James Reyne soon to light up the MEC
In just over a week’s time the Manning Entertainment Centre will host an Australian musical legend when James Reyne hits the stage with his “A Crawl to Now” touring show on Friday March 2.
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“I just feel that I’m getting better,” James Reyne says. “I’m a better singer and a better songwriter.”
It’s a simple statement, but also remarkable – considering that this is an artist who has sold more than two million albums and written some of the most memorable Australian songs of all time.
James’s songs have provided the soundtrack to endless Australian summers, including “The Boys Light Up”, “Reckless”, “Beautiful People”, “Lakeside”, “Daughters Of The Northern Coast”, “Fall Of Rome”, “Hammerhead”, “Motor’s Too Fast” and “Slave”.
James has been a part of our lives since making an unforgettable debut on Countdown in 1979, with both arms in plaster (the result of being hit by a car, crossing Swanston Street in Melbourne).
“Lucky for the Australian music industry that James Reyne chose to strut through its door in 1979,” Wendy Milson and Helen Thomas wrote in their 1986 book Pay To Play.
“His was exactly the profile … an injection of chutzpah to recharge a listless business burdened with hard-to-market punk acts.”
As Ed St John declared in the liner notes for Australian Crawl’s farewell album, The Final Wave, “They had a distinctively Melbourne twang that recalled the sounds of many of that city’s great bands – Skyhooks, Jo Jo Zep and The Sports – whilst also stating a youthful, sexy confidence that was all their own.”
James was a member of Australian Crawl for seven years, releasing four studio albums in five frenetic years in the ’80s.
He’s been a solo artist for the past 28 years, releasing eight studio albums, plus two acoustic collections, a covers album and two live albums.
Thirty years after it was released, Australian Crawl’s debut album, The Boys Light Up, was featured in The 100 Best Australian Albums.
For James, the time is perfect. "Whilst I’m not inclined to get all nostalgic, it feels like the right time to go through this material and present it songbook style. The songs we’ve chosen are a lot of fun to perform - and it scratches my never-ending itch to tour, to play live!”
Bookings: theMEC.com.au Ph 6592 5466 and Stockland Forster.