BRIAN SETZERS ROCKABILLY RIOT

BRIAN SETZERS ROCKABILLY RIOT

LANIE LANE

Thebarton Theatre

Mon 26 March 2012

Bowling shirts and greased up hair, 50's pin-up girls are all over Thebby and ready to rock'n'roll, with the head Stray Cat Mr Brian Setzer and his Rockabilly Riot.

Australia's own cool rockin' sweetheart Miss Lanie Lane kicked thing off in fine form, and it seems like only five minutes ago she was playing the Glenelg Surf club, and now she is kickin' ass all over the Thebby stage. I won't go through a blow by blow of her set tonight, but I will say she was great, she's playing The Gov on May 11th and you should go and see her then, I'll see you there.

Brian Setzer is one cool cat. He dresses great (green brothel creepers - hellyeah), his hair is great, he sings great, he is an incredible guitar player AND he is hell of a showman. He takes the stage with Johhny Hatton on bass and Noah Levy on drums and they rip into Ignition from his short lived outfit 68 Comeback Special, but from the first note - IT'S ON DADDY-O. Levy is swinging on his kit, and looks like classic 50's nerd kid who just got hip. Hatton (who has previously played with both Elvis Presley and Bob Dylan) has a huge quiff which is fluro green and is slapping the be-jesus out of his upright bass. They bang through songs from many of Setzers solo albums and a bunch of tunes from his Brian Setzer Orchestra too. Joined for some numbers by boogie woogie piano player Kevin McKendree, they do a killer version of Johnny Cash's Folsom Prison Blues and finish the first part of the show with two tracks form his latest (and first completely instrumental) album. Pickpocket is excellent, but his blistering version of Blue Moon of Kentucky is totally mind-blowing. Johnny and Noah leave the stage and the stage is reset.

Brian introduces Melbourne boy Chris D'Rozario on (green fluro flamed) double bass and original Stray Cats drummer Slim Jim Phantom and the crowd goes bananas. No surprises then when they tear into Rumble In Brighton from the first Cats album in 1981. Setzer is all over the stage, D'Rozario is flinging his green flame bass around like it's a toy and Slim Jim is playing like a freight train. When they start Runaway Boys I thought the roof was going to cave in, everybody singing and dancing. There's some teasing with the intro to She's Sexy & 17, before we're of again. Stray Cat Strut slows the pace but not the pulses and shows Setzers dexterity on the fret board. Cry Baby from the 1992 Choo Choo Hot Fish is a nice surprise for the die-hards. At some point both double bass players are on stage together having a bass off. What could be better than that? How about Setzer appearing with a third double bass and turning it into a three way battle! They finish the set with Fishnet Stockings also from the first Cats album.

They all return for an explosive Rock This Town and finish up with an incredible finale of rockabilly classic Seven Nights to Rock. Such a cool night - if you get a chance to see these guys in the Eastern states GO MAN GO!

Word and Photos - Ian Bell

Brian Setzer Rockabilly Riot

Adelaide Set(zer) List 26 March 2012

Ignition (Ignition 2001)

48 mercury Blues (VaVoom 2000)

This Cat's On A Hot Tin Roof (The Dirty Boogie 1998)

Drive Like Lightning (VaVoom 2000)

8 Track (Ignition 2001)

Slow Down (Rockabilly Riot 2005)

Folsom City Blues (Johnny Cash cover)

Put on Your Cat Clothes (Red Hot & Live 2007)

Blue Moon of Kentucky (Setzer Goes Instru-MENTAL 2011)

Pick Pocket (Setzer Goes Instru-MENTAL 2011)

Rumble in Brighton (Stray Cats - Stray Cats 1981)

Runaway Boys (Stray Cats - Stray Cats 1981)

Sexy & 17 (Stray Cats Rant'n'Rave 1983)

Stray Cat Strut (Stray Cats - Stray Cats 1981)

Cry Baby (Stray Cats - Choo Choo Hot Fish 1992

Red Hot (Rockabilly Riot 2005)

Fishnet Stockings (Stray Cats - Stray Cats 1981)

Rock This Town (Stray Cats - Stray Cats 1981)

Seven Nights to Rock (Moon Mullican cover)