Live Review: You Am I, Jack Ladder & The Dreamlanders

They’ve played little pubs, big pubs, festival fields, theatres. But a quarter of a century on, zoos probably haven’t often appeared on You Am I’s venue list, although some of the smells as you wandered past the tree kangaroos and spider monkeys conjured memories of particularly sticky nights at the Hopetoun, circa 2003.

The Twilight At Taronga concerts have altered from ‘jazz to sip pinot to’ and Sinatra tributes to a broader range. It’s unlikely the elephants would have seen wardrobe choices like Jack Ladder & The Dreamlanders’ Donny Benet’s shiny bomber jacket before. Ladder’s croon drifted across the grass, the band lusher as they’ve developed, Let Me Love You the best song Bryan Ferry didn’t give Roxy Music in 1982.

Speaking of stage wear, Tim Rogers’ red suit may have startled the wildlife as well. Fashion aside, You Am I remain a magical thing. You’re down front, a metre from people you love, people you don’t know, and even a few you can’t stand. However, you’re all singing and smiling like loons as the finest band in Christendom make it as effortless as loving it for 20 years only can.

This band now pleases themselves, and take the audience with them. The hits are present – Mr Milk and a final storming Berlin Chair, naturally – but there’s tangents. Trigger Finger – a nod to Lanie Lane walking away from the ‘business’ part of the show business – breaks down into The Rolling Stones’ Miss You. The normally taciturn Andy Kent gets a sing of Creedence’s Fortunate Son (“Why didn’t we think of making him the singer 20 years ago…?”).

There’s genuine ‘thank you’s to the lighting guy, the sound man, the crowd. You Am I have reached that happy place where they now celebrate just being.