MTV unplugged aired for the first time on November 26th 1989 and anyone who was a teenager or older will remember what a huge hit it was, with many bands subsequently releasing their performances as live albums. The unplugged concept was to feature artists playing their songs without the usual production effects, an acoustic, raw and honest live performance. Episodes included such artists as Nirvana, Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney, Kiss, Lauren Hill and Florence and the Machine. It had become an honour to be asked to do an episode.
So, with this in mind we headed to the Art Deco, 100-year-old, heritage listed Memo Music Hall to see Monstr – The Best of MTV Unplugged. Monstr is an Aussie legends supergroup comprising of Jason Singh (Taxi ride), Stu Rudd (The Superjesus), Pete Drummond (Dragon), Jeremy Diffey (Yacht Rock Revival) and Jimi Hocking (The Screaming Jets, Jimi the Human, Josie Jason and The Argonauts).
But first a special guest to warm up the crowd.
Errin Kelly (front man of Bottle of Smoke) lead singer and guitarist accompanied by Dale on drums and backup vocals and Jarrod on keyboard. This was also a stripped back performance, highlighting Errin’s vocal skills and the bands respect for the lyrics and musical notes. They came on at 8pm and played a 30-minute mixed set of original and cover songs. Errin opened with a beautiful heart felt performance of “Maybe I’m Amazed” by Paul McCartney. He then treated the crowd to a fresh original track “A Million Worlds’ Away”.
It was the first time he had played it on stage. Erin then went on to talk about a song his father (who now has dementia) used to sing to him and how he now sings it with his children, and then he brought out his beautiful daughter Brydie to share the vocals on “Bell Bottom Blues” by Eric Clapton. Brydie’s sweet vocals and Errin’s voice blended into perfect harmonies. If Errin didn’t say so, the crowd would never have picked it was Brydie’s first time singing in front of an audience. Watch out dad, you have some serious competition.
The last song “Always Been You” was dedicated to his wife and with romantic lyrics like this you can always sing yourself out of trouble at home, especially when sung with so much genuine emotion. The audience were fully engaged with this performance and Errin, Dale and Jarrod finished to loud applause. So, whether you see Bottle of Smoke or Errin as a solo artist you are in for a great show.
With a starry night back drop and candles burning in the front of the stage “I want my MTV” Dire Straits starts playing and out walks the talented 5-piece. With Jeremy on the keyboard and banjira, Jimi on acoustic guitar and mandolin, Jason on acoustic guitar, Stu on bass and Pete on drums. Jimi, Jason and Stu are front and centre with the keyboard on one side and drums on the other. The lamp and candles make it feel like we are spying in the windows of someone’s lounge room. Just like the MTV unplugged tradition this show is stripped back and acoustic. It feels intimate even though we are in a big music hall, This is Monstr’s big debut performance and the band joke that they have only just learnt the songs and have had very limited rehearsal time. They open with Nirvana’s “About A Girl” sung by Jason and then Jimi sings “The Man Who Sold the World”.
Monstr played for over 2 and half hours with a set containing 16 songs plus 3 encore songs. It was a musical trip down memory lane. Every song was true to the unplugged memory. Everything was refined and because these five musicians are so talented every tune was kick ass. Jimi Hocking’s guitar sound is so distinctively his and he is the only person I know who can make a mandolin sound cool. Jason carried the heavy load of most of the lead vocals, but both Jimi and Pete took the lead on a few tunes. They covered tracks from Alanis Morissette, Pearl Jam, Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney, REM, Stone Temple Pilots, Rod Stewart, Bryan Adams, Live, Oasis and The Eagles. The banter between the band members was hilarious and the crowd joined in with some heckling and a lot of loud singing. At one point Jason said, “I could just let the crowd sing”. This show was a musical history lesson and every tune was played with great respect and skill.
At times there was little slip ups with lyrics and timing, but this didn’t detract from the performance. It added to the raw and stripped back realness. It made the music human and gave you an appreciation of how hard musicians work to hone their skills. My favourite track of the night was Pete singing “Blackbird” by Paul McCartney, but really choosing a favourite track is like asking someone to choose a favourite child. Errin Kelly returned to the stage to share vocals on the two Stone Temple Pilot songs and Jeremy even pulled out a Banjira (Indian flute) on Bryans Adam’s “Heaven”. An encore was demanded by the crowd stamping the feet and calling for more. In the encore performance of “Don’t Look Back in Anger” by Oasis as a goodbye and an acknowledgement of the band members they were able to work in a few bars of their most famous tracks like The Screaming Jets “Better” & Taxi Ride’s “Get Set”. The show closed with Pete singing “Hotel California” by the Eagles to loud applause and cries for more! This band and tribute was Jason’s idea which he and Pete made a reality and was a huge success. This debut performance will not be the last. We will see more of this supergroup Monstr. Their next MTV unplugged show is scheduled for the 31st of October at the Brunswick Ballroom in Melbourne.
Thank you to Monstr, Jason Singh & Claire Reynolds for the media access and the unlimited photography access for Ozgreeny Photography.
