Factory Theatre, Sydney
Sunday October 29, 2017 :
Not many artists stand the test of time like Bernard Fanning, but as one of the best front men to ever grace our stages, he and his band ‘The Black Fins’ did not disappoint at the Factory Theatre, Sunday 29th October. The room filled with a crowd so diverse in age you wouldn’t be wrong in thinking that you were about to witness something great.
There was an immediate recognition to the audience for not following in the footsteps of the previous nights crowd, and singing along to the pre show bad 80’s mixed tape he had programmed especially for the purpose of annoying the audience. Phil Collins and Starship hadn’t won the hearts of a Sunday night more cultured crowd. They were congratulated by Mr Fanning… and so the show began.
Kicking off the evening from latest album Brutal Dawn was the acoustic electricity of ‘Shed My Skin’, the band moving effortlessly through the dramatic ‘pixie’ like energy of this light and gracious piece. Moving onto ‘How Many Times’, ‘Reckless’ and a generous handful of tracks from Tea and Symphony. There was a sense of ‘typical Aussie’ energy in the room as Bernard was delivering a show he was known and renowned for.
Addressing the crowd to retort to typical yell outs with stories from tours past, letting his wit and humour shine through. Well spoken, polite but sometimes crude, Bernard had the audience chuckling along to his tales of days gone by. The band giving strength to Bernard’s’ delivery of Tom Petty’s ‘Learning to Fly’ as a tribute to the recent passing of one of the greats, the crowd were appropriately impressed.
Finishing the night with a few more favourites including ‘Wish You Well’, you had to congratulate the band for the tight, dynamic collaboration they had become accustomed to playing night after night.
Reviewer + Photographer : Richard Hedger
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