Sunnyboys shine through darkness
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Sunnyboys main man Jeremy Oxley, second from right, with friends, from left, Brendan Gallagher (Karma County), Ian Haug (Powderfinger) and Stu.
Source: Supplied
REVIEW: The Sunnyboys and The Frowning Clouds
Governor Hindmarsh Hotel,
March 23
AUSTRALIAN rock is full of hardluck stories. Wrong place, wrong time. Misguided managers and ignorant record companies. Acrimony and addiction.
While The Sunnyboys could tick several of those boxes, their dizzy ride from teenage rock sensations in 1981 to bitter burn out three brilliant albums and four years later cuts deeper than most.
Lead singer Jeremy Oxley’s downward spiral as he wrestled the demons of schizophrenia is well documented, most poignantly in Kaye Harrison’s intimate doco from last year called The Sunnyboy (every one, music fan or not, should see this heartbreaking tale of mental illness).
Given he is lucky to be alive, fans could have been forgiven for thinking that it was on these unfortunate terms that the band’s legacy would rest.
The Sunnyboys back in 1983.
But, as the film documents, the story took another unexpected twist two years ago. With Oxley married and turning his life around, the original members — at the behest of his bass-playing brother Pete — reformed, initially for a festival organised by the Hoodoo Gurus and then followed by several other summer festivals.
The unbridled positive reaction to those comeback shows, and Jeremy Oxley’s ongoing improved health, convinced the band — which also includes guitarist Richard Burgman and drummer Bill Bilson — that it was time to end the story on their own terms, starting with a headline national tour to support a new best-of release.
It is no surprise then that after nearly 30 years between Adealide shows, the fans are out in force at The Gov despite this being a Sunday night.
The venue is at near capacity as young Geelong support act The Frowning Clouds take the stage. While I miss the majority of their set, it is clear since my last viewing that they have prioritised substance over style and now have some decent psychedelic songs to back up their ’60s London schtick.
A huge cheer erupts as The Sunnyboys stroll on to stage and assume their positions, Jeremy casually telling the crowd “I missed you guys” before the distinctive choppy guitars screech into action on As I Walk, one of the cuts from his short-lived 1989 reinvention of the band.
The quartet takes a couple of songs to warm up and is only just finding its groove when it launches into Happy Man, one of the oh-so catchy classics from the critically acclaimed first album that indelibly inked The Sunnyboys on the national psyche.
It is testament to the quality of the songwriting that these bursts of power-pop goodness have not only stood the
test of time, but sound as fresh and vital as the day the then-teenage Oxley first penned them.
It is also clear from the crowd how much these songs are a cherished part of their youth.
The sludgy My Only Friend, the wailing solo of Let You Go and surfy swagger of What You Need are early highlights, the exhilaration and energy the band is able to conjure justifying the reverential status of its hits.
Just like my first live Sunnyboys experience two years ago, I am blown away by how good they are.
Despite their worn complexions and extra kilos, they don’t miss a beat, the ear-ticklingly tight sound enhanced by the reliable Gov set up.
The crowd lifts again for Tomorrow Will Be Fine and as the band rolls into You Need a Friend, the whole room is as one, belting out the iconic “oh oh ohs” in unison.
There are cries for more as the band briefly departs following the rocking I’m Shakin’ before ripping into Trouble With My Brain.
The dark’s song brilliance is tempered only by diagnostic reflection of its lyrics and the thoughts of “what if” this larger than life character had been treated earlier.
These thoughts are soon overpowered by the familiar jangly introduction of Alone With You. If this song was a painting, it would be hanging in the National Gallery such is its recognition as a bona fide Australian classic.
Once again, the lines “We can lock away the bad memories together, Close the doors to the past forever’’ resonate more loudly than ever.
The crowd is by now ecstatic. But — except maybe for the lady whose bra ends up on stage — no one seems more excited than the band members themselves.
Burgman can’t stop beaming while the looks of joy and knowing nods between the Oxley brothers almost brings a tear to the eye.
After another short break, a Bilson drum solo introduces a rousing rendition of Show Me Some Discipline before the band winds up the night with Tell Me What You Say to rapturous applause.
The crowd leaves grinning from ear to ear and many who saw The Sunnyboys in their heyday agree they have never sounded better.
This was no mere reunion tour to jack up the retirement fund. It was a triumph over adversity and a celebration of life.
Hard-luck stories often don’t end well. It’s great to see this one has.
