Live Review: The Angels – “Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again – 50 Years On” Tour
17 July 2026 at Freo Social Fremantle Western Australia
Photography and Review by Erica Lorimer Photographer
It’s a wet night in the port town of Freo but rain won’t stop an Angels crowd keen to see Australian rock legends back on tour. This year the band is treating fans to a national “Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again – 50 Years On” Tour, marking half a century of the signature song that has become part of our national culture.
The Perth shows have been snapped up days ahead and the band are stoked. We at Sheldon Ang Media have been covering their gigs for years, interviewing John Brewster and watching crowds swell, especially with younger Gen Zs fans turning up in force. They are not tagging along with mum and dad anymore but rocking up with mates and belting out the words like they have been in on it since the start. Seeing a new wave claim that legacy with such spirit is something special.
Staying relevant by evolving and continuing to release new music has kept The Angels in the mix as one Australian rock’s defining bands since forming in 1974. The trophy cabinet is full of multi-platinum records, a number one album with Beyond Salvation, and the four times platinum Face to Face. Their 1998 induction into the ARIA Hall of Fame confirms their place in the national canon. As John Brewster put it simply and proudly during the show: “We are still here”.
The Angels are a formidable live force and Western Australian audiences appreciate that they have crossed the Nullarbor to play here at least 13 times since 2021, including two shows this weekend.
They walk on stage, as they always do, to the “Overture from Australia Felix”, composed by Hooper Brewster-Jones, Rick and John’s grandfather, who was a notable Australian musician, composer and music teacher. They use it again tonight and it sets the room up before the guitars hit with the opener “No Exit”.
The Angels are one of those rare bands you can trust to deliver a good night out. They bring their familiar full road-show energy, and still deliver the songs with the dark sunnies, wide-legs and guitar-forward style that helps define Australian rock. It is not a pose with them. It is simply how they have always looked. They say enough with the welcomes, introductions and essentials. They don’t stretch it. The music carries the rest and the crowd does not need anything more.
Those of us who remember their early days have become choosy about who we’ll leave home for on a winter’s night, but an Angels show never disappoints. The Night Attack album had just been released when I saw the band first in 1982 and they were already in full flight. A good chunk of tonight’s crowd could have been at that Perth Entertainment Centre concert, as once an Angels fan you’re always an Angels fan. It’s genuinely satisfying to realise older fans have not aged out of the music that shaped us, and watching the Angels live recalls youthful confidence.
Their music is prominent in our nation’s soundtrack and most Australians know more of it than they realise. Evoking memories of pubs, long drives and hot Australian nights, fifty years on the Angels are still making records, still touring and still giving audiences the thrill of loud guitars, big songs and real connection.
Driving the band’s legacy are the Brewster brothers, Rick and John, whose guitars remain at the heart of the band’s sound. Tonight, prolific bassist Dario Bertolin (Baby Animals) is filling in for John’s son Sam. John’s other son Tom is on the drums so, like the crowd, the next generation is truly in the mix on stage and in the room.
Former band drummer turned front man Nick Norton has now clocked 15 years with The Angels and his work strongly runs through the band’s new music. On stage, he continues to build a commanding presence with a character that feels part human, part machine with sharp, precisely timed movements that betray his drummer’s instincts. It’s a surreal, almost robotic charisma that fits perfectly with the band’s long running fascination with darker, nighttime themes and acts as a contrast to the Brewster brothers’ impassive guitar stance. The result feels gritty but fun, mysterious yet authentic.
Forget trying to grab a beer in an Angels set because there are no breathers. The familiar riffs at the start of each song pull people straight in and you cannot but sing them. From “No Secrets”, “Shadow Boxer”, “Fashion and Fame”, “Face the Day”, “We Gotta Get Out of This Place”, “Take a Long Line”, “After the Rain”, “Marseilles,” “Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again” and a final encore of “Skid Row After Dark”, the hits flowed. New hit “Ninety Nine (Go For Broke)” always sits nicely alongside the classics.
The band has told us that the average age at their shows is roughly 35 and no doubt that will drop further very soon. A more spirited, mosh pit style pocket has now formed deep across front of stage with the growth in younger fans. It was a bit too energetic for many to take on, myself included, and the venue clearly anticipated it by removing the chairs this year. Of course, crowd involvement hits its peak during the suitably naughty crowd response to “Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again” with “No way, get fucked, fuck off” . It s always a winner and when this famous anthem rings out through the crowd there are radiating grins all round.
Tonight shows The Angels’ fan base is one of the most diverse in Aussie rock and my photos from the night prove the crowd’s getting younger and growing fast. The band’s successful injection of great new music and young musical talent alongside the elder Brewsters keeps their shows centred in the ‘now’ while joyously celebrating their numerous classic Aussie pub rock classics. They keep showing up and more of us are showing up for them. We are lucky the journey continues and lucky we will keep seeing their faces again.
Disgraceland
Fresh from seeing Baz Luhrmann’s EPiC: Elvis Presley In Concert earlier this year, I was already primed for a good dose of Elvis. Gold Coast outfit Disgraceland, delivered the King’s hip shaking diamante swagger with a fun punk rock spin. Disgraceland plays with a freshness and fun that would turn any room into a big party. The hit list throws a huge wide net and brings in Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire” and the Vapors’ ‘Turning Japanese”. When the band played “Sweet Caroline” by Neil Diamond the young crowd lit up to this viral favourite with an enthusiastic singalong.
Disgracelanddid exactly what a support act should do. They kept the energy high, fuelled the final beer run and had the room primed for the iconic The Angels to take the stage.
Set Lists
The Angels
No Exit – No Exit – 1979
No Secrets – Dark Room – 1980
Shadow Boxer – No Exit – 1979
Fashion and Fame – Night Attack – 1981
Ninety Nine (Go For Broke) – Ninety Nine – 2024
Comin ‘Down – Face to Face – 1978
Face the Day – Dark Room – 1980
We Gotta Get Out of This Place (cover) – Howling – 1986
Minor Truth – Ninety Nine – 2024
After the Rain – Face to Face – 1978
Mr Damage – No Exit – 1979
Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again – The Angels – 1977
Out of the Blue – No Exit – 1979
Be with You – Face to Face – 1978
Take a Long Line – Face to Face – 1978
Marseilles – Face to Face – 1978
Encore:
Hue and Cry – Ninety Nine – 2024
Skid Row After Dark – No Exit – 1979
Disgraceland
“Suspicious Minds” – Elvis Presley
“I’m Coming Home” – Elvis Presley
“Turning Japanese” – The Vapors
“What I Like About You” – The Romantics
“Ring of Fire” – Johnny Cash
“Wipe Out” – The Surfaris
“That’s Alright” – Elvis Presley
“Burning Love” – Elvis Presley
“Sweet Caroline” – Neil Diamond
“Viva Las Vegas” – Elvis Presley
About the Writer and 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.
Sheldon Ang Media (est. May 2022) have been accredited to over 250 of the hottest acts including Taylor Swift (ERAS Tour in Sydney), Coldplay (Perth), Backstreet Boys, KISS, Iron Maiden, RHCP, P!NK with reviews shared by the likes of Belinda Carlisle, Suzi Quatro, Roxette, Tina Arena, UB40, Delta Goodrem, Leo Sayer and Tina Arena on social media. Their founder has interviewed rockers Ace Frehley (KISS), John Steel (The Animals), Frank Ferrer (Guns N Roses), Phil X (Bon Jovi), Andrew Farris (INXS), plus over 70 artists. He’s also a contributor on Triple M Radio as a music journalist.
