Live Review: Archie Roach

Tucked away on a small stage in the Fremantle Arts Centre forecourt, Archie Roach tell the stories that years earlier became a pivotal album in the communication of modern aboriginal society and struggles, Charcoal Lane.

Roach has an uncanny ability to transform the most sombre of events into something that erupts in laughter among the crowd. His charm, wit and general enthusiasm for life seep into every word, which as he stated himself is a focus for him after the sudden passing of his wife and his own health complications. Having only the accompaniment of Lucky Oceans and Craig Pilkington on either side, the autobiographical performance is a stripped back and apt celebration of 25 years for the seminal Charcoal Lane album.

Roach's simple yet incredibly powerful songs of are each driven by a message. Speaking with Lucky Oceans (who also mans the slide guitar), he paints a vivid picture of his love for the Australian landscape and the need to preserve it within Native Born or the protest orientated No No No. The evening breathes an affinity of an outback campfire show with the Fremantle breeze wrapping the tightly seated audience and a superb acoustic accompaniment.

Roach has always represented the voice of many people whom may not be able to speak, and it's the heart breaking words he washes over the audience with a mother grieving for her child passed in police custody that is Beautiful Child or the stark reality of the nation's stolen generation for Took The Children Away that gather a well deserved rapturous applause.

The original recordings featured stellar names such as Paul Kelly, the Bull sisters and the Finns, but all of that matters little when the title man himself is able to display such a raw and honest performance that shines a light not only on the songs, but the incredible stories behind them.