Review – Richard Clapton + The Robertson Bros

@ Lassiters Casino Alice Springs 23Oct02

 

What can I say? There wasn't a portaloo in sight but it was one of the most "Smokin'" nights entertainment ever...

 

Not really.

 

Ralph was alright. Nothing special, but not a bad way to spend a Wednesday night. A few chunky guitar solos (even a guitar duel) but not much Rawwwkkk to speak of. He did say "Smokin'" between songs, which was pretty rock. But I think it was not so much "Smokin = excellent" as "Smokin... two packets of Winnie Blues a day and now i'm short of breath". He played all the classics Capricorn Dancer, Distant Thunder (whoa whoa-ah whoa) etc. Girls on the avenue was played without much energy and I am an Island definitely lost something without Barnesy.

 

The support act was straight out of KLI[1] though. Gold!!  I don't know what they were called, but they were a Middle Aged Boy Band!! It was great. Three 40+ year old guys dressed like Human Nature singing covers to a backing tape (with one guitarist strumming mindlessly along - you couldn't even hear him over the midi accompaniment)... Wait up! 4 blokes... Maybe it was RK1, RK2, GC and PG!??[2]

 

They did Jackson 5, Bee Gees, Ricky Martin and the like, but get this (this is where it gets real good)!! They are the guys who sing the new revamped theme song to Home and Away!!!!! They made a big show of not wanting to play it (ala Farnsey with Sadie the fkkn cleaning lady) but eventually had their arms twisted... This despite the fact that NO ONE had a fkkn clue who they were (or cared) or what they were talking about when they kept saying "Should we play it? Nah.... Oh maybe".

 

And they kept congratulating themselves between songs "Yeah! Alright!! That rocked!!" (high-fives all round etc). It was so much better than anything KISS or Frozen Doberman[3] could put out.

Glen Colley