Mark Sisto photo from The Espy by Richard Sharman of Blackshadow PhotographyBy DYLAN WEBSTER
The "Return to Earth" mini tour was one of the rare opportunities in the last three years to see The Visitors perform. In late 2005 they played two shows with a line-up of Deniz Tek, Mark Sisto, Pip Hoyle, and the Godoy twins from Deniz's US-based band, The Last of the Bad Men. The 2005 Visitors were a pretty straight-down-the-line, hard rockin' unit playing the songs off the original 1979 vinyl release with all guns blazing.
The 2008 line-up (who also played shows with The Hitmen and the BellRays in February and March this year) are just as tight and hard rockin' as you'd expect the Visitors to sound, but now with a line-up that includes Nik Rieth on drums, Andy Newman on bass, and newcomer Jack Shanley on sax, the group has a bigger sound that only the inclusion of Klavier and saxophone can muster.
With a recently re-issued and re-mastered CD on sale for the collectors, sporting great re-worked cover art, liner-notes, and a great picture disc, it is rumoured that the new line-up might soon be recording brand new tracks for a perhaps not far off release (hopefully on vinyl).
Sat 30 Aug, Empire Hotel, Annandale (Sydney)
Photos By The Barman
Unfortunately I missed the first support act, Patti Smith tribute band 25th Floor, but caught the second group for the night, The Rumours, fronted by former Screaming Tribesman Mick Medew. These guys were great - a solid four piece band featuring drums that nearly had to be smashed out of a locked 4WD before the show. They reminded me a bit of Brad Shepherd's band, The Monarchs.
Having listened to a lot of Tribesmen vinyl in the past it was good to finally see Mick Medew perform. I think they're Brisbane based so if you're up that way you’d be nuts not to check them out.
With an injury (sliced off tip on his finger), Tek was definitely hampered in delivering the more intricate fret work (even remarking to the crowd later in the show how damn hard it was to play with a key finger bloodied and taped up!!), so instead of laying on the lead breaks with his usual precision he replaced it with equally effective frenetic lead and impressive rhythm work.
Sisto was in expected fine form on vocals, with smooth moves gliding across the stage, talkin' it up with the crowd, and delivering the lyrics just like you'd expect to hear if familiar with the original recordings.
Although the sound mix drowned him out more often than not, Pip was on fire. Nik and Andy delivered it all rock steady and faultless. If you're a fan of the DTG, seeing Nik and Deniz on stage together again, especially when playing "Day To Ride", well, let's just say it would have been worth the admission price just for that.
One thing I was really surprised about was the inclusion of young saxophonist, Jack Shanley. This guy is definitely one to watch in the future, for a fella who hadn't heard all of the Stooges' "Funhouse" before, it was amazing to hear him make some of the songs sound just like tracks from that all-time classic record.
Of note were two solid new tracks which have a slightly smoother, slower sound. One of them, with personal lyrics penned by Pip, will hopefully be heard on the rumoured upcoming recordings, whilst another, which I believe is a new Tek composition, was a little more polished than the first. Like all new tracks, it takes a band some time to iron them out so to allow them to evolve - giving them some live exposure can only assist is improving them prior to recording.
Not sure of the exact set list, it definitely included most of the original songs from the '79 release but very obviously left out "Disperse" and "Skimp the Pimp". I was kinda disappointed that they didn't at least play "Disperse."
Of course the original songs were great to hear but in all honesty the highlight was their rendition of Birdman's "Hit 'Em Again" – I don't think you'll ever hear a band do such a super-charged version of this song. With Deniz, Nik and Andy driving it full speed, the crowd lifted about a foot off the dance floor just by sheer force alone.
Fri 5th Sep Hotel Esplanade, St Kilda (Melbourne)
Photos by Richard Sharman of Blackshadow Photography
If you thought that going to the Empire show the week before was good 'nuff, or were in Melbourne and just didn't get around to travelling down to the Espy on the night, I gotta say that you're a sucka. This show was THE best show I've seen them play.
Having a chance to gel together over the past few shows, and with Deniz's sliced finger miraculously healed by the Patron Saint of Rock, if you ever wanted to see The Visitors in full flight and on fire, this was your night.
I got to see two of the three support bands, the first of which was The Daicos, a hard rockin' three piece (two guitars and drums) who seemed really popular with the local crowd. Apparently they are recording soon. Fronted by a five-foot-nothing ball of power on vocals, this woman had one of the biggest rock voices I've heard live. With a twin guitar attack, they didn't miss a beat without a bass, and the drummer was a real hard hitter.
The main support, The Legends of Motor Sport, got the crowd moving when they came on at about 11.30pm. The only comparison I can think of is something like Rocket Science, but maybe just because they had a sound centred on a frontman with similar prominent keyboard/organ.
Coming on really late at 1.45am, The Visitors warmed up through the first two or three songs and then were off and racing from there. This show had an energy and purpose completely different from the Empire a week prior. Maybe it was due to being the last stop on the tour train or maybe it was a crowd really enthusiastic to see such a great rock band in an awesome venue (The Espy front bar).
Tek, healed and raring to go hit the high ones and certainly gave the crowd what they wanted. His presence on a stage makes an impact, especially with such a great band behind him. No-one does it like Dr Tek, period. It is funny having complete strangers come up to you before Deniz takes to the stage, buzzin' with excitement mumbling how great it will be to see 'the guy from Birdman who flies fast jets and shit'.
True, but he doesn't do it by himself; Sisto was clearly in his element. Movin', shakin', shimmying across the stage, he's replaced his giant wooden pole he had on the 2005 tour with some well timed punches incorporated into his repertoire. Mark has such a unique voice for rock, again, if you’re familiar with the original recordings he still well and truly delivers as strong as ever.
I hadn't noticed if he was doing it in Sydney, but seeing Pip singing backing vocals while delivering the well known Klavier lines of these songs was great. If you aren't familiar with Nik Rieth's drumming, well, picture this – solid, rock steady, hard hitting, and nailing Ron Keeley’s original cymbal work. Andy, although not prominent and front of stage delivers the bass lines as intricately as Steve Harris on the original recordings.
Jack on sax, for a young guy playing with such confidence with established guys like these - and really throwing himself into it - is bloody brilliant. Jack really makes a big difference in this line-up and it'd be great to hear him included, even if only selectively, in the new rumoured recordings.
Hindered by injuries (one of the four shows cancelled as a result) and the busy personal commitments of the band members during this tour, it took a few shows to really warm up to the climax of seeing the Espy show. Not taking anything away from the Empire show at all but there was a marked difference/improvement between the Sydney and Melbourne shows. Hopefully if/when they get it together to record some of their new and already penned songs, this might induce them into playing more often with this great new line-up.
As a collector item, the new and currently available re-mastered/re-issued CD should be snapped up quickly here, as scarcity of the 1994 issue of the "Visitation 79" re-release will attest to. Also available are great new 2008 tour shirts.
