Live Review: Sebastian Bach, The Babes

Strolling into The Gov on Sunday night, there was a sea of middle-aged men and women in faded black shirts of yesteryear's bands waiting to see their teenage hero, Sebastian Bach, formerly of '80s hair metallers Skid Row.

First up was Aussie support act The Babes. Clearly, they're fans of the glitz and glamour of '80s glam rock and hair metal as they strutted out their modern day version of it. Frontman JD tried his damnedest to get the crowd into it, but unfortunately, they didn't have the songs to back it up. Their cover of Black Sabbath's War Pigs was the highlight.

Time for Bach! Sebastian Bach cuts an imposing figure - well over six foot with great long locks. He entered the stage to the sounds of Bon Scott era AC/DC and sporting an AC/DC shirt (possibly an AC/DC fan?) as the band cranked right into '92 single Little Wing, the crowd going nuts. A quick rant about Twitter and he was into the next track, Breakin' Down.

Not leaving the best songs until last, Bach and co ripped into three of Skid Row's best-known tracks - 18 & Life, I Remember You and Slave To The Grind. Bach has been singing these tracks for 30 years now, but they haven't dated. His voice is still as strong as ever and he displayed his amazing range during the falsetto parts in I Remember You. By the end of the fifth track, he had the crowd in the palm of his hands and had taken this reviewer to hair metal heaven.

While it's a Bach solo tour, the other three members formed the engine of the band. Guitarist Brent Woods has to be one of the best guitarists around. Ripping through all the songs with inhuman precision, Woods definitely stole some of Bach's limelight while Rob De Luca nonchalantly keeping the rhythm going right of stage. Drummer Bobby Jarzombek had a massive set-up, reminiscent of the over-the-top '80s kits where bigger was better, and was one of the cleanest drummers this reviewer has ever witnessed.

But it was Bach who received all the attention. He's a larger than life character who commands attention, and everyone in the room gave it without hesitation. Performing some of his solo tracks, he pulled out American Metalhead, which he kindly renamed 'Australian Metalhead' for the night. They even threw in a quick 20-second interlude of Rose Tattoo's Rock 'N' Roll Outlaw in there. Bach was talking up great Australian bands when Jarzombek broke into Men At Work's Down Under, which Bach knew about 30 seconds off, sending a ripple of laughter through the crowd. The first set ended with a crowd-pleasing version of Youth Gone Wild, Bach sporting a tattoo on his forearm with those exact three words.

The night finally concluded with a cover of AC/DC's TNT, which was played with such passion. Bach clearly been a fan of the Australian band for decades. Skid Row's first album came out in '89, but boy does Sebastian Bach still have a set of lungs on him still today.