THE THE // Photo by Prudence Upton

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It has been 18 long years since Matt Johnson of iconic UK post punk band The The has toured and even longer since their last Australian tour.  With Johnson stepping away from the spotlight to concentrate on other creative and personal endeavours he felt the time was right to step back onto the stage.  He has now reformed the band with members from each of The The’s tours over the last three decades, including a new member for the Comeback Special. For the Australian tour dates, the lineup featured DC Collard on keyboards, James Eller on bass, Geoff Dugmore on drums and Barrie Cadogan on guitar.

The Opera House is an iconic Sydney landmark and the main Concert Hall is an ideal venue for Johnson’s stripped down approach for this tour. He had spent six weeks with the band rehearsing for the Comeback Special and experimented a lot with the back catalogue until they decided on the final setlist. As the Opera House filled up I realised I wasn’t the only person in the room eager with anticipation as to what they would play.  A white screen lowered from the ceiling before the band walked on stage in darkness and launched straight into ‘Global Eyes’ from their last album Naked Self. Every band member except the drummer had their backs to the crowd, it felt like we had an immediate insight into one of their rehearsal sessions. The ominous silhouettes combined with heavy guitars were a perfect accompaniment to Johnson’s lyrics on our addiction to consumerism and the rapid globalisation that is encompassing the western world.

“Mobilize, globalize, hypnotize, homogenize. Shut your eyes don’t criticize. It’s a big surprise ain’t telling you lies. Truth hides in plain sight, Kentucky fried genocide”

Politics have always featured heavily in The The’s repertoire and ‘Sweet Bird of Truth’, ‘Heartland’ and  ‘The Beat(en) Generation’ are as pertinent today as they were 20 or 30 years ago. All three of them worked perfectly in a slower ‘bare-boned’ style without losing the intensity of the original versions. The tempo was changed however for ‘Armageddon Days Are Here Again’. Just before the start of the song Johnson jovially said to the audience “you can stand up for this one” and  the crowd didn’t need any more encouragement. The legendary Johnny Marr originally played guitar on this track but newcomer Cadogan (who was recommended by Marr to play on the tour) worked wonders on this reinterpreted live version.

After a heartfelt rendition of their 2017 Record Store Day single ‘We  Can’t Stop What’s Coming’  the set flowed seamlessly into several songs from their 1993 album Dusk.  These included the haunting ‘Love Is Stronger Than Death’ and the blues ridden ‘Dogs of Lust’, which even winkled out a fascinating  Leonard Cohen anecdote from Johnson regarding the seven stages of desirability for men placing himself and his band in the invisible/repugnant category. Their eighties classic ‘This Is The Day’  from Soul Mining got the crowd on their feet again passionately singing back the chorus to Johnson and they stayed there for ‘Slow Emotion Replay’ – with Cadogan once again dazzling with his frenetic guitar.

THE THE // Photo by Prudence Upton

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James Eller’s impeccable bass lines stood out on Burning Blue Soul’s ‘Like a Sun Rising Through My Garden’ and locked into Geoff Dugmore’s thunderous drumming on ‘I’ve Been Waitin’ for Tomorrow (All of My Life)’. Johnson returned to the stage alone for the encore and initiated  a whispered crowd singalong to another track from Dusk – ‘True Happiness This Way Lies’. It was then DC Collard’s turn to shine on the piano solo from the classic ‘Uncertain Smile’  – that lasted an almost breathtaking five minutes before the band finished the show with the last song from Dusk – ‘Lonely Planet’.

Audiovisual artist Vicki Bennett created the visual collage projections for the tour, consisting of The The videos & Johnson’s own recordings. On many occasions during the evening, the footage paralleled the songs, reinforcing the gravitas of the lyrics – a testament to Bennett’s talent.  The Comeback tour has heralded a new chapter for Johnson & The The whilst they have maintained their relevance as one of the most politically aware bands around today.

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