Last night I was back at Lizotte’s. I’m beginning to think I should just set up a bed out back and be done with it! This time I was enticed there by the prospect of seeing Aussie music legend Daryl Braithwaite.
But before all that we were treated to the musical stylings of Jess Locke. I was initially entranced by this folk singer with the pure voice and her quiet acoustic guitar strummings. But pretty soon the lack of variety in her songs made me lose interest. Her introspective tunes were well crafted, but ultimately depressing. When she introduced a track called “Happy Song” I perked up looking forward to the change of pace. Yet as the lyrics told us, she tried to write a happy song but it didn’t work out! Jess has a real talent, but some light and shade would make her music a lot more accessible.
Jess might not know how to have fun, but Daryl sure does. I’m not sure how I’ve made it to my age without seeing him live, but I definitely won’t wait long before repeating the experience. From Sherbet to his solo career, Daryl’s been around for an awfully long time. He’s had hit after hit, and he crammed as many of them as he could into his set.
Daryl’s appeal crosses all generations. My mum used to squeal over him when he was the long-haired frontman of Sherbet, while I remember Rise being one of my primary school soundtracks. No matter when you knew him, his songs are classics ingrained in us all. So it took little prompting for Daryl to engage us all in a little sing-along session.
Iconic tunes like “Howzat,” “One Summer,” and “As The Days Go By” sat comfortably alongside covers of James Reyne’s “Slave” and Free’s “Wishing Well.” Daryl performs with energy and a healthy dose of humour, and as a member of his audience you find yourself having just as much fun as he appears to.
By the closing number, “The Horses,” we were all on our feet and singing raucously. Our applause was enthusiastic and the smiles on our faces wide. After a show like that, it’s not hard to see why Daryl Braithwaite continues to be a strong force in the Australian music industry.
Image source: own photo