Here and Now wows

The Here and Now tour through Australia has once again proven that when you play the hits the audience love you and you give value for money. At last night’s show at Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena 38 Top 40 hits out for 40 songs were performed in three and a half hours by seven performers and the audience loved it.
For the Australian component, it had been many years since 1927 performed but with ammunition such as ‘If I Could’, ‘That’s What I Think of You’ and ‘Compulsory Hero’, the long night of sing-a-long had began. As for Mondo Rock, seeing Ross Wilson, Paul Christie, Eric McCusker and James Black together again leaves you hungry for at least one more short reunion. Most of the songs were sourced from their ‘Chemistry’ album but as they have a new greatest hits in store (The Essential Mondo Rock) a few more live gigs wouldn’t go astray (would it Mr Wilson).
The memories flooded in as Go West and then Belinda Carlisle collectively performed 11 hits in a row. Paul Young was next and although he had the catalogue, it was not a good look. The words fought to match the melody at times and he was clearly not in control of the performance.
That was all quickly forgotten as Kim Wilde came on and immediately charmed the crowd. You can’t complain about seven hits in a row, six of which were Top 10s. Just before her last number she told the crowd that she didn’t do ‘Kids In America’ anymore. The joker did ‘Kids In Australia’ instead. You ol’ trickster, Kim. Kim’s band, including her brother and co-writer Ricky Wilde, backed each of the international acts as well, keeping a consistency and flow for the event.

After interval, it was time for the headline act, The Human League. This was like watching Kraftwerk on speed, a note perfect dose of electronica and a good serving from the second biggest selling album of 1982 ‘Dare’. Phil Oakey apologized on a few occasions that they were only performing a cut down set because of the festival like event but it fitted the mood of the show and no-one in the audience was complaining. The Human League were one of the biggest bands of the 80s and created a sound that may have been inspired by Bowie and Kraftwek but is still valid today.

The Here and Now show opened in Melbourne last night and plays Brisbane on Saturday November 15 and Sydney Monday November 17. For anyone who has ever had a bad hair 80s experience, this is the must see show to relive your youth.

Here and Now songs:

Number One hits performed:
‘You Keep Me Hanging On’ Kim Wilde

Number Two hits performed:
‘If I Could’ 1927, ‘Come Said The Boy’ Mondo Rock, ‘Our Lips Are Sealed’ ‘Heaven Is A Place On Earth’ Belinda Carlisle

Top Five hits performed:
‘That’s What I Think Of You’ 1927, ‘Kings Of Wishful Thinking ‘Go West’, ‘Leave A Light On’ Belinda Carlisle, ‘If I Can’t Have You’ and ‘Kids In Australia’ Kim Wilde, ‘Mirror Man’, ‘Don’t You Want Me’ and ‘Together In Electric Dreams’ Human League

Top Ten:
‘Cool World’ and ‘State of the Heart’ Mondo Rock, ‘We Close Our Eyes’ Go West, ‘Mad About You’ and ‘Summer Rain’ Belinda Carlisle, ‘Wherever I Lay My Hat’ and ‘Love Of The Common People’ Paul Young, ‘Chequered Love’, ‘View From A Bridge’, ‘Cambodia’ Kim Wilde and ‘Keep Feeling Fascination’ Human League.

Here and Now Set-List and running order:

1927
That’s What I Think Of You (from Ish, No.5, 1988)
Compulsory Hero (from Ish, No. 13, 1989)
If I Could (from Ish, No. 2, 1988)

Mondo Rock
No Time intro / Summer of ’81 (from Chemistry, No. 31, 1981)
Cool World (from Chemistry, No. 8, 1981)
State of the Heart (from Chemistry, No. 6, 1980)
Chemistry (from Chemistry, No. 20, 1981)
Come Said The Boy (from Nuovo Mondo, No. 2, 1983)

Go West
Don’t Look Down (from Go West, No. 26, 1986)
Call Me (from Go West, No. 12, 1985)
We Close Our Eyes (from Go West, No. 8, 1985)
Kings of Wishful Thinking (from Pretty Woman soundtrack, No. 5, 1990)

Belinda Carlisle
Live Your Life Be Free (from Live Your Live Be Free, No. 11, 1991)
Mad About You (from Belinda, No. 9, 1986)
Circle In The Sand (from Heaven On Earth, No. 75, 1988)
Summer Rain (from Runaway Horses, No. 7, 1990)
Leave A Light On (from Runaway Horses, No. 3, 1989)
Our Lips Are Sealed (from The Gogo’s Beauty and The Beat, No. 2, 1981)
Heaven Is A Place On Earth (from Heaven On Earth, No. 2, 1988)

Paul Young
Wherever I Lay My Hat (from No Parlez, No. 9, 1983)
Come Back and Stay (from No Parlez, No. 18, 1983)
Love Of The Common People (from No Parlez, No. 8, 1984)
I’m Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down (from No Parlez, No. 25, 1984)
Everytime You Go Away (from The Secret of Association, No. 20, 1985)

Kim Wilde
Chequered Love (from Kim Wilde, No. 6, 1981)
View From A Bridge (from Select, No. 7, 1982)
Cambodia (from Select, No. 7, 1981)
If I Can’t Have You (from The Singles Collection 1981-1993, No. 3, 1993)
You Came (from Close, No. 31, 1988)
You Keep Me Hangin’ On (from Another Step, No. 1, 1986)
Kids In Australia (from Kim Wilde, No. 5, 1981)

Human League
Hard Times / Love Action (from Dare, No. 12, 1981)
Sound of the Crowd (from Dare, 1981)
Human (from Crash, No. 26, 1986)
Open Your Heart (from Dare, No.33, 1981)
The Lebanon (from Hysteria, No. 23, 1984)
Keep Feeling Fascination (single, No.8, 1983)
Mirror Man (single, No. 4, 1982)
Together In Electric Dreams (from Phil Oakey and Giorgio Moroder, No. 5, 1984)
Don’t You Want Me (from Dare, No. 4, 1982)