! It was like being part of the menu of a world renowned 5-star restaurant!”
Sneaky Sound System
Since forming in 2001, Sneaky Sound System has been one of Australia’s most successful and influential Electronic Dance Music (EDM) acts, currently consisting of the irrepressible Connie Mitchell on vocals and her husband Angus McDonald on production, guitar and keyboards. Connie is considered one of the country’s best female voices, and to the pleasure of fans waiting in the front dance area, she appeared onstage in a quirky bright blue jumpsuit and lime green sneakers clearly ready to light the stage.
Connie oozes a unique and mesmerising stage presence, drawing in the crowd with her powerful and soulful voice and an engaging and physical performance worthy of an aerobics instructor – complete with high kicks and lots of smiles. Fans of all ages bopping to the duo’s many hits with their catchy lyrics (often written by Connie) and tunes including their 2006 breakthrough hit “I Love It”, “Pictures” and “We Love”. Sneaky Sound System has received Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Awards such as Best Dance Release and Breakthrough Artist.
Connie constantly interacted with fans and the duo’s smiles to each other as their onstage chemistry perpetually bloomed. As the highly successful “UFO” was pumping out, this reviewer and daughter were up and dancing, and the melody has not left her head since. It is no wonder Connie and Angus enjoyed great success performing in the Ibiza club scene, marrying there in 2015.
Eskimo Joe
Local success story Eskimo Joe stormed on stage to the immediately recognisable “Imperial March” by John Williams from the Star Wars movie. Grabbing everyone’s attention, it was clear we were in for a tour de force performance. Formed in Fremantle in 1997 by three friends from the school days, Eskimo Joe has enjoyed commercial success whilst staying true to its alternative music origins.
After six studio albums and numerous ARIA nominations and awards including Best Rock Song of 2010, the band has enjoyed international success and are still hardcore Fremantle Dockers fans. As lead singer Kavyen (Kav) Temperley modestly later told the crowd, things have “worked out OK” for a band who in 1997 were rehearsing in their living rooms “using broom handles as microphones”.
Kav is a commanding and striking showman, dressed with an alternative twist in a black and white western shirt, necktie and slick pomade hair style, almost reminiscent of Elvis. Announcing the band as “Eskimo Joe from Fremantle… here for your entertainment!”, they burst into “Sarah”, followed by “New York”, displaying energetic and distinctive guitar work and continual inter-band interaction.
Always connecting with the audience, Kav called for their participation with waving hands. He explained the backstory to their song “London Bombs” as dating to the 2005 terrorist attacks and subsequent attempts by the band to contact and check on the welfare of friends and loved ones in the city. Their track “Setting Sun” was part of the soundtrack of the 2010 Miley Cyrus movie “The Last Song”, the band’s first song to feature in a Hollywood movie.
Hit songs “Black Fingernails, Red Wine” and “From The Sea” were clear crowd favourites, and the afternoon’s performance culminated in the band gathering around drummer Paul Keenan as he gave the set a pounding drum-centered finish. Eskimo Joe certainly proved their credentials on stage as an impressive live band, with new music and much success clearly still ahead.
Birds of Tokyo
Audience excitement only continued to build as the afternoon light faded, and the crowd was rewarded with another fabulous West Australian band – the Birds of Tokyo. Lead singer Ian Kenny had an easy manner as the band took the stage, calling to the crowd “hey my friends… how is everyone doing?!”.
Formed in Perth, the band rose from an independent path to be currently one of the nation’s most popular rock bands with six studio albums, numerous hit songs and ARIA nominations and awards. Triple J have featured over 70 Birds of Tokyo tracks, placing them in an impressive position amongst the station’s three most played artists.
Many will remember feeling proud of our great Perth bands when they showed how AFL Grand Final entertainment was done here in 2021, with both Birds of Toyko and Eskimo Joe amongst a showcase of talented local artists.
Launching straight into one of their biggest hits, “Plans”, the poetic words of the lyrics swirled on a screen behind the band. The versatile range of the band was clear, from lovely ballad “The Two of Us” dedicated to “the person who makes your universe right….”, to rocking it out with “Silhouettic”. The emotional depth of the songwriting also came through, with “Smith Street” explained as a call to remember times spent with special people.
The crowd eagerly took in song after song while threatening rain mostly held off, and when a fan called out for some guitar picks, Ian quipped “hey, they are 50 cents each!!” before throwing some to the swarming crowd. Such was the fun and friendly atmosphere with children of all ages also enjoying the show, the very young sporting cute protective earmuffs.
Ian asked the audience if they wanted acoustic music, or whether the band should “turn it up a notch”. The answer was clear and the energetic music rolled on, with an explosive “Brace” accompanied by the background of its original music video. The catchy and motivational “Unbreakable” followed, then “The Greatest Mistake”. The impact of COVID-19 on the music industry was referenced in the band’s new song “Daylight”, an uplifting celebration of “coming out the other side” and the first song the band wrote together after two years forced apart.
The poignant and personal “Good Lord” seemed to fill the park with emotion, until the beautiful “Lanterns” arrived, Ian calling for everyone to bring out their phones to shine their own light. For many, being part of a sea of twinkling torches was a highlight, but the band still had more, ending with a joyous rendition of “This Fire” to finish their fabulous performance.
Icehouse
To a rapturous welcome, one of Australia’s great musical talents and the creative force behind the beloved Icehouse, Iva Davies, took to the stage with his band. Formed in 1977 in Sydney and originally known as Flowers, the band changed its name to Icehouse in 1981 following the success of a first album of the same name. Twenty top-forty singles and eight top-ten albums later, Icehouse was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2006 in the wake of a sweeping array of masterful synth-pop rock.
