A sold out show at the packed, but very civilised Camelot Lounge tonight featuring Deborah Conway & Willy Zygier supported by Club Hoy. The audience (because it’s definitely not a crowd) sit cosily around kitchen tables and chairs. The kitchen tables and chairs seem appropriate for our collection of over 50’s who are buzzing with excitement as we wait for the show to begin. Over the microphone a female staff member sing-songs numbers when your pizza or strudel is up. It’s just a matter of time.

Club Hoy

Club Hoy arrive on stage – now expanded from their original two chicks harmonising with acoustic guitars to include Bernie Hayes on electrificated bass guitar. Bernie usually helps with back up vocals, but tonight he is guitar only, having crawled out of his sick bed sans voice.

Club Hoy do not disappoint, opening the show with “Not Like That”. As Penny said “It is 1990 calling and the past is here”. Playing many of their songs from Thursday’s Fortune and a few others, the girls voices intertwine into perfect harmony. Who needs Bernie? The mums and dads that make up the audience chair dance along. All too soon 1990 was over and we were back in the now.

Deborah Conway and Willie Zygier

Deborah Conway and Willie Zygier arrived on stage breathless and excited.  They had just rushed over to Marrickville after opening the show for the Whitlams at the Metro Theatre in town.

Willie twanged his shiny steel dobro guitar and Deb’s extraordinary range of vocals carried the audience through time. With some songs from now, songs from the future – previously unheard upcoming releases – to songs from the past. There were songs of the Old Testament, where Deb told us she got to be God – as a menopausal woman she had all the wrath, fury and vengeance of the Old Testament God. A joke that went down very well with an empathising audience.

All of a sudden we were at the end of time. Deb let the audience choose the two encore songs. Her voice soared across her impressive vocal range through Madame Butterfly’s in Trouble as everyone chair swayed a bit harder and sang along. For the finale we were taken back to the beginning – where it all started with Do Re Mi. Deb put down her guitar and danced as she belted out Man Overboard and finished the night off brilliantly.

There was no sign of a Brown Note at this gig. Did we hit the pink note? Oh yes!

Thanks to Genevieve Slattery for the review. Check out her adventures here.