Live Review: Cold Chisel, Lanie Lane

It's hard to know who the bigger Cold Chisel fans at the Hordern were – the audience or support act Lanie Lane and her band. The young singer was clearly thrilled at the chance to play on the same stage as the iconic rockers. And with a crack double bass player at her side to really heat up the sassy old-timey rhythms of songs such as Jungle Man and Bang Bang, Lane seemed to do a pretty good job of winning over a crowd mostly unaware of all the hype she's been generating lately.

Though this show was to mark the release of Cold Chisel's new album No Plans, the band fired off Standing On The Outside and Cheap Wine first, giving legendary guitarist Ian Moss a chance to prove the cat bite that put him in hospital instead of onstage in Melbourne wasn't going to hamper his performance at this gig. Though Jimmy Barnes, in fine voice here, has always been the lovable larrikin frontman of the band, Moss looked like he was having a thoroughly enjoyable time. His guitar solos were fluid and intricate and packed a one-two punch alongside Don Walker's keyboard skills. In fact, there was a real sense of camaraderie and celebration on the stage. Drummer extraordinaire Charley Drayton even appeared after the encore in a Steve Prestwich t-shirt, paying tribute to the former Chisel drummer who passed away in January last year and whose seat Drayton was respectfully filling.

While the new songs didn't get as big a cheer as all the hits, they fitted in the set well, but it was the parade of old favourites that really ignited the crowd. The classic Chisel catalogue that the band revelled in delivering – songs such as Flame Trees, Bow River, Saturday Night and especially Khe Sanh – have become such iconic songs because they manage to reflect the everyday Australian experience like few bands have been able to. The crowd that braved a typical Sydney downpour didn't just go to the Hordern to see their favourite band, they went to see themselves reflected back at them.

It's something Cold Chisel are still managing to do almost 40 years after they first joined forces – just an ordinary bunch of guys making extraordinary music.