Project Description

COLD CHISEL

‘A Day On The Green’

@ Rochford Wines

10/1/20

(Live Review)

Reviewer – Benjamin Smith

Photos by Michel Gow

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Australia has consistently produced rock n roll bands that rival anything the rest of the world has to offer. From the early days of the Easybeats to more contemporary phenomena like Tame Impala and King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Australia has shown itself to be rich with an understanding of what it takes to make solid, groove-driven rock music.

But like no other, one band has captured the Australian spirit and endeared itself to the nation so fundamentally as to be intertwined inextricably with our very identity. Anyone who’s ever been in a room and heard the line “the last plane out of Sydney’s almost gone” has witnessed just how deeply Cold Chisel has become engrained into the national psyche.

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Much of the success of this humble pub rock act is attributable to the extraordinary songwriting talent of keyboardist Don Walker. His ability to express the soul of urban Australia through a lyricism that is part tribute, part mockery is unparalleled. The perfect storm that found his talent fused with the likes of guitarist Ian Moss and singer Jimmy Barnes is now the stuff of music legend.

Chisel have a new album Blood Moon and the current round of shows is promoting that work. It is a good, solid release with Cold Chisel’s trademark mix of grit and soul present throughout. But whilst the new material was well received, the truth is most of the crowd were there to hear the classics, which they played flawlessly. From Choirgirl to Forever Now, from Khe Sanh to Flame Trees, Saturday Night and Breakfast at Sweethearts their set list was like a catalogue of the country’s heartbeat.

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For the first half of their set, the rain pelted the audience, as it had done all day. That did nothing to diminish the mood, in fact it may have enhanced it. There is something uniting about a crowd prepared to weather the storm. As the rest of the country battled the flames that have torn through so much of the East Coast, this crowd was determined to leave the loss and devastation at home, at least just for a few hours and to be so totally in this moment that it was like nothing else existed.

The three other bands on the bill all played excellent sets. Birds of Tokyo played their hits and the audience sang along and responded well. The crowd also took to the Detonators well, which is a sound effort for the opening act at these types of all day events; audiences are often minded to conserve their energy for headliners many hours away. But the standout was the performance given by veteran act, Magic Dirt who destroyed the stage as the storm raged. Vocalist and guitarist Adalita Srsen is an absolute powerhouse, both physically and sonically. Magic Dirt made their name in the 90s as a touring band with a reputation for high energy performances and in the almost 30 years they’ve been performing none of their intensity has faded.

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In terms of putting on an event like this, the logistics are a nightmare, particularly given the rain and the mud and the sludge, but this one went over as a resounding success. A Day on the Green have been putting on these outdoor performances for almost twenty years and in that time they’ve really found a way to iron out just about all of the wrinkles. The sound is great, the amenities are good, the food and drink is plenty and security and clean up crew are ever present without at all being intrusive.

The opportunity to hear tracks like Bow River, You Got Nothing I Want and Cheap Wine is a real privilege. The miracle of Jimmy Barnes’ voice, undiminished as it is after decades of uninhibited screaming and enhanced by his newfound sobriety, is a thing to behold. He and Moss have real chemistry on stage and the addition of an occasional sax break, a harmonica solo and a couple of back up singers for extra measure add extra dimensions to the core sound. Underneath it all though, is the power of the songs. Simple but elegant, poignant, sometimes funny, often raw and tinged with melancholy they are the songs of a nation finding and grappling with its own identity, even now decades after they first worked their way into our consciousness.

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Check out MICHAEL GOW’s
gallery of this event HERE

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TOUR DATES
A DAY ON THE GREEN

Cold Chisel with special guests

Sat Feb 1
Heifer Station Wines, Orange, NSW
With Birds of Tokyo and Magic Dirt
SOLD OUT

Sat Feb 8
Sirromet Wines, Mount Cotton, QLD
With Birds of Tokyo and Magic Dirt
SOLD OUT

Sun Feb 9
Sirromet Wines, Mount Cotton, QLD
With Birds of Tokyo and Magic Dirt
FINAL TICKETS

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All remaining tickets on sale now from Ticketmaster & 136 100

All event information www.adayonthegreen.com.au

For all the national tour dates and latest information go to the official home of Cold Chisel’s Blood Moon Tour 2020 www.coldchisel.com

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AMNPLIFY – DB