Perfect Tripod

Perfect? If only.

Yon, Scod, and Gatesy have joined forces with Eddie Perfect (hence the title) to present a tribute, largely a cappella, to the music of Australia. The songs are generally delivered in a more 'mature' and less overtly comic manner than the boys from Tripod have been known for in the past, though both the musical arrangements and between-song patter contain their fair share of amusement.

This desire to leave behind adolescent humour as both you and your audience ages is understandable, but it is difficult to shake the feeling that Tripod have forsaken what made them such a standout act in years gone by.

‘Waltzing Matilda’ is a logical (and promising) place to start. From there, the quartet seem determined to cover all bases, to deliver something 'a bit different' while sampling a bit from the new and a bit from the older, as well as a bit from each other, but never really leaving the comfortable pop culture zone that their audience is most familiar with.

Australian Crawl's 'Errol' is reinvigorated, and Men at Work's 'Overkill' is unearthed as something of a soulful gem, but 'Better the Devil You Know' is a product (however accomplished) of a British 'hit factory', and 'How Deep is Your Love', written and performed by a group with only tenuous links to this nation, is given a mundane rendition to boot.

Yon's 'trumpet solo' was a personal highlight for this writer, but an easy choice for 'lowlight' was the perfunctory version of The Reels' so-called classic 'Quasimodo's Dream' (could someone PLEASE explain what's so gosh darn great about that song...?)

A Clare Bowditch cover turns things downright solemn, despite Yon's wryly funny intro. The encore, which includes a breathtakingly beautiful Paul Kelly composition, as well as a surprisingly successful attempt at involving the audience in three-part harmony to an Archie Roach song, is certain to send you out with a smile.

Tripod are as technically impressive as ever, but if this is where they believe their future lies, they would do well to give more careful consideration to their song choices next time around. Until then, this critic will be happy to keep revisiting the likes of 'Bevan: the Musical'.

Anthony Vawser