The discrepancy is such that if you’d never seen Chicago before, you’d leave thinking Roxie was the lead and Velma support. Happily, Ventoura improves markedly in the second act, notably for When Velma Takes the Stand, so all is not lost, and the production is amply good enough to ensure we can relish the show’s inherent pizazz.
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The ensemble’s execution of the choreography is razor-sharp, although, in terms of sexiness, it’s more safety razor than cut-throat. The band, directed by Anthony Barnhill, is all class, sass and exactitude, and the sound is exceptional.
More pearls are to be found in the minor roles. Asabi Goodman has the barnstorming voice to electrify Mama Morton’s When You’re Good to Mama, and Peter Rowsthorn is as good an Amos (Roxie’s beleaguered husband) as I’ve seen, making his Mister Cellophane a genuine highlight. So, even with its flaws, it’s still a hell of a show. Like the US justice system.
MUSIC
Pond
Carriageworks, June 14
Reviewed by JAMES JENNINGS
★★★★
The music of Western Australians Pond splays all over the musical map, from psychedelic rock to funk-infused dance pop. It’s all held together by focal point Nick Allbrook, a frontman who understands the classic-rock-star playbook as defined by the likes of Mick Jagger and the Who.
For more than a sweat-drenched hour the lithe Allbrook strutted, yelped, crowd-surfed, shredded on guitar and twirled his mic cord like he was trying to lasso the band’s oversized energy, only coming in to land for between-song banter that typically consists of an endearing and very Aussie “Thanks heaps!”
Allbrook being a likeable and eminently watchable frontman is only part of the band’s appeal, though: the four other multi-instrumentalist members – Jay Watson, Shiny Joe Ryan, Jamie Terry and James Ireland – are all crack musicians, capable of flitting between genres with aplomb.
Nick Allbrook is a likeable and eminently watchable frontman.Credit: Ruby Boland
Neon River and (I’m) Stung, both taken from the band’s new album Stung, take us to an alternative universe where glam rock is still the hottest sound around, a tequila-ed-up Allbrook prowling the stage like a young Marc Bolan waiting for the confetti cannons to go off at any second.
From there the stylistic pivots come thick and fast: for Sweep Me off My Feet, an ecstatic slice of Prince-like R&B-electro-funk-pop, the crowd sings along to one of the best choruses in the Pond catalogue; next comes the vocoder-featuring stoner rock of Black Lung.
It’s a sound they heavily lean into on Aloneaflameaflower and Giant Tortoise, where the band go full Black Sabbath, laying down riffs heavy enough for several young men in the immediate vicinity to intently head-bang along to.
Proving there’s no lane to which they can’t switch, the band decides the best way to end a show, obviously, is to turn it into a giant dance party. Don’t Look at the Sun or You’ll Go Blind, an extended electro-funk epic, gets the crowd moving, which Allbrook sees as an invitation to throw himself into it, while singing the chorus to the Jacksons’ Blame It on the Boogie.
Allbrook marvels several times that this night is the biggest show they’ve ever played – it’s a credit to himself and the rest of the band that they live up to the occasion by performing like it is.
MUSIC
Luke Hemmings
Enmore Theatre, June 13
Reviewed by MILLIE MUROI
★★★½
Since forging a solo career away from Sydney boy band 5 Seconds of Summer, Luke Hemmings has refined his craft and reached new vocal heights.
However, on this night he lacked the star power one might expect from the former lead singer of one of the country’s most successful acts. But he looked at home on stage, and his vocal control and unique timbre entranced us.
“Hi, I’m Luke from Sydney, Australia,” the now Los Angeles-based artist said in a mock American accent. “Somehow that means more tonight.”
Hemmings said songs such as Mum, from his debut solo album When Facing the Things We Turn Away From, and Garden, from his most recent album Boy, were inspired by a longing to return to Sydney. “I wrote these living somewhere else and thinking about here,” he said.
From the melancholy Place in Me to the rock elements dialled up in Diamonds, both from his 2021 album, Hemmings showcased his versatility.
At points the lighting was overpowering and detracted from one of the key attractions of live performance: seeing the artist, their emotion and moments of connection with the audience.
A cover of the Cure’s Friday I’m in Love injected some energy, while closing songs Shakes and I’m Still Your Boy from the latest album capped off a solid performance. Hemmings’ voice doesn’t blow you away with its power, but there’s a refined quality to it that comes through, particularly live.
Whether songs from his 5SOS days no longer align with his creative direction or are unsuited to solos, there was no nod to that pop-rock past, which might have been a nice touch.
Since posting song covers on YouTube in 2011, Hemmings has gone from a kid busking in Hawkesbury, to a band that gained global recognition, and is now an artist who, having found his groove, is polishing his individual style. He may have had more sparkle and star status as part of 5SOS, but going solo has allowed his voice to take centre stage.
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