Live Reviews : Cherie Currie, Tequila Mockingbyrd & Wild Violet @ Corner Hotel, Melbourne 28/05/2016

Words: Jonathon Besanko

Images: Carl Neumann

(Click here to view the full gallery)

To start off sounding as cheesy as possible, it was a freezing cold night in Melbourne last night but the spirit of rock ‘n’ roll was burning bright and hot within me. Tonight would see the triumphant debut of the original Cherry Bomb herself, Cherie Currie, on Australian shores; touring our lovely country for the first time in her four-decade long career. The former The Runaways vocalist was a sight to behold, as exuberant and without ego as any. Her humbling and gracious presence was a welcome change from the norm. But more to that later.

Wild Violet

Kicking off the night were Melbourne based three-piece, Wild Violet; a band I hadn’t heard of before now, but was delightfully surprised by. In fact, both openers were new to me tonight, and both blew me away. What first needs to be stated is that you should never underestimate a three-piece while in the hands of talented musicians. Despite only having a single guitar, bass, and drum kit between them (a format following opener Tequila Mockingbyrd also shared), there was a great deal of power behind their music. With Angelica Zahra being the lead guitarist and main vocalist, the other two band members (Jacinta Jaye – bass; and, Niyoosha Roberts – drums) also shared vocal duties. This created a strong and engaging dynamic, and the hard-edged Runaways-style nature to their music gave it real punch.

They had already earned strong applause by the end of their first song “Prima Donna”, and this trend carried throughout their 20-minute set (even performing a cover of Black Sabbath‘s “N.I.B.”; though Angelica sped a bit too fast through the bridge of the solo and threw off the rhythm a little). I also loved the unexpected turn of where Niyoosha sang vocals for one of the songs, too. Despite the Corner Hotel being guilty as it always is of having too much reverb on the drums and bass at the start, there was great vocal sync between Angelica and Jacinta, and the band ended spectacularly with a dramatic display: kicking their instruments up and pounding the drums high into the air.

Tequila Mockingbyrd

Tequila Mockingbyrd were the second and last opener for the evening. Another band I was new to, I couldn’t believe I hadn’t heard of this band earlier. They were fantastic! Their energy and the substance to their music was infectious. Playing like a mix between Halestorm and the harder side to Suzi Quatro, the frontwoman of this trio, Estelle Artois, even felt Lzzy Hale-esque in her look and movements. And as a fan of Halestorm already, I loved that! Don’t let that fool you though, Tequila Mockingbyrd were very much their own entity. With an intro that built up powerfully, they kicked off with a ton of energy that just blew me back. Estelle was a commanding presence on stage, and her vocal prowess was incredible. It was not only pleasant to the ear and tough as nails, but more importantly, it carried. She had an aura about her on stage that just drew you in, and coupled by the talents of Jess Rizzle (bass) and Josie O’Toole (drums), Tequila Mockingbyrd made for a formidable power on the stage. It was a captivating performance, and they are definitely a band I’ll be keeping an eye on!

There was a great atmosphere to this evening, with a lot people who you could tell were reliving their youth. And it was great to see a diverse mix in the crowd of the semi-filled Corner Hotel. With the Neon Angel herself soon to hit the stage, as the red curtains part, we in the audience were met with one of my all-time favourite Runaways songs, “American Nights.” This set the precedent for the evening, and showed right from the offset that Cherie Currie still not only has what it takes to light up a stage, but that the years have been even kinder to her. She sounded damn good live, and looked just as rocking! Blazing right into songs like “Rock ‘N’ Roll” (a Lou Reed cover originally performed on their first album with vocal leads by Joan Jett), Cherie was donning a David Bowie shirt of which the reason why would be revealed later. One of the things that grabbed me tonight was how vibrant Cherie felt on stage. She was bubbling with fun energy, and took every opportunity to involve those in the crowd as much as possible – constantly putting the mic out into the audience, and giving people the chance to sing the lyrics to her songs (which comprised a healthy mix of songs from the first two Runaways albums she appeared on, as well as her more recent solo material).

Cherie Currie

As well as being a night filled with Runaways classics and Cherie Currie originals, tonight also saw Cherie pay tribute to her idols, David Bowie and Suzi Quatro. After announcing she co-wrote a song named “Rock ‘n’ Roll Rosie” with her band’s bassist, Alexx Michael, for a forthcoming Suzi Quatro documentary, Cherie gave a nice anecdote on the influence Suzi had on her. Soon followed by a tribute to the late, great David Bowie, and covers of his songs “Lady Grinning Soul” and “Rebel Rebel”, the crowd loved it. Next came an awesome, unexpected moment when drummer Tommy Wagner shared vocal duties with Cherie and they all performed a cover of KISS‘ “Do You Love Me?” It was a great segment, and added another interesting element to an already solid setlist.

Despite one small moment in which they played The Runaways track, “Heartbeat” (and wherein Cherie gave an amusing little anecdote about how ex-band mate Lita Ford hated the song, but now that she was gone they could perform it), she accidentally mucked up coming into the first line of the second verse. Turning to guitarist Danny Raygun, she asked through a smile, “How many times have I performed this song?” To which he replied, “At least eight!” They both laughed, and Cherie turned to the audience for the lyrics. Laughing the mishap away as the effects of aging, it was a minor thing in an otherwise flawless set.

Cherie Currie

Unsurprisingly, they closed with “Cherry Bomb” and it went off! It was just as amazing live as I’d always imagined, and Cherie would stop singing for whole verses and just let the audience sing the song. It was so cool to be a part of. Tonight was one of the best and most energetic shows I’ve been to, and Cherie still sounds as killer and enthusiastic today as she did in the mid ’70s. She always seemed genuinely happy and appreciative to be here. And that love was returned threefold from the crowd.

The Queen of Noise still reigns.

Cherie Currie hits the Cherry Bar tomorrow night (May 30), before hitting up The Gov in Adelaide on Tuesday (May 31), and finally Rosemount in Perth on Wednesday (June 1). Tickets available now through Tombowler.

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