Live Review: By The C With Suzi Quatro
6 November 2022 at Whitfords Nodes Park (Western Australia)
By Sheldon Ang
Photography by Sheldon Ang
The rock icon sways crosswise. With hands in the air, she directs the sea of revellers on a moonlit night, beaming the canopy of emulating hands and the glittering ocean across the dunes. The wintery blast sweeps the field of rockers, but the atmosphere flames a summery delight. She ecstatically smiles with her guitarist, sharing their jubilation of the rambunctious propagation that has been energising the American rock icon and her support, and vice versa. As the cacophony brew into a mega karaoke blast, the septuagenarian turns around and pushed her hips backwards, drawing a hysterical abundance of approval.
I’m Suzi Quatro, I’m seventy-two, and I’m a bass player.
Suzi Quatro is an American rock legend, who was the headliner at By The C 2022 hosted by Zaccaria Concerts and Touring. Armed with her bass guitar, she has graced the world stage since 1973 and has sold more than 50 million copies through 15 albums. The Michigan singer songwriter has appeared in several TV series and films. As for this writer/photographer and many Americans, it was her appearance on Happy Days (with the Fonz) when we were first introduced. She is also a pioneer of women rock. In a 2012 interview she said, “Before I did what I did, we didn’t have a place in rock ‘n’ roll…I was the first to be taken seriously as a female rock ‘n’ roll musician and singer. That hadn’t been done before. I played the boys at their own game. For everybody that came afterward, it was a little bit easier, which is good.”
So, as the sun dipped into the horizon of the Indian Ocean, Quatro graced the stage and sparked the night with The Wild One, I May Be too Young and Daytona Demon. It didn’t take long to realise that Suzi Quatro had more hits than originally thought, including She’s In Love With You, 48 Crash, and If You Can’t Give Me Love, but knowing the songs is completely irrelevant; her presence and entertainment denomination eliminate the need for familiarity, as every track she performed hypnotised the audience into a transcendental world of good old fashion rock.
For the fans of Aussie Rock, a highlight includes a duet with rambunctious rocker Dave Gleeson of the Screaming Jets and The Angels. From the contrasting persona of Gleeson earlier, it was surreal to witness the Aussie rock icon exuding his sentimental pride with the rock icon performing Stumblin’ In (yes…the karaoke duet favourite…Our Love is Alive, And so it begins…)
As for Quatro’s stage presence, it was electrically fused with rock n’ roll allegory. She often swooped and weaved through the stage, with a facial countenance and posing demeanour that oozed rock-stardom-ship, and occasionally swinging her bass guitar in three sixty and ninety degree rise, and often eyeing in gleaming euphoria with her guitarist Nat Allison of Melbourne – who is the ultimate complementary of any rock band through her electrifying musicianship and rock presence. Quatro shared the drums for a good thirty seconds before leading into Can the Can and Devil Gate Drive – tracks that rose to number 1 in Australia and in the UK in 1973 and 1974, before closing the night with If You Can’t Give Me Love and Sweet Little Rock N Roller.
That was the headliner. Earlier on under the glowing sun, Chocolate Starfish set the benchmark trough an absolute banger thanks to lead singer Adam Thompson, who concluded with a performance on a raised EWP. It was also one of those sets when no one cared about the songs courtesy of his stage antics. Nevertheless, Mountain and the Carly Simons’ cover of You’re So Vain were the sing along tracks.
Screaming Jets were next on the list. Frontman Dave Gleeson pounced the stage with the out of this world shenanigans that would’ve sprained the neck and back of anyone half his age. Spinning, turning, jumping and lying on the floor were parts of his repertoires. And just like the name of the band, they took off to the skies with Better, Helping Hand and other high school tracks that made Aussie rock super cool.
Baby Animals were slightly less animated (thankfully as this photographer needed the break) in a classy set with hits like One Word and Painless. Perth born Suze DeMarchi is almost 60, and she is still as chic and a cool cat as the Baby Animals of the 90s through the hint of rustic’esque rock vocals.
For those who were still recovering from the stage antics of Dave Gleeson in the Screaming Jets, they’d need to supercharge themselves again with The Angels with “the new guy”. And just like with the Screaming Jets, he thrusted the crowd back to the pounding anthems of The Angels such as When I Ever Gonna See You Again – well apparently, we just did. There was No Secret that Gleeson is the frontman of the ages.
The penultimate act was Noiseworks. Prior to the evening, this photographer/writer has witnessed Jon Stevens twice (as solo performing the songs of Noiseworks and INXS – the band he fronted for 2 years following the death of Michael Hutchence), so it was interesting to compare the difference. And like the previous occasions, their set was sparked with Touch (Reach out) which is the perfect appetiser given the persuasive lyrics (EVERYBODY – Reach out and touch somebody). They are a world class band fronted by one the best live vocalists in the country. Hits like Take Me Back, No Lies, Hot Chilli Woman and Heart & Soul sounds better live and should have been global hits.
By the C was attended by a sea of people across a spectrum of demographics. And once again, they have proven themselves as the leading organisers of old school rock acts. We can’t wait to the next shenanigans!
The Writer/Photographer would like to thank Zaccaria Concerts and Touring for the invitation to the pit and backstage.
About the Writer: Sheldon Ang is the founder of SAM. Since launching the media platform in May of 2022, he has photographed and reviewed most of the arena and stadium concerts in Perth including KISS, RnB Fridayz Live, Hilltop Hoods, The Script and the Kid LAROI.
