Want to jump into the Delorean and transport yourself back to the days of the biggest movie soundtracks? Well, Perth party-starters The VHS Pirates have just the show for you! The group, featuring Courtney Murphy from Murphy’s Lore alongside some of Perth’s finest musicians, are bringing 80s Movie Hits to Astor Theatre on Saturday, March 7. It’ time to get down to Dirty Dancing, Back To The Future, Ghostbusters, Top Gun, The Karate Kid, Labyrinth and more, delivered with big-screen visuals, huge sing-along choruses and sax solos that will turn back time. BRITNEY COULSON caught up with the band to get their Top five 80s throwbacks, including soundtracks, montages, hairstyles, fashion and guitar solos.
1. What’s your favourite 80s Movie Soundtrack? (Answered by Michael de Grussa – Vocals and Keys)
That’s tough. In a lot of ways, Dirty Dancing is the quintessential 80s movie soundtrack. I mean, remember when a soundtrack could be a chart-topper in its own right? But, if you really want to get down to it, Beverly Hills Cop has The Heat Is On by Glenn Frey, Neutron Dance by Pointer Sisters AND Axel F by Harold Faltermeyer. That’s tough to beat.
2. What’s your favourite montage? (Answered by Courtney Murphy – Vocals and Keys)
We’re going to agree to disagree on this. Gruss is going to say the “dance out your frustration” thing from Footloose but the correct answer is the training montage from Rocky IV that pits Drago and his hi-tech Russian methods against Rocky growing a beard and doing it tough and old school in the snow.
3. What’s your fashion style? (Answered by Kieran Murphy – Drums and Vocals)
Like everything in the 80s, the “more is more” approach to fashion gave us some pretty decent stuff to work with. As far as so bad it’s good, for me it’s a toss-up between Judd Nelson’s prototype trenchcoat mafia look in The Breakfast Club or Jon Cryer as Duckie in Pretty In Pink.
4. Best Guitar solo? (Answered by Jon Clements – Guitar and Vocals)
Why are we even talking about guitar solos when everyone knows the 80s was the golden age of the sax solo? Every time our sax man Simon Styles steps up to the microphone, I get chills! The sax solo in We Don’t Need Another Hero by Tina Turner is particularly special. But in answer to your question, Top Gun Anthem by Harold Faltermeyer with guitar by Steve Stevens is pretty quintessential. I mean, it’s basically a guitar solo for a whole song. Doesn’t get more 80s than that.
5. Best 80s hairstyle? (Answered by Shaun Street – Bass and Vocals)
It’s hard to go past the mullet. Courtney thinks the Farrah Fawcett feathered look, but really that kicked off in the 70s and travelled across the border into the 80s so I reckon that’s disqualified. If you identify one hairstyle with the 80s it has to be business at the front, party at the back. Kiefer Sutherland in The Lost Boys or Kurt Russell in Big Trouble in Little China are two decent examples but they’re no match for the king of the movie mullet, Mel Gibson in Lethal Weapon. We tried to get Gruss to grow one for the show but apparently there’s only so far he will take his 80s obsession.
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