Excelsior Hotel
Surry Hills 15Oct99
Not to be confused with TheGoodFolks@a well known
record label/retailer, Good People were well into rocking it up with the first
song of the night’s procedure for a sizeable Excelsior crowd when we landed for
the night. Based around the vocal and performing prowess of Angela Norris, so Deb
Conway/Do-Re-Mi she could be related (but isn’t), Good People are a 3-4 piece from Sydney’s East with an
occasional keys/backing track and a presentation which is halfway between adult
pop and straight-ahead rock - Pat
Benatar meets
Gyan if you like. They are a tight and
professional unit with a very promising outlook and what appears to be a strong
following.
It took be a while to warm to Blue World… probably about the same time it took them to
get over launch-night nerves. Ajala (vocals) just wouldn’t stop moving, which was countered by Rosemary (vocals, keyboards) seemingly overawed by the
experience and an early assailant at stage right. Duncan (guitars) and Steve (bass) convey the look of a pair who have
worked together for years while Sam just
kicked back behind the kit, driving the whole show.
Musically this set was much more laid back than
that which opened, more suited to the adult end of the previous display: while Good People rocked it up more, Blue World were content to let their music change your
mood complete with sax, flutes, acoustic guitar and that nouveau-pop approach that
seems to be going away no time soon. Stand outs for the crowd whose face
changed but number remained include the single I Want Everything, which they successfully transferred from studio
to stage, as well as Waiting, Something and Why Try.
The parents loved it, but that’s their job. But
only the very drunk and a couple of the fans of the previous band left through
the first few songs, which is a plus. There will definitely be more heard from
these Hills aor-purveyors on discerning stations or venues in the coming months.