Album Review: Cold Chisel - The Live Tapes Vol 1: Hordern Pavilion, April 18th, 2012

Cold Chisel concerts are communal affairs, as much about the music as about nostalgia, celebration and escape from the daily grind, and this first live volume, presumably of many, finds the band firing on all cylinders in Sydney last year on the back of their massive Light The Nitro tour and their last studio album No Plans.

The band sounds lean and hungry, mixing up their extensive discography across 21 tracks, from the classics to new songs from No Plans. Of course the best moments come from those seminal tracks that feel burnt into the psyche of generations since the '70s, filtered down through parents' record collections and more a part of Australian culture than any other band of the last 30 years. Standing On The Outside gets things rolling, loosening up band and audience. Cheap Wine incites a full-throated sing-along where you can picture the lighters waving and grinning punters on tops of shoulders. Aside from the anthems, highlights also emerge when things quieten down. Saturday Night showcases the wonderful interplay between Ian Moss' guitar and Don Walker's piano, such a key element to both the songwriting and sound of the band, while Flame Trees is the concert's deserving centrepiece.

This is a great (and great sounding) addition to their catalogue that serves a number of purposes – a hits package, a sign that they are still alive and kicking as a band and a reminder of what a dynamic and visceral live act they remain.