Live Review: Rubber Soul Revolver: Marlon Williams, Jordie Lane, Fergus Linacre, Husky Gawenda

Led by musical director Paul Gray, tonight’s show was part of a series Beatles concerts “performed live, back to back and track for track”.

While it’s hard to go wrong with a guaranteed setlist of great tunes and the concert hall of the Opera House, the challenge is to make the set something more than the offering of a fancy cover band.

This group of featured vocalists were relatively unknown compared to the previous series, but this allowed for some significant discoveries rather than tribute-meets-tribute stuff. Kiwi Marlon Williams stole the show with his slightly awkward swagger but gorgeous crooning (Michelle never sounded so good), drawing the room with a slightly nervous stance but a stunning vocal tone. Thanks Beatles — seems you’re still introducing new sounds!

Next Husky Gawenda gently drew an otherwise overly shiny show in by telling stories of his mum using Girl as a lullaby as a little boy — with his version of For No One just the right amount of vulnerable without being sappy. Fergus Linacre (of Kingswood) played something of a new wave rocker, with Got To Get You Into My Life really suiting, and it was Jordie Lane, perhaps unsurprisingly, who took on an unofficial leader role, introducing members and making sweet deadpan jokes.

Concert and Great Masters appreciation mode was triggered, but the real fun was to be had with the goofiness of all-ins like Yellow Submarine and Drive My Car, as well as an encore double A-side plus I Saw Her Standing There. While there wasn’t much opportunity for direct collaboration beyond the odd ‘lead plus back-ups’, all in, the opportunity to show off new voices with grand old coats was worth it.