Boom Crash Opera, Bachelor Girl @ The Gov, Adelaide 10/11/2023
Two forces combined in Boom Crash Opera and Bachelor Girl making for the perfect Friday night soundtrack at the home of live music The Gov. Adelaide was spoilt for choice with the amount of live shows on around town, so it was a solid turnout for a Friday night crowd wanting to experience two of the very best Aussie live bands going round for the next few hours. It was a really good atmosphere at The Gov with punters relaxing with a drink or three before all the action got under way.
It isn’t often that ARIA award winning Bachelor Girl are in town these days and I dare say that there would have been a big supporter base there for them. Their set list had all the usual suspects including a couple of surprises thrown in. Bachelor Girl are Tania Doko as vocalist and partner in crime James Roche as musician, producer and arranger. The band sound tight and looked great starting with Blown Away and Permission to Shine followed by the single released earlier this year in Calling Out Your Name.
I’m Just A Girl and This Must Be Love were solid as was Drowning Not Waving and You Are Afraid. Without no shadow of a doubt the set turner was a cover of The Motels Total Control which brought the crowd in to it finding plenty of voice to sing this one with plenty of passion. Treat Me Good and Lucky Me closed out their set then returning for an encore. The band remerged with Doko acknowledging that Boom Crash Opera had the song book of the 80s thanking them for being a part of this co-headline tour. I think it is ballsy for any band to attempt a Midnight Oil cover and even now on reflection I’m not sure about their version of Power and the Passion. Finishing their set on their big hit Buses and Trains would have definitely left a great memory in the mind’s of fans until next time they return to Adelaide.
Boom Crash Opera upped the ante and it’s when you see these guys play that you can truly appreciate how many great songs they can drawn upon and there’s still more up their sleeve. After an accident some time ago with vocalist Dale Ryder there was always an unknown element about whether he would return to front this great band. Boom Crash Opera were last in Adelaide before Ryder’s accident so there was an element of making up for lost time acknowledged by Peter Farnan saying “he’s back!” He definitely is back and literally picking things up from where they left off and it was great to watch the energy and spirit of this band playing as if this was their last show ever. Peter Farnan was full of beans playing like a man half his age and loved every second being on stage.
Openers don’t get any better than Great Wall, City Flat and Gimme. The hit machine was cranking with the likes of In The Morning, Dancing In The Storm and Get Out Of The House to follow. With Dale sent off to the “hyperbaric chamber” Peter took a moment to shine taking the vocals on one of his songs Hello which was described as being catchy like The Wiggles. Ryder returned as Farnan suggested “doesn’t look a day over thirty five” to play Bettadaze. Crowd favourites The Best Thing and Onion Skin were an awesome finish to their set with encore highlight Hands Up In The Air topping off a great night.
Live Review By Rob Lyon