Live Review: Icehouse, Mat McHugh

Most marriages don’t make it. You’d be lucky to get anything near it for your furniture. Forget about it with today’s clothes. This year marks four decades of music from Icehouse, the iconic Australian band that just keeps kicking on.

The guy that is seriously on the road more than an Uber is the former lead singer from The Beautiful Girls, Mat McHugh, who warmed up the already steamy crowd with his delightfully casual tunes. He should easily claim the title of most chilled performer in Australia as he ambled through his delightful repertoire, perfect for a sweaty summer’s night, rounding off with the recognisable Go Don’t Stop.

A show that commemorates 40 years of music is certain to divide crowds. It’s rare to find a fan that is passionate about an entire catalogue of music, but Icehouse mixed it up well.

Singer Iva Davies, still as recognisable as ever with his shorter white hair, launched the night with their (now) self-titled song from the first album to appease the old fans, but from there on in, it was hit after hit. Crazy and Electric Blue, their two big tracks from 1987’s Man Of Colours, were dropped early.

Ex-The Voice contestant Michael Paynter was on hand to admirably fill in guitar duties with Paul Gildea restricted to one-handed keys due to a broken wrist just weeks before the tour. Paynter delivered his version of Man Of Colours: this was an interesting choice for one of their biggest tracks, letting a younger ‘new’ member take the reins; however, Davies joined him on stage later to expertly play some oboe. It seemed that Davies, now 61, may struggle to hit some of the higher notes, but can still play woodwind like he did when he was 19 in the SSO.

Great Southern Land was a huge sing-a-long highlight along with Cross the Border, a still powerfully delivered rock classic. They rounded out the main set with a couple of old Flowers songs before the final song, Nothing Too Serious, pumped around the Enmore.

Yes, 40 years is a long time and bands are always going to slow down, but there was a distinct lack of energy on the stage tonight. Maybe the decades are starting to take their toll on a once great band that almost seemed to be going through the paces.