Countdown Spectacular 2
Entertainment Centre
Sunday 2 Sept


Big hair? No. Skinny black ties? No. Stressed leather jackets? No. All rather surprising really given that V2 of The Countdown Spectacular was more 80s oriented this time round than 2006's V1. However, the three quarter filled Ent Cent crowd, whose average age seemed to be very late 40s to early 50 something's (some with kids in tow) were there to relive and enjoy the golden age of 80s music television.

Co-hosted by Molly and John Paul Young, the format was simple: each act would do one or two songs, with or without the Countdown dancers, the crowd would show appreciative recognition or go wild depending on the act, and the next one would come on.

With 10 international acts (Doug Fieger of The Knack, Martha Davis of The Motels, Katrina Leskanich of Katrina and The Waves and Robin "M" Scott to name a few) coupled with 12 Australian acts, reviewing this was going to be a bit like a Big Day Out: full on and with not enough space to do justice for all.

The majority of the internationals didn't disappoint. Katrina opened the night, hearing Walking On Sunshine live most excellent. Pop Music though showed its dated roots, with Scott's antics a bit twee. The sultriness and pout of Martha Davis had many of the males simmering, Total Control, Only The Lonely and Take The L being winners. Doug Fieger's Telecaster and singing style actually won me back to liking My Sharona, go figure.

But it was the Australian acts that stood heads and shoulders above the Internationals. Supernaut's I Like It Both Ways had the crowd baying for more, while the harmonies of BSG in their six song medley were divine. Doc Neeson, although still recovering from his accident several years ago, still made it out to the audience for the requisite crowd singalong of Am I Ever, and kicked arse with Comin Down and Shadow Boxer. Brilliant stuff. The Radiators did not do THAT song, but a brilliant Its Okay, while Clapton's medley of Girls On The Avenue, Deep Water, I Am An Island rocked out. Ignatious Jones was well Ignatious Jones, with They Won't Let My Girlfriend and I'm Not Like Everybody Else providing two musical extremes. And the most sublime and surreal offering of the night was Dave Mason's Quasimodo's Dream. Aussie boy made good Rick Springfield closed the night, Jesse's Girl having many of the ladies more than a tad excited. The finale of My Generation was average.

These spectaculars offer great value for money to see what were, especially from an international perspective, one hit wonders. It proved to me though, that the Australian acts were the cream on the night, and that perhaps it was the distance to anywhere of note being the only thing that stopped many of them making it big on the world stage.

Mark Liebelt