Peter Head @ The Trinity Sessions, Goodwood SA 23/01/26
Adelaide’s live music calendar has kicked off 2026 with an absolute roar. From the theatrical flair of The Last Dinner Party and Yungblud to the sweeping anthems of The Lumineers and Nick Cave, we have had sold-out shows with massive productions. Sometimes, though, there is a magic to get back to roots and intimate shows, and Peter Head playing the Trinity Sessions in Goodwood fitted the bill nicely.
Celebrating his eightieth birthday soon Peter wanted to return to Adelaide and celebrate with some live shows. Peter formed the prog-rock outfit, Headband, in 1970 and they had success with their debut (and only) album. The band split in 1974 and Peter started The Mt Lofty Ranges with Chris Bailey (later with The Angels). This was an ever-changing line-up which included luminaries like Bon Scott, Glenn Shorrock and Robyn Archer. Peter did boast, “some two hundred members went through the band”.
The tranquil setting of the old church set the scene nicely as Peter, Chris Finnen (guitar), Ron Kosmider (bass), and Mark Meyer (drums) took to the stage. “I’m a refugee from Adelaide,” said Peter, “and it’s good to be back.” Fittingly, the opening song was called Adelaide, a song he wrote when he was only seventeen, for Johnny Mac. Peter apparently only had one day of rehearsals with the band, but it didn’t show. They were perfection from the start.
Fans may have been hoping for a selection of Headband songs, but it wasn’t to be. The song Heads and Tales told the “heady” story of Headband and their journey around Australia, but the only actual Headband song played was My Young Friend, delivered beautifully by Peter. Peter obviously likes writing songs about places and experiences. With the line, “A nice place to visit, as long as you don’t stay too long,” the song Melbourne was rolled out.
Peter had also played with Bon Scott for a year or two in The Mt Lofty Ranges, and Peter regaled us with affectionate stories of a pre-AC/DC Bon trying to write songs. We were presented with two of these attempts: the beautiful Clarissa and the interesting I’ve Been Up in the Hills Too Long, a song by Bon about missing “lady friends” while living in the Adelaide Hills. Not exactly a masterpiece of a song, but fun, with some fine banjo from Chris Finnen.
Bon recorded some songs with The Mt Lofty Ranges which were never released until the 90s — Carey Gully and Round and Round — and both songs were played, with Peter channelling his best Bon voice.
The night was certainly a history lesson in 1970s South Australian rock ’n’ roll. Down in Hindley Street was a tale of a young seventeen-year-old Peter Head, just out of school, playing for strippers in Hindley Street. The band left the stage, leaving just Peter, who gave us a brief ditty that Robyn Archer used to perform before the break.
The second half of the performance shifted focus to Head’s twenty-year tenure in the wine bars of Sydney. This “Piano Man” era brought us soul-searching tracks like William Street Blues and the cheeky You Have to Get Out of It, to Get into It. “I’ll let you work out that one,” Peter laughed. Another travelogue followed with Darwin (“an interesting town,” said Peter, “not like Adelaide at all”), and then King of the Cross gave us more stories of his time in Sydney, as did Everything Is Everything.
Peter’s latest album is a selection of Randy Newman songs that he has covered. He started with his favourite Randy song, the poignant Guilty, following it with Have You Seen My Baby and Short People, complete with a story about him and a little person of short stature in a nightclub in Sydney. You will have to read his book to get the story. Peter whispered, “This song was written in 1972 and it applies today,” before mentioning a certain U.S. world leader. The song was Political Science, with the refrain, “So let’s drop the big one now.”
The night concluded with Breathalyser Blues, leaving the audience with one final story from a life lived at the keyboard. As he departed the stage, Head remarked he hoped to be back as “I’ve got a whole lot of playing to do yet.”
On the evidence of this performance, Adelaide should certainly hope so. It was a masterclass in storytelling and a reminder that while stadium shows provide the adrenaline, it’s the intimate sessions that provide the soul.
Live Review by Geoff Jenke