Photo: Supplied.
BY JAN NARY
What’s the common thread that links Janis Joplin, Amy Winehouse, Kurt Cobain, Jim Morrison and Jimi Hendrix? They’ve each been acclaimed as the voice of their generation and each one of them has left a canon of songs for future generations. And each of them died at the age of 27.
Though the singers are gone the songs live on and they’ll blaze back into life at 27 Club, presented by a cast of performers who are each spectacular in their own right. Sarah McLeod, Justin Burford, Carla Lippis, Dusty Lee Stephensen and Cam Blokland are backed by a band of some of Australia’s finest musicians – and audiences are loving it.
“They’re such great songs – it’s hit after hit after hit,” says Sarah McLeod (The Superjesus); “and it’s a good education in the history of rock and roll because we underpin each track with the story of the composer’s life.
“I love doing shows where you can learn something. You can listen to a song and appreciate it but you never really understand it until you’ve learned it yourself; that really drives home what good songs they are and how well they stand up. And I’ve learned a lot about live performance and entertainment from this show; it’s more than just singing!”
Sarah says that one of the reasons for the show’s success is the quality of the performers and that they really enjoy working together.
“Striving for individual excellence never overrides the fact that we’re a tight-knit, cast iron collective, even though it’s a pretty loose style. We’re on stage the whole time, even if we’re not performing, and we react to each other’s work. That keeps the show fresh and fun – maybe that’s why some Adelaide audiences have seen up to five performances – but I can’t talk, I’m up there six nights a week and I still love it!”
27 Club comes to RPAC on Thursday April 3. For tickets, go to rpac.com.au or call (07) 3829 8131.
