TENDERHOOKS ALBUM LAUNCH ‘INTO BEWILDERNESS’ AND LAST EVER GIG!

The Bassendean Hotel - 24/05/2019

It was a quiet start to the night for Basso Friday’s, as soundcheck ended there was an air of excitement and anticipation for the night ahead. The bill of experienced, talented and well-loved members of the Perth scene promised a great show.

A solo acoustic set from Greg Dear, lead singer of The Beautiful Losers, opened the night. Amongst some great new songs, Dear’s powerful vocals on a cover of Kris Kristoffersen’s ‘Sunday Morning Coming Down’ enthralled the small crowd and seemed to draw in more people keen for the night ahead.

The Bridgeburners excited with their rock sound that was more than a little bit country. They impressed, swapping instruments half way through the set, every member taking up a new instrument and carrying on as if nothing were different.

Myths took the stage and the dancing began to their synth pop rock. Made up of members from The High Learys, they showed a tightness and precision of musicians with a long history together and just clicked, as did their vocal harmonies.

The crowd packed the dance floor of the band room, cheering as the Tenderhooks took the stage to launch their new album ‘Into Bewilderness’. There were high-energy guitar duels between lead singer Dan Durack and lead guitarist Aidan Gordon which thrilled the crowd for ‘Fly Rite’ and the title track from the new album. Durack addressed the “largest crowd they’ve played to” and joked that “that’s what happens when you tell everyone it’s your last gig”. He couldn’t hide the gratitude in his voice, explaining he would soon be departing for London.

Stu Loasby, an original member, took Durack’s guitar and joined the band on stage mid-set for ‘Casino Light’, resulting in some epic air guitar from the singer. In yet another surprise they were then joined by a brass section, and Matt Geary on Tambourine, possibly setting a record for the most people on The Basso stage at one time. The crowd rocked to their cover of The Beatles ‘Got to get you into my life’ before the guests left the stage and the Tenderhooks launched into their final song ‘Oblivion’.

It was a bittersweet moment to watch as the band, who so obviously loved playing together and the music they were creating, said their farewells to the room packed with fans and to each other. I was touched as bass player Nigel Harford jumped down and stood in the front row to watch his band mates slam out the last few chords to the cheering crowd.

Reviewer - Josie Hacking