One Electric Day Is Something Special For Australian Music Fans

Three years ago promoter Duane McDonald had an idea to give families a big day out with great Australian music at a value priced ticket. One Electric Day was born.

One Electric Day had its third anniversary on Sunday. 8000 fans bought tickets. The event sold-out four months in advance. The day was an outstanding success.

The number of hit song performed at every One Electric Day is staggering. Pseudo Echo were first to remind the audience of their incredible run of chart successes in the 80s. ‘Listening’, through ‘A Beat For You’ through ‘Love An Adventure’ through ‘Funky Town’ (complete with an AC/DC ‘Dirty Deeds’ riff) set the audience up for the next seven hours of some of the greatest hit music ever made in Australia.

Joe Camilleri had a special surprise. Vika and Linda Bull were back in The Black Sorrows and suddenly the songs ‘Chained To The Wheel’ and ‘Never Let Me Go’ were finally reunited with the soul voices that made the songs classics. Joe also mixed the eras around and performed two of his Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons hits ‘Shape I’m In’ and ‘Hit and Run’ with The Black Sorrows. That was a rare treat for the One Electric Day crowd.

Daryl Braithwaite may have covered Ricki Lee Jones ‘Horses’ but to these 8000 people it will always be his song. The hands were in the air and the arms were waving. It was truly an afternoon of ‘Summer Love’ and that was how Daryl started with his Sherbet classic. While he was uncomfortable performing Sherbet songs for many years, Daryl has warmed to the past and the classic ‘Howzat’, now a staple of his setlist was also there.

Noiseworks are one of the greatest rock bands to come out of Australia in the past 30 years. While they are only three albums deep and the last album was in 1991, a fourth record is almost complete and there will be a new Noiseworks album in 2016. ‘Let It Go’ gave fans a taste of what to expect next year. Noiseworks have a solid setlist with hits to back it up. The crowd new every word of ‘No Lies’, ‘Take Me Back’, ‘Love Somebody’ and ‘Miles and Miles’ but when you can open with something as powerful as ‘Hot Chili Woman’ and close with the anthem ‘Touch’ you are a hard act to follow.

That slot was left for John Farnham. A legend of the Australian music industry, seeing Farnham in an afternoon outdoor environment is what makes One Electric Day the magic and unique event it is. Farnham was loving it. He was in fine form opening with ‘Age of Reason’ and closing an hour and a half later with AC/DC’s ‘It’s a Long Way To The Top’. This was 90 minutes of songs that every Australian knows by heart, lots of ‘Whispering Jack’ and a special shout-out to another legend Brian Cadd, who wasn’t there, he was in Queensland celebrating his 69th birthday, but Farnham told the story of the 1972 song Brian wrote which took them to Japan where they won the ‘Most Outstanding Composition’ award at the Tokyo World Popular Song Festival.

One Electric Day will have its premiere in Adelaide next weekend.

Melbourne November 29, 2015
The Great Lawn, Werribee Mansion

11am Gates Open
11.45am Gary Eastwood
12.30pm Pseudo Echo
1.40pm The Black Sorrows
2.55pm Daryl Braithwaite
4.15pm Noiseworks
5.45pm John Farnham

Adelaide December 6, 2015
Elder Park

11am Gates Open
12.10pm Swanee
1.10pm Ross Wilson
2.20pm Russell Morris
3.30pm The Black Sorrows
4.40pm Daryl Braithwaite
6pm John Farnham