By PETER DOUGLAS
WHILE the line-up may have changed over the years, lead guitarist Rick Brewster says The Angels are as polished as ever.
Ahead of their coming Mount Evelyn show, Brewster told the Mail their music is “still about two guitars, drums, bass and rock ‘n’ roll”.
In recent years, the band has fought back from adversity after losing original front-man Doc Neeson and their bassist Chris Bailey in tragic circumstances.
But with former Screaming Jets’ singer Dave Gleeson on the mic, they are still touring extensively and remain enormously popular, both in Australia and internationally.
In fact, they’ve just returned from Europe, where Brewster said he was overwhelmed at the response.
“We played shows in London, Paris and a major Swedish rock festival,” he said.
“It went way past our expectations, we’re a very happy band.
“The crowds knew all the words and every guitar solo.”
The Angels first rose to prominence in the 1970s with a string of hit records, even managing to tour with icons AC/DC.
At the heart of the band has always been brothers Rick and John Brewster.
The brothers both play guitar and contribute vocals, with Rick citing AC/DC guitarist Angus Young as one of this biggest influences
“We played so many shows with Angus, I watched him every night,” he said.
“I was also influenced by The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, while my brother was influenced by (Bob) Dylan.”
Brewster said the Mount Evelyn audience can expect a mix of their old and new songs.
“We can’t ignore our older songs because people love hearing them and we love playing them,” he said.
Brewster said the band still enjoys writing music and he expects they will soon again head into the studio.
The Angels will be playing at the York on Lilydale, Mount Evelyn, on Friday 17 July.
For more information, visit www.yorkonlilydale.com.au
