Live Review: Robbie Williams in Perth – 25 Years of Hits Australian Tour
A Day on the Green, Nikola Estate, Swan Valley – Perth on 30th of November 2023
Review by Sheldon Ang
Photography by Sheldon Ang Photography
The blue spectrum projects across the field of dream, carving a silhouette of the unmistakable, stylistic figure that stood high on a platform. The foreground is decorated with a bevy of dancers, mirroring the zest of the Solid Gold Countdown ladies of ’83. Following the opening number of Hey Wow Yeah Yeah, the mood shifts from the shadowy blue hues to the blinders of the key light, as he steps from the high throne of imperious glory. Fans from across the eclectic demographic are drawn into the explosive larrikinism of this character; the swinging arms, head, hips and feet, captivated by those eye-catching stares. The “f*ck yeah, I’m too famous” smirk on others would’ve drawn contempt; but under his watch, it’s called charm and sex appeal. After all, he’s not Cliff Richard. So the night continues to howl under the stars, punctuated by the shine of the full moon. The benchmark is engraved for a night of exquisite entertainment, scintillated by the rustic tenor of Robbie Williams.
Let Me Entertain You, he rhetorically pleads to the crowd of 15,000 on the green.
The last stop of the much-anticipated Australian, New Zealand 25 Years of Hits Tour has descended on Nikola Estate in Swan Valley, in the outskirts of Perth.
The track is arguably one of the most iconic openers to a live performance; a fast and furious curtain raiser to a night of pop and rock-esque. It was also a fitting number, considering the music video of Robbie Williams’ seminal solo features the artist in the KISS-esque outfit, culminating into the utter epitome of alter ego. The lad from Manchester is the ultimate show pony, with a stylistic bravado and countenance that’s quintessential Robbie.
The high octane machine halted on Come Undone, putting a break on the pace as we took our breaths and slowing the heartbeats. It was the “matured side” of Robbie, the alter ego within the alter egos, as he narrated anecdotes of the unbridled revelries of parties and the hungovers. To many, the track is one of RW’s best, and on stage, he cast a beautiful ballad of the new millennium, and the believability and honesty of this performance sparkled like it was meant to be – a lyrical narration on the purgatory of fame.
The show underlined the journey of Robbie Williams, with a scintillating cast of dancers marauding the story teller, and sonically enhanced by a full set of musicians.
He reminisced, “Mike and Kathy (Take That’s Managers) said, ‘Robbie, if you break another rule, we are gonna throw you out of the band’…and then one day after the third album, I thought, ‘I am now too famous for you to throw me out of the band, and I’m gonna break all the rules’…so off I left with a boot full of champagne and a pocket full of cocaine…and I went to Glastonbury.”
And so as the story goes, Robbie went to UK’s biggest festival to “hang out with a certain band” – Oasis. The night then slipped into the massive cover, Don’t Look Back in Anger. It was a sliding door moment, leading to a solo career as the entire crowd celebrated with him. Never has a chorus of a cover sung with a collective conviction.
The artist continued to revisit the early days of his shenanigans. “‘Robbie, we’d like you to leave the band today’…It’s OK, I got Angels and everything…so is fine…and I did, I left, and I left with my rocksack with full of anger, bitterness and disappointment. And I thought, I’d never see Take That again, until twelve years later, where they reformed without me, and they put on ticket sale, and they sold two hundred and fifty thousand tickets in one day. A year after, I sold 1.6 million in one day, but I don’t mention that. I would never say that publicly…Hey Perth you might know this one…”
Written by Gary Barlow – the lead vocalist of the boy band, the performance of Back For Good sparked old memories, as nostalgia poured and drenched the crowd with a vocal solidarity. Smash Hits 1995 is back and uni days rose to the conscious mind of this writer, with RW at the helm of the mic. It was the performance that probably deserved to be towards the end, but so are many of his hits.
And hits after hits they rolled in. It’s prescient that the artist penned Better Man during his early solo career, as if was made for this moment. The song was written in response to his critique over his rockstar’s predilections in the early years – the sex, drugs, and booze. Singing with a palpable honesty and self-contemplation demeanour, Williams delivered with control and restrained. The track showcased his wide range of vocal repertoire, solidifying the performance that engraved Robbie Williams as the man who has matured personally and professionally. The British press has forgiven his antics.
The sonic undulation kept coming, with the dance vibe filled the winery again with Rock DJ, as celebration pummelled across the field of dreams, thanks to the infectious, bouncy beat through a charming frontman, as the guitar shreds across the stage. The encore re-lit the night with a local blast, You’re the Voice, and for that moment, Robbie Williams became an Australian. “May you get better soon, Jonny”.
In the same seminal rank as Better Man, along came Angels. Penned in 1997, not only this track became the ballad of our lives, but it is also the track that saved the career of RW. He also dedicated this track to his wife of 18 years.
“She saved my life.”
Just like the mood of the thoughtful lyrics, Williams delivered with crisp, rustic vocals over the exquisite soaring chorus that lifted everyone’s spirit, be it in energy or vocally, as Nikola Estate soared magically under the clear heavens full of starts. If the performance of Better Man solidified RW as a matured superstar, Angels was the coming of age chapter of RW’s life.
Robbie also serenaded a front row beautifully elegant fan by the name of Sophia from Argentina, making her night the most memorable one.
The night completed with a Capella medley of the bangers that he sang earlier, and finally resting to the theme to Dirty Dancing, (I had) The Time of My Life.
The voice, the larrikinism, the alter ego – fused into a likeable, charming presence thanks to his oeuvre over the past quarter of a century. The fans were entertained, from the highs of stage antics to being captivated by the most intimate narration on suicidical thoughts and the infamies of fame. That somehow humanised the super celebrity. Robbie Williams, or stylistically branded as RW is one of the most entertaining characters to grace the stage.
Sheldon Ang Media expresses his gratitude to Mellen Events, A Day on the Green, Perth PR queen Rosita Stangl, and Robbie Williams for the Press Accreditation and Reviewer seats.
About the Writer/Photographer: Sheldon Ang Media (est. May 2022) have been accredited to photograph and review the hottest acts in Perth including Coldplay, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Post Malone, Sting, Harry Styles, Backstreet Boy, KISS and Florence + The Machine with reviews shared by the likes of UB40, Delta Goodrem, Toni Childs, and The Fabulous Caprittos and on social media. He has interviewed rockers Ace Frehley (KISS), John Steel (The Animals), Frank Ferrer (Guns N Roses), Phil X (Bon Jovi), Andrew Farris (INXS), Floor Jansen (Nightwish), Ian Moss (Cold Chisel) and forty other legends.
