The Angels, Boom Crash Opera @ The Gov, Adelaide 10/1/2020
Friday nights don’t get any better than with two of Australia’s finest bands The Angels and Boom Crash Opera. The Angels are undoubtedly one of Australia’s hardest working bands who seem to be always on tour and rarely slow down for a break. It definitely seems to be a perfect match with Dave Gleeson fronting The Angels who looked like an excited school kid on stage in amongst Australian rock royalty with Rick and John Brewster. Both bands are on tour with Red Hot Summer/ Sounds By The River and playing some co-headline shows in between on the “Sideshow” tour.
Boom Crash Opera were fantastic getting the night under way and with Dale Ryder back in the fold it’s only upwards from here. The mood amongst the band was jovial as that rocked their way through Great Wall. Love that song! Ended Up Where I Started followed and then it was a stellar version of Dancing In The Storm. Ryder commented that Piece Of The Pie was a religious song about god and how he sucked. I really liked the arrangements in Get Out Of The House complete with Ryder on acoustic guitar.
The crowd really seemed to be lapping it up and the band looked like they were really enjoying it up there. Where There’s A Will was great but it was the improvised trumpet from Ryder in Bettadaze made this one a highlight. A broken microphone stand didn’t stop the band from charging through Hands Up In The Air. The band finished on some big hits which got the crowd going with The Best Thing and Onion Skin.
The Angels according to front man Dave Gleeson thought that they had played at The Gov at least twenty times over the last five years. Incredible! There was no time for talking as the band got down to business opening with Ivory Stairs followed in quick succession by After The Rain and the crowd pleaser No Secrets.
After I Ain’t The One Gleeson asked the crowd how they knew about this gig jokingly as it was the guise of secret sideshows before the festival slot at Sounds By The River the next day. It’s great for fans seeing The Angels mix up their set list exploring all dimensions of their back catalogue. Be With You, Fashion & Fame and Under The Stone were great inclusions but it’s hard to top Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again. The audience reaction and participation in this one is brilliant and as Gleeson said it was good to see you all sing your tits or nuts off.
Once The Angels train gets going these guys are unstoppable. After Dark, Comin’ Down were great and Mr Damage was brilliant. The Angels powered on through the remainder of the set with Face The Day, Long Line and Marseilles. Wow! The band looked like they could go another couple of hours.
The Brewster brothers came out first after the encore break to dedication and ‘tip their hats’ to mates Doc Neeson, Greedy Smith and Stuart Fraser who have passed. The bluesy number was a nice touch and a reminder that their mates are always in their thoughts. Love Takes Care and the rocker Can’t Shake It was a ripping way to finish off a great night.
Live Review By Rob Lyon