The Blackeyed Susans

Andy J Ryan Apr 26, 2023

The Blackeyed Susans – The Basement, 5 February, 2010
Revered musical troubadours The Blackeyed Susans reveal a little bit more of themselves to Sydney for their box set launch tour.
The latest incarnation of The Blackeyed Susans rolled into town for encore shows to launch their career retrospective box set Reveal Yourself 1989 – 2009. But had to profusely apologize that they didn’t actually have any of the actual CDs for sale. Across their twenty-year career the band has had an impressive and imposing array of musicians pass through its ranks, with members drawn from and going on to be part of this country’s most esteemed bands. The current line up entrusted with The ‘Susans legacy mixes members from different eras of the band, with two original members - the dapperly hatted Rob Snarski out front, and Phil Kakulas on bass - with mid-nineties recruits Kiernan Box, Dan Luscombe, Mark Dawson and the (relative) new kid JP Shilo. When the band’s journey casts such a significant and long shadow as The Blackeyed Susans’ does, it is quite the privilege for both the crowd and quite noticeably also for this current cast musicians to witness their legacy unfold in front of them.
Each muisician adds their own set of influences to the ‘Susans sound,
‘Bottle of Red’, You’re a Good Doctor - that’s one we fucked up at rehearsal last night, and we fucked it up worse tonight.
Their more straight forward brooding rock single Mary Mac was introduced with “This is one we want you up dancing on the tables for, so if you could organise that amongst yourselves” and Snarksi even actually expressed his disapproval that it didn’t actually come to fruition, but the crowd lapped it up. Then by landing on us a potent one-two combo by launching straight into the rollicking ‘Smoking Johnny Cash’ the set reached a marvellous crescendo and they had us primed for the more jovial reminiscing that was to follow.
“In a past life the Blacked Susans were actually a 60’s girl group, and this is proof.
“OK, you’ve got another choice ‘State Trooper’ or ‘Memories’. And fittingly, ended it all with ‘The End of the Line’.
Everyone probably took away a connection both with the band and also to a time where their songs sound tracked a bygone part of his or her life. Drawing from their six impressive albums and numerous singles and EPs spanning two decades, tonight The Blackeyed Susans revealed themselves to be nestled among some of the better bands this country has produced.