Live Review: The Sunnyboys, The Riptides

Friday the 13th be damned, there’s nothing but smiles and overt camaraderie amongst the huge sell-out crowd as Brisbane’s prodigal sons The Riptides start hammering into their upbeat, bouncy catalogue as if the last 30 years have never happened. Frontman Mark ‘Cal’ Callaghan in particular looks like he’s having a blast as they move through a river of gems like Holiday Time, Day Has Gone, Money For Life and Hearts & Flowers – at their core these are really just simple (in the best sense of the term) pop songs, and the crowd is in good voice as they show their appreciation by singing along en masse. They finish with the irrepressible Shake It and local anthem 77 Sunset Strip, which has lost none of its immense charm with the passing of time.

The Sunnyboys’ resurgence has been in full flight for a few years now, but their incredible renaissance shows no sign of abating as they enter the fray to a hero’s reception and burst straight into Love To Rule, somehow ratcheting the love quotient even higher. Both Jeremy Oxley (guitar/vocals) and his brother Peter (bass) are sporting matching floral shirts reminiscent of the artwork for their second album Individuals – which is in the midst a reissue campaign, along with third record Get Some Fun – so accordingly tonight’s set trawls wider than their recent ones, an absolute boon for hardcore followers. After all of these tours the initial shock of seeing the band in action again (and Jeremy in such great health) has dissipated so it’s possible just to focus more closely on the songs, and they hold up to the closest scrutiny as does the band’s overt and organic chemistry. Classic numbers like Tunnel Of My Love, Trouble In My Brain and Happy Man seem so imperative and vital, and even early B-sides like Thrill and Tomorrow Will Be Fine sound incredible in the live sphere. The hits just keep pouring out like a cavalcade, Jeremy’s robust songwriting showcasing such an economy of language that he’s able to impart so much raw emotion with so few words, with even the guitar lines super-expressive and every tune virtually dripping with hooks and melody. By now the crowd is singing along with gusto: not just the choruses but the verses and even backing vocals as well, which gives the whole spectacle an eerily exciting varnish and in turn seems to spur the four-piece on to greater heights again. Even after an encore of It’s A Sunny Day, No Love Around the classic Alone With You the natives are still restless for more, and the triumphant Sunnyboys acquiesce with a stomping rendition of The Seeker. Far, far more than a trip down memory lane.