Review: Do-Ré-Mi at The Corner Hotel, Melbourne, February 8th, 2019
In the latter half of 2018, it was revealed that Aussie music icons Do-Ré-Mi were set to reform for the inaugural Australian Women in Music Awards in Brisbane.
A reunion 30 years in the making, this was huge news for fans who had undoubtedly resigned to the fact they may never see the group perform live. However, following a series of performances for the By The C concert series, the newly-reformed group announced a series of headline shows.
Hitting up Melbourne’s Corner Hotel on Friday night for the Victorian leg of this tour, it was clear from the outset that the evening was set to be more of an intimate affair than usual.
With one bar closed and chairs and tables across the rear of the main crowd area, this wasn’t set to be a hard-moshing affair, rather, it was set to be something of a joyous reunion, with friends and fans finally catching up with Do-Ré-Mi after so many years.
Check out Do-Ré-Mi’s ‘Haunt You’:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGs7DyotJDs
Armed with an acoustic guitar and a harmonica, Melbourne’s Grace Cummings kicked off the evening’s entertainment with one of the best solo performances you’ll see all year.
Turning almost every head in the slowly-filling venue with her phenomenal voice, Cummings’ poetic lyrics and gorgeous delivery took centre stage for an all-too-brief window, showcasing her raw, emotional talent to the crowd.
With songs that sounded akin to that of early Bob Dylan, and a mesmerising tune that name-checked the likes of Meryl Streep and Big Star’s Chris Bell, Cummings proved herself as one of the most exhilarating musicians going around right now, leaving everyone in the room undoubtedly wanting more.
Check out Grace Cummings & Alex Hamilton covering ‘A Song For You’:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-8ofLIwq7g
After a short break, beloved Melbourne trio Cookin’ On 3 Burners took to the stage to showcase their upbeat funk style to the waiting crowds.
After an instrumental jam to help “dust off the cobwebs”, the group jumped into a rendition of The Cruel Sea’s ‘Black Stick’ before welcoming acclaimed vocalist Stella Angelico to the stage.
Throughout their nine-song set, the group managed to convert even the biggest nonbelievers in the crowd, with everyone taking the opportunity to tap their feet or bob their head to every infectious drum beat that resonated through the venue.
Powering through huge tracks like ‘Sweet Talker’, ‘While Woman’, ‘This Girl’, and an instrumental cover of Gary Numan’s ‘Cars’, during their set, Cookin’ On 3 Burners easily showed everyone why they’re often considered one of the most revered live acts on the Victorian music scene.
Check out Cookin’ On 3 Burners’ ‘This Girl’:
After rather brief intermission, the band that everyone was here to see slowly appeared in front of the crowd. With simple Venetian blinds serving as the backdrop, the reformed Do-Ré-Mi took to the stage amongst rapturous applause.
Kicking things off with ‘Standing On Wires’, Bridie O’Brien delivered the mesmerising opening guitar riff as the group eased back into the classic tune as if nothing had changed over the previous decades.
“How lovely to see you after 30 years,” singer Deborah Conway quipped to the crowd. “We look wiser.”
Before long though, the crowd was in their element as the band jumped into the familiar opening lines of the The Waiting Room EP’s version of ‘Man Overboard’.
A cursory look around the venue showed almost everyone singing their lungs out with huge smiles plastered over their faces, as either longtime supporters or comparatively newer fans were lapping up the opportunity of seeing this iconic group for the first time in many, many years.
As drummer Julia Day and keyboardist Clio Renner served up endless portions of musical excellence, the audience found themselves returning to the charismatic nature of founding bassist Helen Carter.
Working through a set list full of classic hits and fan favourites, Deborah Conway showcased her trademark dry humour, passing the time between tracks by delivering witty anecdotes or intriguing stories about how their tunes came to be written back in the day.
Check out Do-Ré-Mi’s ‘Adultery’:
Following stunning performances of huge tunes such as ‘Idiot Grin’, ‘Adultery’, and the still-relevant protest song ‘Warnings Moving Clockwise’, it was clear that this show was everything fans had dreamed of for years.
After revisiting their debut album Domestic Harmony with the faster version of iconic hit ‘Man Overboard’, Do-Ré-Mi closed out their main set with a searing rendition of ‘Haunt You’, as impromptu dance sessions and singalongs broke out amongst the crowd.
After a short break, the group returned to the stage to deliver a two-song encore, drawing on tracks from The Happiest Place In Town, Conway closed out the set by dedicating the title-track to her children.
While the evening’s show felt barely like a reunion and more of a long-overdue continuation, it was clear that for many fans, it was as if no time had passed at all, with both Do-Ré-Mi and their songs seeming as fresh as ever in everyone’s minds.
While a 30-year gap preceded this long-awaited tour, it’s clear that demand for more shows will remain high, and that fans certainly aren’t going to be keen on waiting another three decades for an experience like this.
Check out Do-Ré-Mi’s ‘Man Overboard’:
Do-Ré-Mi @ Corner Hotel, Melbourne 8/2/18 Setlist
‘Standing On Wires’
‘Man Overboard (EP Version)’
‘The Theme From Jungle Jim’
‘Wild And Blue’
‘New Taboos’
‘Idiot Grin’
‘Take Me Anywhere’
‘Friends Like You’
‘1,000 Mouths’
‘King Of Moomba’
‘Warnings Moving Clockwise’
‘Guns And Butter’
‘Adultery’
‘Man Overboard’
‘Haunt You’
Encore:
‘That Hanging Business’
‘The Happiest Place In Town’
