DENIZ TEK GROUP
Esplanade Hotel Front Bar
St Kilda, Victoria
Saturday, April 2, 2011.Words and pictures: PAUL WINDOW
Share The front bar of the Esplanade has been a happy hunting ground for I-94 Bar drinkers in recent times.
Klondike’s North 40, The Visitors and last Saturday, Deniz Tek, the Iceman himself, graced us with his presence down south. A healthy Saturday night crowd welcomed Deniz and band to the stage just before midnight and they were treated to a diverse set of rock and roll. The band covered much of the material featured on the “Citadel Years” release.
Early in the set Deniz, introduced his daughter and Melbourne resident Hana to the stage for some back-up vocal duties and she didn’t disappoint.
Over the journey of Deniz’s solo efforts he has often had only one guitar onstage but tonight the sound was more than fleshed out by Art Godoy, who on occasions stepped in on a few lead breaks and was easily on par with the Doc!I hadn’t heard many of these tracks live since he toured the “Equinox” album in 1998 - same pub, different room. Deniz just seems to get better with age. “Steel Beach” and “Christmas Eve” were personal favourites, and needless to say the band delivered with that Tek-like precision. The songs showcased the diversity in Tek’s recordings and depth he has to drawn on from over 30 years of writing and recording.
The 14-song set went for about an hour and towards the end Deniz ramped it up (skater reference for the Godoy twins!) with “Dirt” and a blistering version of “Breaks My Heart”. He finished off with “Shellback” and “What it’s For.”
I can’t thank Deniz and the band enough for venturing south. Let’s hope he visits Hana on a more frequent basis - and packs his guitar.
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