When Lizotte’s closed its doors at Kincumber, I was worried I might need to travel to Sydney or Newcastle to see great live music. However, a handful of other venues have stepped up and filled the void. I don’t feel quite as pampered heading out to Ettalong Diggers. The meals are fairly standard pub fare (although improving with a new chef!) and the wine list isn’t quite as refined. The auditorium doesn’t have the Cubby House’s ambience either. However, Ettalong Diggers is doing enough to attract performers like Glenn Shorrock, which gives it a big tick in my book.
One thing I do admire about Ettalong Diggers is the commitment it shows to the artists it books regularly. The local musos who slog it out in the main bistro area, competing for attention with meals, boisterous conversation, and footy on the big screen. Rather than looking elsewhere for a support act, organisers chose local favourite Shane Edwards. He’s far from a household name but the oldies who frequent the club love him, whether he’s playing a relatively modern song like Keith Urban’s “Somebody Like You” or tackling an operating classic like “Nessun Dorma.” He seems to do it all effortlessly, even while flirting with clearly besotted senior citizens!
With the crowd well and truly warmed up, it was Glenn Shorrock’s turn to hit the stage. The man is a true living legend who’s brought us some of Australia’s most beloved songs during his time in The Twilights, Axiom, and of course Little River Band. His set touched on hits from all those years in the business. If you were waiting for a “loo break” song you weren’t going to find it. There were no lulls here; just a whole lot of singalong fun.
So many years in the business seem to have taken a toll on Glenn. He sat down for much of the set, resting his legs for those numbers that called for a dance break. The years might have wearied his body, but his voice is still on point. Supported by an excellent band, you couldn’t hope for the show to sound better. The enthusiastic Ettalong crowd were in raptures, singing along to every song and clapping and cheering as it finished, only to eagerly await the next one. When Glenn was saying his goodbyes we were having none of it, and so he obliged with an unexpected finale, The Beatles’ “Carry That Weight.”
I looked around the auditorium as we filed out and saw so many smiling faces. What Glenn does isn’t particularly flashy, but he does it so well.
Image source: own photos