By Peter Douglas
Legendary Aussie rockers The Angels are aiming to again smash the speakers of local audiences.
Their latest 4×4 Across Australia tour will see the band hand-picking four of their most iconic records and playing – back-to-back – four hits from each record.
Guitar brothers Rick and John Brewster, vocalist Dave Gleeson and the crew will be hitting York on Lilydale in April and have promised to dig through their catalogue of classics, sourcing from more than four decades of material.
To help pump up hills audiences, lead guitarist Rick spoke to the ‘Mail’ and told of the band’s love for live music.
He said there was an inexplicable bond when The Angels hit the stage, conceding the guitar kinship he shared with his brother was out of the ordinary.
“When we play guitar, it’s hard to explain, it’s an intuitive thing,” he said.
“I instinctively know where he’s going or I’ll lead him somewhere, we don’t have to say anything.
“It must be a family thing; it’s the same with Sam (Brewster, family member and drummer who replaced Chris Bailey).”
The Angels recently celebrated their 40th anniversary, after emerging during the Australian pub rock era of the early ‘70s.
Rick said the band had never lost sight of their roots and still kept in touch with many of their contemporaries.
That’s no easy feat when they include names such as AC/DC and Midnight Oil.
“That scene was amazing, everything was changing,” he said.
“Funnily enough, we didn’t see much of each other back then.
“I won’t say we had tunnel vision, but we were very focused on what we were doing.
“Midnight Oil used to support us and it was a case of we’d come off the stage, then they’d come on, we’d say a quick G’day and that was that.
“These days, with festivals such as A Day on the Green, we get a chance to see each other and catch up.”
Pleasingly for the die-hard fans, Rick said The Angels hadn’t done much to alter their sound over the years.
“Although we don’t have the big amps like in the old days, the PA systems are so great that you can just plug in and play,” he said.
“Dave’s still sounding great, we’re still pretty tight.”
With a mix of new songs and classics such as ‘Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again’, this is one show not to miss.
The Angels will play York on Lilydale at Mount Evelyn on Friday 7 April.
For more details, visit www.yorkonlilydale.com.au or www.moshtix.com.au or contact 1300 438 849.
