PERTH 2003 REVIEWS

 

The West Australian November 2003
Simon Collins

HERE in Perth we are used to the 80s promising much and delivering little, so it was hardly a surprise that Here & Now was a disappointing event. To be fair, it wasn't a flop, with three of the acts turning in fun-filled performances and three crashing out in front of around 5,000 people.
...Sheffield synth-pop act Human League glided on after setting up their austere stage - shiny white equipment, white backdrop and goth clothing. Philip Oakey, minus his freaky fringe, wandered on with backing singers Susanne Sulley and Joanne Catherall, for Love Action (I Believe in Love).
The Kraftwerk-inspired electronic sounds of Heart Like a Wheel, Human and (Keep Feeling) Fascination left many cold, while pockets of fans welcomed Human League's first Perth show. However, Oakey woke up the crowd with his 1984 collaboration with Giorgio Moroder, Together in Electric Dreams, and closed with Human League's massive 1981 hit Don't You Want Me.
Thus, the retrofest ended, after four hours, seven bands and nothing but pop hits. The line-up may not have gelled - Human League were too left-of-centre after the sugarcoated pop of Wilde and Carlisle, and Go West and Young were too crap - but if this package works elsewhere around Australia, we may be seeing Here & Now back again.
There must be loads of 80s acts keen for a paid jaunt around Oz. Anyone know where we can find Tears for Fears, Spandau Ballet and Ultravox?

 

The Australian November 2003 new

Julian Tompkin

History never repeats" was how Split Enz so famously described life at the dawn of the 1980s. Yet here were seven leading acts from that decade bunched together for the first show of the Here and Now national tour, armed with a decent gallery of hits, many more than 20 years old.

It was hardly history repeating itself, what with waistlines a tad wider, the Barbie-blonde locks slightly less believable and the music certified archival material. But that wasn't going to stop Powderfinger precursors 1927 from reclaiming the stage with a short set of melodic classics, from Compulsory Hero to the monumental If I Could.

…While the Human League initially alienated most of the nostalgia-hungry audience with that (still credible?) Kraftwerk crossed with Joy Division sound, by the set's end the band reminded people exactly why it was there, with three little electro-pop numbers entitled Love Action, Together in Electric Dreams and Don't You Want Me Baby.

Hardly a crash course in a decade long passed, Here and Now may finally put the '80s to rest in the eyes of Australia. Then again, maybe not.