Live Review: Ross Wilson (Daddy Cool and Mondo Rock) & The Peaceniks – 50 Years of Hits Tour
50 Years of Hits Tour at the Charles Hotel, Perth on the 16th of August 2024
Review by Sheldon Ang
Photography by Sheldon Ang Photography
“I would like to dedicate this song…to Sheldon.” – Ross Wilson, former lead vocalist of Daddy Cool and Mondo Rock…
…The words from a legend that would transcribed into the memory of this writer/photographer.
Earlier on that night, back stage…
Sheldon: So Ross Wilson, you’ve been in the industry for over 50 years as a musician. You were the lead singer for Daddy Cool and Mondo Rock with major hits such as State of the Heart, Come Said the Boy. Chemistry, Eagle Rock…
Ross Wilson: Eagle Rock was the sort of when it started it all. When I was in Daddy Cool, I was just a young fella, and Eagle Rock is what got me here today. Basically, that was the foundation, and that’s still going strong,
Sheldon: Yeah, so after 50 years, it has been a surreal journey…
Ross Wilson: Well (chuckles), it seems to have gone really fast, actually. But, I mean, my main thing is we keep saying 50 years…you know, I’m on the road, ’50 years of hits’, I said. Tour’s been going on for three years now, so it’s like up to 53 years of it (chuckles).
But we’re having a good time. And just the old stomping around the country. My main thing is thinking about how long it has been…so glad I’m still around, you know? And the people are still coming to see me play… there is a big queue outside tonight here at the Charles Hotel. And we’re off to Newman tomorrow for the big at the Fortescue Festival. Well, way up in the Pilbara. So you know we get around, and it’s so wonderful that we see people jumping up and down and having a good time.
Ross Wilson is an Australian music legend. The ARIA Hall of Fame Inductee has been trotting the Australian landscape for over 50 years. He is the co-founder and the former frontman of Daddy Cool and Mondo Rock, responsible for infectious hits that could only be cured by a ear worm cream such as State of The Heart, Come Said The Boy, Chemistry, Summer of ’81, and the seminal hit Eagle Rock. Following the splits with the two bands, Ross has been embarking on a solo career, with this edition marking half of a century in the music business, playing across 70 cities and towns. This is indeed, the Greatest Hits tour of one Australia’s greatest song writers, producers and performers…and an all round Mr nice guy.
The singer and his band The Peaceniks sparked the night with Daddy’s Back, Hell of A Time, and Come Back Again – with the first and third song stemming from the Daddy Cool catalogue, punctuated by a more recent solo track of 2010. Born in 1947, Ross winded the clock by several decades and propagated the stage presence of his younger self; hand punching into the air, showcasing before a dance floor filled with an eclectic crowd of joy and happiness. Some were in their 20’s and 30’s, accepting the music batons from their parents and grandparents by filling the present void with the music of the yesteryears. As for the casual listeners, they soon realised the number of household hits Ross Wilson is associated with (not to mention the number of artists that Ross Wilson has written or produced for).
The hits kept rolling in after he removed his jacket – much to the whistles and cheers, sparking the Mondo Rock catalogue with Chemistry (if the Chemistry…is right). By then, the fans were packed in the groove train of the greatest hits, as if stepping back in time with Doc and Marty McFly on an adventure of the 70s and 80s. The rock and pop sensibilities were captured by the infectious display of Ross Wilson & The Peaceniks, cascading the super catchy melody that was reflected by a karaoke charge, near-capacity crowd at Charles Hotel Perth.
The singer also performed his latest solo hit – She’s Stuck on Facebook All The Time (ironically something that Ross is quite active on, and on Twitter). He also dedicated the night to his friend Jimmy Barnes with Sweet Soul Music, a track he performed alongside Diesel at The Palais. And the dedication continued, as he explained that he had co-written and recorded Touch of Paradise with Mondo Rock, a track that subsequently soared after it was covered by John Farnham. For many who may have not travelled in parallel with the timescale of Mondo Rock, the track from the 1982 Nuovo Mondo album was a pleasant surprise. There was a bit of light-hearted, exaggerated bitterness of the limelight shift, but like the cover version that many are familiar with, the original is also a dreamy concoction of music and sonic entwinement, which could only be churned by those who have experienced the hurt and beauty of longing for someone. The sweeping white lights of Charles Hotel added another layer of dimension of heartfelt elevation.
Come Said The Boy was one of the biggest hits, as Ross told this writer once, “Is about a girl who is more experienced than he is.” Once again, Ross Wilson punched through the lyrics with the grit of a person in his 20s, reminiscing the coming of age days of broken innocence. The 1983 track is timeless, and was performed with the slippery melody with added gusto at the chorus like it was meant to be, underlining the controversial elements that were felt back in its days.
And came the encore:
“I’d like to dedicate this song…to Sheldon.“
Before the performance, this writer told Ross Wilson, “I knew State of the Heart since the early 80’s when I was a kid in Malaysia. Something about this song that puts me at ease in a different place and time, till today”.
And so the unmistakable intro kicked in – with the piano and drums sparking a track that was sprinkled with nostalgia – of State of the Heart, the 1982 track by Mondo Rock. The heartfelt lyrics highlight the emotional effects of a relationship, which was slithered into the performance, as Ross sang with the sincere palpability. It was a cigarette lighter moment (now mobile phones) that deserved an arena-sized crowd.
After 15 songs from our generation, the night ended with Eagle Rock, a track that sparked the journey of Daddy Cool and ultimately Mondo Rock, as Ross Wilson mentioned. It was a night of swinging arms and swinging hips – moves that were unique and discernible between Mondo Rock and Daddy Cool.
Thank you Ross Wilson, Daddy Cool and Mondo Rock for 50 years of music.
Ross Wilson & The Peaceniks are on tour across Australia from August 2024 to February 2025. Tickets and info are available from Rosswilson.com.au
About the Writer/Photographer: Perth based Sheldon Ang Media (est. May 2022) have been accredited to almost 100 of the hottest acts including Taylor Swift (ERAS Tour in Sydney), KNOTFEST (Melbourne), Coldplay (Perth), KISS, P!NK, Fridayz Live, Robbie Williams and Rod Stewart with reviews shared by the likes of UB40, Delta Goodrem, The Wiggles and Toni Childs on social media. He has interviewed rockers Suzi Quatro, Ace Frehley (KISS), John Steel (The Animals), Frank Ferrer (Guns N Roses), Phil X (Bon Jovi), Andrew Farris (INXS) plus over 45 artists. He’s a contributor on Triple M Albany as a music journalist.
