Live Review: george

We're catching up with some old friends tonight. It’s been a while; a decade or more, actually. Last time we all got together was in July 2002, in a field in the outskirts of Byron Bay. Standing there, under the big tent, passing around the… sandwiches… this writer was introduced to george.

Granted, george were around, and notable, before 2002. Hell, if you listened to the radio between 2000 and 2003 or so, you would know george pretty damn well. But, man, standing there, under the tent, you understood. Thousands of strangers stood in a muddy field, and turned to each other with that look in their eye that said, "Oh, shit, I get it now… george."

This writer fell in love with george, and especially Katie Noonan and Tyrone Noonan’s vocals, pretty much the first time he heard Polyserena (the single, not the album) and Special Ones. And, boy, the years have passed and maybe Tyrone doesn’t hit the high notes quite so well; but now, just as it was at their formation in 1996, Katie’s voice is still studio superb.

It's a homecoming for the members of george during their one and only show at QPAC as part of this year's Brisbane Festival, with a number of family and friends in the audience mentioned by name. Ostensibly put on as a celebration of 20 years since the formation of the band, Katie and Tyrone, as well as bassist Paulie Bromley, drummer Geoff Green and guitarist Nick Stewart, put on a superb, intimate performance that will surely be one of the highlights of the 2016 event.

Nobody is here to check out this new band with a dude’s name. We're all in the audience to catch up with old friends. Many of us are people in their late 20s to early 40s, who came of age or were avid consumers of music right when george started hitting it big. We're here to relive fond past memories.

As with any homecoming among friends, they don’t need any bells and whistles. George’s set is a no-frills affair in terms of stage production. But, then again, nobody gives a damn when the voices, lyrics and music are so bloody red-hot. The short, sharp set list was pulled mostly from the Polyserena LP with a few songs pulled from 2004’s Unity, as well as early tracks that never actually made it to onto an album. It wasn’t an overly long set — just 75 minutes from go to whoa — but it was jam-packed with crowd favourites, as well as personal favourites of the band.

A great cheer went up at the opening strains of Special Ones, probably george’s best known song. As always, Katie’s soaring vocals are spot-on and the accompaniment from the band provides the wall of sound which punctuates the quiet moments. Two standout songs of the evening are Bastard Son, sung by Tyrone, and Spawn, sung by Katie. Bastard Son sees rapturous, raucous applause, while Spawn gets a fully deserved standing ovation. They are arguably the pinnacle of the band’s songwriting; both should be regarded as Australian classics in their own right, but when done on stage to a rapt audience, it becomes a transformative experience.

Hopefully this show heralds a comeback for this one-time superpower of Australian music. They have already been announced on the line-up for the Queenscliff Music Festival in Victoria. If they start popping up, get yourself to any show you can. It’s not just a trip down memory lane with an old buddy; it’s a masterclass in great Australian songwriting.