Live Review: The Radiators, Mental As Anything, Spy V Spy, Ganggajang

It's really amazing watching the rock'n'roll community come together to help someone out when the chips are down. Tonight's show was put together to help legendary Sydney roadie Shane Loadsman pay off some of the extensive medical bills he has been lumbered with following surgery to remove multiple aneurysms. It's fair to say that Loadsman was the star of the night. Whether fulfilling roadie duties as per usual, or thanking Lindy Morrison and the organisation Support Act for all their assistance, it was clearly an emotional night for him. When he explained the story about how his pet dingo called Aussie saved his life by convincing the him to go to the doctor, things seemed about as Australian as they could possibly be.
Having GANGgajang in the bill certainly didn't hurt this feeling either, as they played their hits House Of Cards and Sounds Of Then, the unofficial Australian national anthem. Rock historian and funny hat-wearer Glenn A Baker was the MC between bands – his brilliant historical knowledge turned the whole thing into a kind of Saturday afternoon music television show.
Before Spy V Spy got on stage, the night's organiser Paul Green was joined by Midnight Oil's Rob Hirst and Martin Rotsey. A quick bash through Beds Are Burning was an unexpected surprise and the crowd went nuts. Green remained onstage to welcome 'the last Spy standing' Michael Weiley, whose signature guitar style was still incredible – drenched in reverb, mimicking the swell of the surf – such a massive part of that band's style.
Despite the absence of Reg Mombassa, Greedy Smith and Martin Plaza still have enough charisma to make Mental As Anything and their hits like Too Many Times, The Nips Are Getting Bigger, Mr Natural and Live It Up authentic as ever.
Baker gave a detailed backstory before the start of The Radiators, detailing their historical significance to Sydney and their early days as Blacktown heroes and explaining their many achievements, including playing in excess of 4,000 shows since 1978. With the crowd full of love (and booze by this stage) they were a fitting end to a night, where a host of old rockers set to help out one of their own.