Words & pix by Sarah Gilpin Photography
Words by Cecilia Pattison-Levi
I have been lucky to see The Fabulous Caprettos three times this year. I caught the gig at The SoundLounge on the Gold Coast then I went to the Crown Casino gig in Melbourne, and now the gig at the historic and beautiful Princess Theatre in Brisbane. It is a dream venue for photographers as it is a beautiful place to shoot bands, and the acoustics are great. The Princess Theatre is elegant and also has fabulous drinks and food options, and the view of the stage from any position is always good.
The Princess Theatre was hosting The Fabulous Caprettos – a kind of supergroup of Australian rock musicians, including Dave Gleeson (The Screaming Jets, The Angels), Jack Jones (Southern Sons), Rai Thistlethwayte (Thirsty Merc), Joe Camilleri (The Black Sorrows) and special guest, the indomitable Wendy Matthews. The Fabulous Caprettos was an idea that came out of the COVID-19 pandemic and would allow musicians to get together in small groups and perform a mix of their own hits and covers, showcasing the diverse musical talents within the band while having a very good time.
The band delivered a night filled with stories, laughter, jokes and incredible songs… songs that have cemented themselves into our consciousness over varying decades of Australian music history. These are songs we all know and love. But we will come to that shortly, because…
The evening commenced with a really great solo set from Western Australian musician Jason Ayres. He delivered a seven-song set of mostly original songs and two strategically placed covers: Chris Isaaks‘ Baby, Did A Bad Bad Thing and Cher’s Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) which was given a twist, and it was made even more fun with the fairy-lights illuminating his guitar. Those two songs got the crowd engaged and moving. Jason Ayres’ stripped-back acoustic set was also littered with well-written original songs that had real class.
He kicked off the set with Troubles Of My Own from his 2013 self-titled album. And, after the cover songs, he played new songs like the fantastic Highway, Desire and his new single Wild River Flow from his new album. He really performed his songs with style and flair as he set the tone of the evening with his acoustic melodies, lovely crisp vocals and storyteller-style lyrics.
He closed out his set with the song Come Back To You. Jason Ayres was just one man with his guitars (especially the one with the fairy lights), but he is a real modern-day troubadour. I would love to hear him with a band, as I think he and his music would just explode. After completing his set, Ayres left to genuine and sincere applause with his set warmly appreciated by the crowd.
The excitement and the crowd built in the Princess Theatre as the lights dimmed and The Fabulous Caprettos got ready to stride on to the stage, one by one. But first the terrific rhythm section of Gerry Pantazis holding the beat on drums and the fantastic base player Jason Vorherr got on stage and into position, before Rai Thistlethwayte got behind the keys, Dave Gleeson took to the tambourine that was his friend all night, then Joe Camilleri walked out onto the stage followed by Jack Jones and Wendy Matthews.
The Princess Theatre crowd was ecstatic right from the opening chord as the band dived straight in with Daughters Of Glory, with Joe Camilleri the focus on vocals, guitar and saxophone. Then Jack Jones took the wheel and took us right back to the nineties with Southern Sons’ Always & Forever. Wendy Matthews then took the microphone and sang. She commanded attention with the song, Woman’s Gotta Have It. As the first woman ever to join The Fabulous Caprettos‘ line-up, she brought her powerhouse voice and grace to the stage.
Usually, at this point, Rai Thistlethwayte would perform, but due to the flu and COVID-19 raging across the nation, he was unwell with a sore throat. The band has travelled around the country for the past five weeks, and Thistlethwayte had become the latest victim and then became the object of jokes about “dehydration” and everyone needing a “COVID mask” as he is the youngest on tour and first to go down.
Jack Jones said: “We will have a special and memorable show, even if we have to change it all up, it happens to all of us at some time”. Rai Thistlethwayte did his best and still delivered 20 Good Reasons and the Bondi Rescue classic In The Summertime with lots of crowd assistance.
Dave Gleeson stepped forward to play the tambourine as his defined instrument early in the set, as he had become Tambourine Dave over the last few gigs. He joked with the crowd and said, “it takes talent to play multiple instruments… Lenny Kravitz plays it too”. But Gleeson is a guitar man and throughout the night he delivered songs like Helping Hands, the amazing Shivers that was written by Rowland Howard and October Grey, which all created a buzz in the room – and with that rock-edge Gleeson changed the feel of the gig completely.
The evening’s special guest, Wendy Matthews, came back to the centre of the stage and took control of her hit song Let’s Kiss (Like Angels Do). Through the night she performed the huge ballad The Day You Went Away, but it was her take on I Don’t Want to Be with Nobody But You with Joe Camilleri’s accompanying sax solo left everyone speechless. It was a masterclass in blues and soul groove. Her voice shimmered with raw vulnerability and was so moving to hear.
Jack Jones delivered a great version of Hold Me In Your Arms that was mesmerising. You could have heard a pin drop. He also performed Lead Me to Water, which was another huge sing along moment and Heart In Danger, which was the debut single from Southern Sons. His guitar work was on fire, his vocals were terrific, and he is just pure class as a live performer.
Joe Camilleri delivered a great mix of songs from his extensive and celebrated career. The wonderful Harley And Rose had the crowd singing along in full voice. Then, the unmistakable sound of Shape I’m In started as Camilleri asked: “Anyone here over the age of 80?” and one guy said he was so Camilleri asked him to come down to the front to say hello. He got the crowd to all stand up (as this was a seated performance) and taught them all how to move and dance to the song by gliding to the right and then to the left.
One of the biggest cheers of the night came as Jack Jones unleashed one of the best riffs ever written as The Screaming Jets Better filled the Princess Theatre. Dave Gleeson got the crowd out of their seats as he belted out that classic rock anthem, and the crowd loved it! The Fabulous Caprettos had them in the palm of their hands as they performed the mighty Chained To The Wheel to close out the set.
Suddenly, it was over, and the band left the stage. The songs in the set had been delivered, but the crowd roared for more. After two huge minutes of appreciation in clapping and loud demands Gerry Pantazis and Jason Vorherr returned to the stage and were followed by The Fabulous Caprettos who got Dave Gleeson to take the lead and deliver a song he knew well from his time with The Angels, The Animal’s We Gotta Get Outta This Place and the crowd went off.
It was just a brilliant night of the best talent performing real live music. There is nothing better!
