Pseudo Echo, Rob Edwards @ The Gov, Adelaide 22/2/2025
Pseudo Echo have had quite the illustrious career and even right now in 2025 they are just as relevant as ever before. Celebrating the fortieth anniversary of classic album Love An Adventure is a wonderful achievement and milestone definitely worthy of plenty of celebrations touring just about everywhere over the course of the next few months. This time it was Adelaide’s turn to join the festivities and celebrate this achievement.
Opening proceedings was local singer songwriter Rob Edwards who is back on the scene touring around Adelaide. One thing is for sure he has some great songs in the kit bag that seemed a little lost on this “tough” crowd. Part of The Gov was set up in cabaret mode with tables and chairs which in my view encouraged some people to talk louder and over the top of the music he was playing. This is something that is continually frustrating but for Rob it was like water off a duck’s back. He ploughed on, let his music and on stage personality shine. Dreaming which morphed in to Ain’t No Sunshine was clever and a highlight as well as the funked up version of Lonely Lover.
The stage was warmed for Pseudo Echo and as the lights dimmed on screen there was an 80s Love An Adventure montage that set the scene for what was about to come. The band emerged and they have a striking look that uniquely identifies them, front man Brian Canham was looking sharp almost akin to a gangster. Kicking off with Lies Are Nothing the early frustrations of Canham could be seen as there were some obvious sound issues. His opening remark was “Forty years hey, love an adventure” then proceeding with I Ask You Why. It was about half way through when Canham could no longer tolerate the sound issues walking off and waiting for them to be resolved. Much respect as he demands the highest standards of himself but those also working on the tour. When the band took I Ask You Why again from the top it was clear as day the difference in sound.
Try was great but it was the likes of Don’t Go that got the crowd going. Tell Me and Lonely Without You were great to hear but it’s those big set moments such as A Beat For You and Over Tomorrow that really stand out. Hard to believe that Canham is sixty three years young, wouldn’t have picked that, jokingly saying he was six when he started! There was a moment of reflection talking about the single Living In A Dream that was conceived well before Pseudo Echo. Equally as popular was Love An Adventure.
“Going back to the seventies” it was a cover of Nutbush City Limits given the Pseudo Echo touch up followed by another in Real Life’s Send Me An Angel. Gold! Canham talked about the first time meeting Molly Meldrum and how important this was in the early stages of their career. The back end of their main set finished in a blaze of glory with Listening followed by a beefed up extended version of the chart topping hit Funky Town which had a few teasers including AC/DC’s TNT and Deep Purple’s Black Night. The crowd was up and about dancing and singing like they didn’t want this one to end. If they ended it there I’m sure everyone would have been content and had their fill but the band returned one more time for an encore that featured Ultraviolet wrapping up the Adelaide celebrations for the fortieth anniversary of Love An Adventure.
Live Review By Rob Lyon