Live Review: The Monkees

The two surviving members of iconic ‘60s pop band The Monkees, Micky Dolenz and Michael Nesmith, were approaching the end of their touring career when they landed in Perth, with the duo confirming prior to their Aussie tour the shows would be the band’s final ever. "The Mikey & Micky Show!", as announced by a voiceover, was an experience that promised Good Clean Fun, initiated by a country twang as the masses boarded the Last Train To Clarksville, echoing its catchy chorus as delivered by drummer turned classy co-frontman Dolenz.

Nesmith took the lead with some light-hearted humour, briefly touched on the Beatles knocking them from the charts in their heyday and then kicked into the bright sounds of Sunny Girlfriend. An eight-piece backing band elevated songs like Mary, Mary and You Told Me, both of which allowed the two vocalists the opportunity to showcase their respective vocal ranges and uniquely different styles, Dolenz drawing more inspiration from classic rock blues with gruff delivery while Nesmith offered up clean, elongated melodies.

They paid tribute to some of the great songwriters who penned hits for them over the years, including Peter Tork, a founding member of the band who passed away in February of this year after previously visiting the country in 2016 with Dolenz. "Hey, Pete, you hear that!" Dolenz said to the wave of cheers, a fitting transition into For Pete's Shake, a song by the muso that became the end credits song for the second season of their TV series. Neil Diamond-written single A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You was an instant favourite, the crowd roaring at its conclusion and that classic ‘60s pop sound continued with You Just May Be The One.

Anecdotes from Dolenz about the band's 2016 LP, Good Times!, were quickly interrupted by the sort of antics you'd imagine from a Monkee. "Earth calling, Nes," Dolenz said, to which Nesmith pointed out he was flossing and asked if his fellow Monkee could do the dance move. "No, I think it's against the law to floss after 60,” he joked. They eventually made their way to new song Birth Of An Accidental Hipster, inked by Paul Weller and Noel Gallagher, a track that fused that classic Monkees sound with modern rock vibes.

The juxtaposition between the moody and experimental The Porpoise Song, the theme from Head, and upbeat rock number Circle Sky was proof of The Monkees’ diverse repertoire, while the duo's different vocal styles kept things interesting and allowed them to venture down multiple avenues throughout the night, from soft crooning from Dolenz in I'll Spend My Life With You to the jazzy Grand Ennui, a solo hit from Michael Nesmith & The First National Band.

Despite offering up hit after hit all night, some of the best moments came when Dolenz introduced songs via funny and interesting anecdotes, like the inception of number one hit Randy Scouse Git which was written after a wild night partying with The Beatles.

The songwriter praise continued, with Death Cab For Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard's Me & Magdelena named "one of the most incredible song on that [Good Times!] album or any other", but you'd be hard pressed to find many agreeing following the megahit onslaught that was Rio, Daydream Believer, Listen To The Band and I'm A Believer.

Compared to Dolenz' 2016 trip alongside Tork, the band's latest Aussie tour was less a trip down memory lane and more a celebration of songwriting and musicianship, with iconic hit (Theme From) The Monkees omitted and the absence of a big screen playing clips of the band like last time. Despite that, it was still a marvellous way to go out and one hell of a fine way to spend a Sunday night.