Review: The Animals at Astor Theatre

The Animals’ Farewell Tour: Final Encore at Astor Theatre
Wednesday, June 26, 2024

Legendary UK hitmakers The Animals landed at Astor Theatre on Wednesday night on their final tour of Australia. As well as giving Aussie fans their last chance to see them perform live, the tour also preemptively celebrated the 60th anniversary of their 1965 megahit We Gotta Get Out of This Place.

Formed in the English city of Newcastle in 1963, The Animals were initially active until 1969 but reformed briefly in the ’70s and ’80s and then from 1992 onwards—making this the fourth time they have called it a day. 

Arriving at the theatre when doors opened, punters of all ages lined up to get their tickets scanned before heading to the bar to order their first drink.

The crowd cheered as The Animals hit the stage with a line-up featuring original member and drummer John Steel alongside bassist Danny Handley, vocalist and guitarist Bobby Ruiz, and keys player Barney “Boogie” Williams.

The Animals launched straight into fiery versions of their staple rhythm-and-blues repertoire in a set packed with some of the most iconic songs in modern music history. The two sets, split by a 20-minute intermission, had the audience singing along to a flurry of rock hits, including I’m Crying, Don’t Bring Me Down, a cover of Jimmy Reed’s Bright Lights, Big City, We’ve Gotta Get Out Of This Place, Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood, It’s My Life and Boom Boom.

Most of the songs played throughout the show featured amazing solos by Ruiz and Williams. In particular, Williams’ solos on keys were astounding to hear. He is a truly talented player!

Between each song, Ruiz spent time interacting with the audience. When playing Bright Lights, Big City, Ruiz spoke about how it was his favourite song to perform. At the end of Don’t Bring Me Down, Ruiz started singing the song a cappella and encouraged the audience to sing along.

To end the show, The Animals performed arguably their most prominent song, The House of the Rising Sun. In introducing the song, John Steel shared his memories of first hearing it on a Bob Dylan album before the group decided to make it their own. The Animals then drove the show home with their number-one folk-rock hit, drawing a standing ovation from the crowd, who sang along to every word.

The band performed tightly and sounded great from start to finish, with the perfect blend of lead vocals, guitar, bass, keys and drums. The backing vocals, however, were very quiet and hard to hear. As for Astor Theatre, it is an amazing venue to watch live music in; the acoustics are great, and the team working on the event go above and beyond to ensure the crowd enjoys their experience.

The Animals’ last ever Perth performance was an enjoyable night of ’60s nostalgia, celebrating one of the greatest bands of the British Invasion and their enduring ability to captivate the audience with a rocking live show!

ALEIGHSHA GLEW

Photos by Linda Dunjey