Project Description

IAN MOSS

@ Sir Robert Helpmann Theatre

20/03/19

(Live Review)

Review and Photos – Deb Kloeden

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Most people associate the name Ian Moss with Jimmy Barnes and Cold Chisel, and rightly so, as he is one of the finest lead guitarists I have seen. However there is much more to the man called Ian Moss than just one of Cold Chisel’s band members. I had the pleasure of experiencing one of his solo acoustic performances on his current National Regional Theatre Tour, which consists of 24 shows covering regional centers in NSW, VIC, WA, SA, QLD and NT. The Mt Gambier show in South Australia marked the mid point of the tour and was coincidentally Ian Moss’s birthday.

It is not every day that a musician as highly regarded as Ian Moss comes to play in a rural town near you. The predominantly older crowd came out in droves last night to see one of their idols give a sincere and honest performance with no flashy lights, backing band, pre-recorded loops or artificial instruments. His show was definitely stripped back and almost ‘unplugged’.

Seated in the middle of the stage, surrounded by minimal equipment and three acoustic guitars, Ian Moss delivered a mix of songs from his new Self Titled album, older solo albums and Cold Chisel classics. A large banner boldly bearing his name was the only ‘visual effect’. His performance was divided into two sets.

He opened with a cover of the 1953 blues classic ‘Cry Me A River’, originally written for Ella Fitzgerald by Arthur Hamilton. Next he gave a taste of the new album with a rocky number ‘Down Along The Track’.  ‘Out Of The Fire’ was written collaboratively with Don Walker from Cold Chisel 30 years ago, and ‘Message From Baghdad’ came from the 2005 album ‘Six Strings’, which was his fourth studio album.

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Frenetic scales introduced the fifth song ‘Such A Beautiful Thing’ from the 1989 album ‘Matchbook’, followed by another from the new album ‘My Suffering’. This was a slower, sadder number, which allowed Mossy to bear his soul. It is the only song Ian Moss has not written on the album, but was written by the late, great Cold Chisel drummer, Steve Prestwich.

Next came the classic Chisel number ‘My Baby’, which dates back to 1980 and comes from the album ‘East’. Don Walker wrote ‘Janelle’ about his first daughter, a product of a final fling with a past lover. She was a surprise you might say. This bluesy song is one that Mossy largely sung for Cold Chisel and seems to be a favourite. It was interspersed with Spanish Flamenco riffs, demonstrating his versatility as a guitarist. The final song of the first set was also another Chisel classic ‘Flame Trees’, once again paying tribute to other inspiring songwriters.

After an intermission, set 2 began with more new songs ‘Cold In The Night’ and ‘If Another Day’, followed by the first single from Cold Chisel’s ‘East’ album, the classic ‘Choir Girl’. It was interesting to hear these Chisel classics being sung with a more delicate voice, in a less gritty fashion. When he finally performed the ever-popular ‘Saturday Night’ Mossy was keen to engage the audience and asked the boys and girls to add their voices, to which everyone eagerly complied. The massive radio hit ‘Tuckers Daughter’ closed the set and guaranteed a rousing response from the crowd.

Mossy came back for three encore songs, starting by telling us “I’ve got whisky, I’ve got song, wishing you were here tonight”, words from another new song ‘Broadway’. ‘Cheap Wine’ also got the crowd singing before he finally closed with ‘Bow River’, introduced simply as a song about the NE corner of WA.

Before he left the stage he invited people to meet him at the merch desk where he appeared for signings. I was lucky enough to have a quick chat with him before the long line of eager fans grabbed his attention. Everyone was full of praise for his show.

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Set list

1. Cry me a river 
2. Down along the track *
3. Out of the fire 
4. Message from Baghdad three encore songs
5. Such a beautiful thing 
6. My Suffering *
7. My Baby 
8. Janelle 
9. Flame Trees 
10. Cold In The Night * 
11. If Another Day *
12. Choir Girl 
13. Never Before 
14. Hold On 
15. Telephone Booth 
16. Saturday Night 
17. Tuckers Daughter 
18. Broadway *
19. Cheap Wine 
20. Bow River 

(* songs from the new Self-Titled album)

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Check out IAN MOSS below
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AMNPLIFY – DB