What great ambassadors for Australian music Karma County would make. Tasteful, professional and just down right awesome, Karma County must be one of the finest bands playing in this here part of the world, late in the 20th century.
Tonight saw the band in their finest form. They are a band who know when to be restrained, and they also know when to pull all stops and just rock out. Luckily for us, they can handle both extremes with flair, as well as everything that lies between.
The theme of tonight’s performance was obviously variety. Billed as the “Karma County Christmas Show, plus special guests” the variation never seemed to let up. Guests included Bow Campbell (of Sydney’s Front End Loader), Kath Wemyss (from the Jackson Code), Ghostwriter Rick Grossman and fellow ex-Hoodoo Guru Mark Kingsmill, Steve Appel (from King Kurly) and the inimitable Jimmy Little.
The highlights of the evening were too copious to list without first waxing lyrical: Karma County played perhaps their most confident and well executed set this year. This was aided by the vibe in the room, family, friends and fans packed the Hopetoun, and the festive cheer that was spilling over into the streets all night long.
Brendan Gallagher again proved himself to be one of Australia’s finest musical commodities; fantastic songs, brilliant voice, awe-inspiring guitar work. Stuart Eadie and Michael Galeazzi are a tight and funky rhythm section, the true heart of the band. And Bruce Reid’s sublime slide guitar work adds such a subtle atmosphere to the songs: he really has become an indispensable part of their sound, even if he is only an “associate member”.
The night was packed with great performances of a wide range of the band’s original songs, but also saw the band collaborate with their guests on their own respective classics. Jimmy Little shone through with charming elegance, with a beautiful rendition of The Go-Betweens’ Cattle and Cane. Little even ended the night with a somber and reflective run through Silent Night, just to remind us that the silly season was upon us.
But the highlight of the night was by far the unscheduled appearance of More Please Orchestra front man Costa Georgiadis. Decked out in a sparkling gold cape, and not much else, he took to the stage in full flight, delighting the masses with a run through some funk standards. Costa’s flailing limbs and gyrating hips were equally matched by the band, with Brendan taking the lead in what was surely a rare display of funk chops.
The night was truly one to remember, capably ushering in the silly season with fine aplomb. 1999 saw Karma County go from strength to strength and the night was very much a concise summary of their achievements for the year.
They truly are one of Australia’s finest contemporary acts: elegant, intelligent and amusing.