Live Review: Culture Club, Kids In The Kitchen

Kids In The Kitchen tea towels are genius merch item for tonight's demographic. With a 6.30pm start time, there were always also gonna be more Kids In The Kitchen than in the audience. The blown-up promo shot, which acts as the band's backdrop, crops keyboard player Alastair Coia out of the picture (although we can still see his blonde mullet and brown leather jacket edging into the shot). The band could use a photoshop tutorial.

During opener Bitter Desire, frontman Scott Carne bounds across the large stage, gingerly throwing the mic from one hand to the other. Backing vocalist Susie Aherne sports Game Of Thrones-inspired attire and adds a wonderful texture to their sound. Song two, Revolution Love, is a bewildering inclusion that we can't really remember. Carne's banter incorporates way too many jokes about getting old and there's a false start during Shine, after Carne announces, "I've forgotten where I was in the song... Wanna hear it again?" At least we get to hear guitarist Claude Carranza shining twice on that intro, but Craig Harnath noticeably takes some aggression out on that slap bass. Out Of Control stands up amazingly well even with the backing-tape brass. Aherne's feature spots take our breath away, particularly during Place To Go. Carne wanders back out on stage, nodding in time to the music and misses his cue. He then tells us that even though the band didn't make it into Molly Meldrum's book, said legend (who's in the house tonight) produced the band's excellent Something That You Said single. The singer is also obviously a Nashville fan given all the "y'alls" he incorporates into banter. The spoken word interlude during closer Change In Mood and the song's urgent, escalating tempo leave us simultaneously delighted and knackered.

It appears both the Maria George factory and the Rose Chong Costumiers have exploded in Rod Laver Arena's foyers and landed all over punters' bods: a people-watching paradise. 

Watching Culture Club's pre-show video collage makes us realise, instantly, just how important this band were, celebrating diversity and challenging the norm in the image-obsessed '80s. A brass trio elevates Church Of The Poison Mind, but even three backing vocalists can't replace Culture Club's OG BV provider, Helen Terry. Boy George's pastel pink bondage-inspired get-up with matching puffy cap is offset by a macho goatee, and his husky, soulful timbre is impressive as the hits keep on coming with It's A Miracle and I'll Tumble 4 Ya. "If you grew up with Culture Club on your walls, you're probably a bit more open-minded," George commends. His cover of Bread's Everything I Own is a bit of a downer, but the R&B-tinged Black Money quickly restores our excitement levels. 

We definitely have George's tumultuous relationship with drummer Jon Moss (who looks a lot like a mini-cab driver these days) to thank for Culture Club's heartbreaking lyrics. "Jon's a snob. He's from Hampstead," George quips. Victims speaks volumes this evening; lyrical content we were probably too young to fully comprehend rings true. (Do You Really Want To Hurt Me? has the same impact later in the set — an unofficial anti-bullying anthem). George tells us he's enjoyed revisiting, "songs you've forgotten you've written". He then points out Culture Club were all about being "authentic". Introducing a song that "fell flat last night", George coaxes, "Pretend you're at a Queen concert or something, 'cause you are". Rather than material from the band's still-unreleased Tribes album, we really would prefer to just hear the hits. Finally, Karma Chameleon is ushered in with its cheeky harmonica intro. During this song, George's gospelly vocal tone is perfectly showcased.

Meldrum is led out to the stage to wish George a Happy Birthday (and lead a singalong even though the singer's birthday's not 'til Tuesday) and we can barely decipher a single word, which is upsetting. A nod to a couple of George's late heroes comes via Get It On (Marc Bolan) and Starman (Bowie) covers. "I'm George!" he announces, apparently outgrowing the "Boy". Choosing not to close with a Culture Club hit seems odd. Still, we're rapt this isn't a farewell tour with George insisting Culture Club are "far too young" to retire.