Hunters & Collectors @ Fremantle Prison
w/ The Stems, Chris Cheney
Friday, October 7, 2022
Looking like the coolest old fellas in Perth, the four members of The Stems gave Freo a lesson in retro cool on Friday night. Just like a middle child, the night’s middle act didn’t use obvious motifs to get their point across. But their unassuming excellence ensured this three-band billing was memorable for more reasons than a just-as-rare Hunters & Collectors headline. They also made up for out of control bar queues that detracted from an otherwise memorable night.
Opener Chris Cheney reliably relied on the hits of day band The Living End to win over scant early arrivals. It was scant for a reason; awkwardly segregated into the haves and the have-nots, a crowd barrier ensured those with less disposable income were kept a good 30 metres back from the stage. While the rich were richer for the close up experience, they were also slow to arrive. So most missed Cheney memorably covering I Fought the Law and playing Prisoner of Society… in a prison (terrific venue, by the way). His quite good new solo album also featured sporadically, including recent single California.
You wouldn’t have wanted to get a drink AND watch The Stems. With 50 metre queues to a smallish, solitary bar, you’d have been lucky to get there and back in time for their closing track, hit 1987 single, At First Sight. Which was great, but the smarter money was on not drinking, and thus not missing a set this stylish and rare (even here in their hometown).
Powering through favourites old and new, it was the those lifted from landmark 1987 debut At First Sight, Violets Are Blue, that shone brighter than Ash Naylor’s purple poker-dot shirt. The gun-for-hire lead guitarist (and newest member of The Church) filled in for the late, great Richard Lane with impeccable taste, proving a perfect foil to Dom Mariani’s pop smarts – and equally fine guitar playing – on highlights such as For Always and Make You Mine.
Many were still battling the bar queues when Hunters & Collectors opened with their classic, Talking to a Stranger. An absolute epic, it turned out to be the only track taken from their seminal 1982 debut, which was perhaps the only major disappointment of an otherwise excellent set. With riveting visuals all night and a decent enough light show, Hunters started like a band on fire as Where Do You Go?, True Tears of Joy and a simply unforgettable Blind Eye followed in quick succession.
Focussing squarely on their hits from the mid 80s onwards, they played at least half of 1986 classic Human Frailty, with This Morning a mighty epic. Hunters were flexing an intimidating arsenal of hits, and frontman Mark Seymour was flexing more than that in a muscle shirt showing off what great nick he is in, and those soulful pipes sounding better than ever. The seven-piece line up, with their customary three-piece horn section, was simply acing it; When the River Runs Dry featured a guitar shred from Barry Palmer worthy of its 1989 release date (and a climate analogy worthy of 2022).
Long recognised as one of Australia’s premier live acts, deep cuts including Inside a Fireball and 42 Wheels were rare but welcome. The former, in particular, nicely represented the post-punk and art-funk roots that make them such a dynamic prospect in concert.
True fans would’ve been completely devastated to see the setlists given out by security after the concert: the sharp 10pm finishing time afforded Hunters only 90 minutes which simply wasn’t long enough to complete a show that in its entirety was *supposed* to also include live favourites Skin of Our Teeth, The Slab and Stuck on You, and their omission alongside other early faves such as Alligator Engine were unfortunately noticeable.
But let’s not feel too hard done by. After all, the chance to hear Seymour comment on the price of fame before a spirited Say Goodbye, or explain his connection to WA author Albert Facey and that man’s influence on What’s a Few Men? before red poppies flowed across black and white footage of lost ANZAC soldiers, will stick with fans for some time to come. And that was before we even started on our great crusade for the Holy Grail, or arrived at set closer Do You See What I See? These were celebrated and sung along to as loudly as one might expect. What a catalogue of songs this band has!
None of which are better than Throw Your Arms Around Me. It may have come too soon, but closing the encore, we threw our arms around one another and found ourselves talking to strangers. The visuals threw up animated laser fireworks and the moment was simply magical, in a fitting finale.
In the end, the setlist may have looked similar to previous Hunters reformation tours, but gladly so did their remarkable live show, and it’s been long enough between drinks that it all felt fresh, revitalised, and inspiring. Here’s hoping we’re not waiting as long for those drinks, both figuratively and literally, next time.
HARVEY RAE
