Live Review: Making Gravy: Paul Kelly, Angus & Julia Stone, Alex Lahey, Mojo Juju

Security guards hand out safety cards containing a helpline and map of Sidney Myer Music Bowl divided into clear sections - colour coded and numbered - at the venue entrance for those seeking help or wishing to report antisocial behaviour, which is comforting. This evening's drizzly conditions somehow suit the Christmas carols that are playing as we enter the Bowl. 

First up, Mojo Juju opens with Native Tongue - powerful. Both sporting the red jumpsuits worn in this song's outstanding music video, drummer Steve "T-Bone" Ruiz de Luzuriaga and keytarist Yeo accompany Juju and produce a textured, bass-heavy sound. "This is a song I wrote for Peter Dutton, feel free to send him a Spotify link,” is how Juju introduces the funky Think Twice. Leading into Far Too Late, Juju reveals what she wants for Christmas: that all asylum seekers be freed from detention centres - "let them in!" 

A gentleman temporarily interrupts the performance to inform us that since a storm’s coming through all those on the grassy hill may now enter the shelter of the Bowl to avoid being struck by lightning (his actual words). As Juju continues, punters relocate undercover. Water gushes down the steps at an alarming rate, floating by with gnawed chicken bones and abandoned picnic blankets bobbing on the surface. Since drains are blocked, the water level rises to a point where audience members remove shoes; those in the front section are ankle and then mid-calf deep. "Testament to Paul Kelly, I have no doubts that he can walk on water,” Juju quips, continuing on bravely until the band is eventually told to stop, mid-song.

Suddenly a row of ground-level speakers that border the stage rise up and then topple over into the drink, in unison. Roadies look on, flabbergasted. We’re told to vacate the Bowl section now and walk back out to GA. Official word is that a decision will be made as to whether the show will go on within five minutes. As punters mill about looking drenched and confused, one angry unit can take it no longer: "How long does it take to call something off? We’re not five years old, we don’t enjoy being wet!” As water is mopped up on the stage and in the Bowl, we learn that those not already inside the venue are queuing outside until an assessment can be made about whether this is a safe working environment for artists, crew and patrons. Queuers start chanting and whistling their annoyance.

Around 7:30pm, the gates reopen and an announcement is made: "Gravy is a go!" Alex Lahey hits the stage at 7:45pm with her four-piece backing band, tearing into the jubilant title track from her I Love You Like A Brother set. Three members of her band supply “oooooo-OO-oo-oooooo” BVs and the atmosphere is electric - the show must go on! "We made it!” Lahey declares. Post-apocalypse, her songs resonate and we all gleefully sing along, “Let’s go out and have fun tonight”. Lahey’s voice is powerful, but with a husky, velvety quality. The band dish out back-to-back earworms - Every Day’s The Weekend, You Don't Think You Like People Like Me, I Haven't Been Taking Care Of Myself - and it’s already apparent that Lahey's a lifer. 


Angus Stone hobbles onto the stage on crutches, wearing a moon boot, and performs seated on a stool for the duration of their set. "La-la-la-la-la," Angus & Julia Stone's delectable track Snow opens proceedings and we're charmed. The sibling duo play reggae-tinged version of their song Private Lawns, which Julia explains they wrote about 13 years ago in their dad’s living room. Her trumpet solo, which she plays with guitar still strapped on, wows the crowd. Actually, can we please have the name of her stylist? The spell intensifies during Grizzly Bear and no one plays tambourine with as much grace as Julia. They’ve definitely got the It factor and their superb backing players each get their moment to solo/shine. That reprise in Big Jet Plane, though! The one that goes, “Gonna hold ya/Gonna kiss ya in my arms" - swoon central. Each member of their backing band hail from Melbourne, Julia points out, and their closer Chateau culminates in an appreciative clap-along. 


Paul Kelly and co hurry out onto the stage with purpose and launch into Hasn't It Rained - genius! Vika and Linda Bull smash a verse and Kelly is just sublime. Rising Moon follows and then enter Before Too Long, with Ash Naylor nailing the sneaky guitar solo that really does sound like someone “creeping ‘round your back door”. Peter "Lucky" Luscombe's jaunty, emphatic drumming is immediately noteworthy, particularly during A Bastard Like Me. Kelly welcomes his daughters Memphis and Maddy to the stage for With Animals and Linda supplies a very intricate tambourine part. Firewood And Candies simply smoulders - right up there with Kelly’s beloved classics. 

Kate Miller-Heidke is then welcomed to the stage for Bound To Follow, which she closes by channeling an operatic Kate Bush and seems to completely lose herself in this performance - a stunning moment. The hillside gets a bit rowdy while Kelly performs Life Is Fine solo, accompanying himself on guitar, but then we feel a few raindrops and realise the source of this commotion. 

After telling us he moved to Sydney in 1984 and found himself bunking down with Don Walker, Kelly adds it was in this place and on the Cold Chisel legend's white grand piano that he finished writing From St Kilda To Kings Cross. Although Kelly's musical blood brother, guitarist Steve Connelly, is no longer with us, Kelly stresses, "He's always with us for this song,” although his parts are played through Naylor's fingers this evening. Something happens and Naylor needs a mid-song guitar change, but then somehow magically straps on a replacement just in the nick of time for Connolly's glorious riff. When "The Espy" is mentioned within these lyrics, we all holler our approval that this venue is back in business and restored to its former glory. 

For Shakespeare's Sonnet 18, Kelly calls banjo player Alice Keath to the stage to demonstrate her prowess. The familiar harmonica riff that signals From Little Things Big Things Grow brings a surge of excitement, Kelly commencing this song solo before various members of his band return to the stage and join in. The hillside singalong is enthusiastic and both sets of sisters - Bull and Kelly - eventually supply BVs. During To Her Door, “in the pouring rain” lyrics inspire the Bull sisters to motion toward the heavens. Some fans get up on their feet for this one and then finally we're all upstanding for Dumb Things with crowd members even storming the aisles. What could be more sentimental than belting out the opening lyrics to Leaps And Bounds from a vantage point where we could almost be the song's narrator? "I'm high on the hill/Looking over the bridge/To the MCG!” 

Vika takes lead vocals on Sweet Guy and we whoop excitedly over her vitriolic delivery. The moment we've all been waiting for, How To Make Gravy, doesn't disappoint and makes us reflect on family members - close and distant - and the upcoming Christmas traditions that we strangely miss while overseas but dread when available to attend. Once all of tonight's performers are ushered back out on stage, Linda leads us through a version of Mariah Carey's Christmas.

Those hovering in aisles are justly rewarded when Kelly plus four huddle around his centre-stage mic for a final a cappella blessing: Meet Me In The Middle Of The Air. Kelly is "our true shepherd" and braving these inclement weather conditions is no sacrifice when the reward is so rich.