Since 2011 Icehouse has been regularly playing live shows with a lineup that includes new and long-term members, with Iva the only continual member. Classically trained Iva is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, composer of television and film soundtracks (notably Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World) and record producer.
Owning a darkened stage illuminating him with strong spotlights, Iva kicked off the band’s performance with the atmospheric “Icehouse”. With the spell of the song finally broken, Iva, clad in black leather jacket, told the crowd how glad he was to have finally made it to perform at By the C. “Uniform” played next, and Iva expressed his thanks to the wonderful staff at Charles Gairdner Hospital who cared for him during his three days in the Emergency Department. Clearly Iva and rhythm guitarist and vocalist, Paul Gildea, are long term friends and the night was characterised by smiles and fun banter between the pair.
“Fatman” then filled the stage, which Iva has called his “Angels song” and the similarities can be heard. The ever popular and very successful “Electric Blue” followed, written by Iva with John Oates of Hall and Oates. As well as being known for their innovative use of synthesisers, Icehouse songs often feature awesome saxophone solos, and “Electric Blue” saw Hugo Lee deliver the first of many impressive performances.
Iva and Paul chatted often to the audience, thanking them for coming, asking if they were warm, and …did they have a drink?! Another monster hit followed with “Hey Little Girl”, with pieces of the lyrics floating across a plum coloured screen behind, after which “Mr Big” took the pace up a notch.
A crowd favourite, “Crazy” played against a montage of the 1987 music video showing a heart throb Iva resplendent with long curly mullet. Although now 67, Iva delivered many fabulous guitar solos, and his rendition of “Crazy” showed him to be still in excellent voice and able to deliver even the higher registers with power.
After a haunting “No Promises”, Paul acknowledged a very young audience member up front who knew all the words of the song. Iva said he was glad a new generation will take on the music, and this seems likely with this reviewer’s 20 year old son, a devoted and enthusiastic Icehouse fan, also there to enjoy a magical night.
“Cross the Border” followed against a screen background of powerful and haunting scenes of the Berlin Wall, both before and after it was brought down in 1989. Iva told the crowd this track was inspired by a wall piece he had been sent and influenced musically by the work of Simple Minds. The powerful “Don’t Believe Anymore” provided another chance for Hugo Lee to shine with his saxophone and for Paul to vocalise.
Long term drummer Paul Wheeler took the spotlight with an impressive solo, before “Love in Motion” swirled against a background of an elegant dancer. Then came the moment many had awaited, with “Great Southern Land” ringing out against Australiana screen visuals. Written in 1982 by Iva in awe of the landscapes of our country and its sheer size, although the song was ranked number four in Trip M’s ‘most Australian’ songs of all time in 2018 many would rate it as almost an unofficial national anthem.
By this point in the show, Iva joked “I’m going to have a lie down now!”, before launching into “I Can’t Help Myself” and calling for the audience to join in the singing. To the audience’s delight, for what he said would be his last song he called back Eskimo Joe’s Kav Temperley to deliver with him “We Can Get Together”.
Icehouse then left the stage but as the audience wanted more the band returned for an encore performance, with Iva explaining his next song as a tribute to Icehouse’s “big brother” bands the Angels and Cold Chisel, who gave him mentorship in the early days. To the great pleasure of Angels fans, a fabulous rendition of “Marseilles” followed, many probably thinking of the late Doc Neeson.
“Nothing Too Serious” was the night’s final song, again allowing Hugo Lee to once again strut his stuff on the saxophone. Although fans knew there were many songs not yet performed (“My Obsession”, “Street Cafe”, “Man of Colours” to name but a few…), it was time for Iva to take a well deserved rest, especially given his recent illness. However, his enthusiasm and commitment to bringing his music to fans was clear to see, and the audience was left in no doubt they could look forward to further splendid performances from Iva and Icehouse in the future.
Icehouse Setlist
Icehouse, Uniform, Fatman, Electric Blue, Hey Little Girl, Mr Big, Crazy, No Promises, Cross the Border, Don’t Believe Anymore, Love in Motion, Great Southern Land, Can’t Help Myself, We Can Get Together
Encore:
Marseilles (tribute to the Angels), Nothing Too Serious
By The C
By The C on Sunday 7 May was a well organised, enjoyable and family friendly festival, an event for all ages to come together and enjoy great music. The festival’s multi-generational character was reflected in both the performers and the crowd.
Logistically, pre-concert communication was great, festival entry was quick and courteous and with BYO high back camping chairs, festival goers were left to create their own comfortable space within which to enjoy the show. The conveniences were clean and ample, and movement around the event was easy. This reviewer and family look forward to attending the next By The C!
Sheldon Ang Media would like to thank Zaccaria Concerts and Touring and Menard PR for the accreditation and the generous reviewer tickets! Please visit Zaccaria for upcoming shows!
About the Author & Photographer:
Angela Frodsham
Angela is a music lover who has enjoyed live concerts with sister Erica and friends since the early 1980’s. A career in Government economic development and transport policy followed a Bachelor of Economics majoring in the Japanese language. More recently, Angela’s love of writing and history has led her back to UWA to study Classics and Ancient History, including the Latin language.
Erica Lorimer
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 Media (est. May 2022) have been accredited to photograph and review the hottest acts in Perth, including Rod Stewart, Florence + The Machine, Harry Styles, Backstreet Boys, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Post Malone, Sting, KISS, and RnB Fridayz Live, with reviews and photos shared by the likes of Richard Marx, UB40, ICEHOUSE, Delta Goodrem, The Fabolous Caprittos and Synthony on social media.
