Live Review: Mark Seymour, James Reyne

Rain fell steadily on the crowd waiting to enter The Charles Hotel but it didn't diminish the excitement of the Mark Seymour/James Reyne fans who'd been waiting nine long years for their return to Perth.

The Charles was bursting at the seams when James Reyne and Josh Owens took to the stage, launching straight into a terrific cover of the Dingoes' Way Out West. The punters were eager but it was during the third song, classic heartbreaker Downhearted, that the crowd erupted, dancing and singing every song word perfect.

The requests flew in thick and fast, and Reyne batted them off with good humour. His voice, exceptional back in 1980, is even more so now and, apart from straining a little on the very top notes, he sounds to be in his prime.

Reyne's famous wit came to the fore a number of times, not least of all with his introduction to a song penned last year What A Pain In The Arse It Is (To Run Into You Again): "Everyone's got someone like that in their lives. Sing along" ...and they did.

Handing the baton on to Mark Seymour & The Undertow, they kicked off with a gorgeous version of Classrooms & Kitchens followed by an avalanche of powerful songs including Two Dollar Punter and Westgate. When the hotly anticipated Holy Grail finally started up, it seemed to take the crowd a while to recognise the stripped-back version. But when they did, they howled it out, occasionally silenced by the ferocious poignancy of Seymour's voice.

Seymour finished his set with the anthemic Throw Your Arms Around Me, heralding a sea of lit-up phones and tears. To Seymour's credit, no matter how many times he may have sung this song, last night still sounded like the first.

Leaving the stage briefly, Seymour returned with Reynes and a full band. Covering a wild blend of classics: Do It Again by Steely Dan, Ship Of Fools by World Party and Mel Tillis' Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town, before moving into their own Oh No Not You Again, Do You See What I See? and The Boys Light Up. They finished with incredible covers of Neil Young's Helpless and Talking Heads' Psycho Killer.

Expectations beforehand had been sky-high, but the reality surpassed even the wildest of dreams. The body of work from these living treasures is stunning in its breadth. One thing is for sure - the night might be over, but Seymour and Reyne are a long way from finished.