STACK #187 May 2020

We’re so enamoured with all the insanely beautiful musical online goings-on at the moment – particularly during this time of instability and stress for so many people – that this month we’re highlighting three of our favourite Australian socially-distanced events/series: the ANZAC Music FromThe Home Front concert, the innovative ISOL-AID series, and STACK ’s very own #ISOISOBABY project. Words: Zoë Radas and Bryget Chrisfield MUSIC FEATURE the music that binds us

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highlights

colin hay and delta goodrem, down under

vance joy and accompanists, lay in On me

music from the home front ANZAC Day’s Music FromThe Home Front show opened with a jawline we’ve come to know very well: that of James Morrison, bugle pressed to his lips, performing that bittersweet Christian O’Connell (who adorably invented a new word in describing the ANZAC spirit as one of the “incrediblest“ things about Aussies and New Zealanders), and Guy Sebastian with his son Hudson (affectionately called “Huddy“, who later on accidentally introduced The Rubens as The Rudys, bless him) oversaw a night of jaw-dropping performances, the purpose of which was to celebrate the spirit of the ANZACs as well as the outstanding efforts of medical and essential workers saving lives during the current pandemic. melody of The Last Post . MFTHF’s co-hosts David Campbell, Delta Goodrem,

The thing we loved most about this spectacular rendition of Men At Work’s classic was Delta’s obvious professionalism: if we presume Colin recorded his part first (as he’s the songwriter), we see that Delta clearly spent time re- listening to Colin’s melodic ad-libs towards the end of the song several times, and matched her harmonies absolutely impeccably – very impressive.

This gorgeously ebullient performance of Lay It On Me (from Vance’s 2017 album Nation Of Two ) began with just the songwriter on his guitar in split-screen with a dude thumping an upturned bucket in his garden, looking absolutely thrilled to be there. As the song progressed, our screens divided to reveal a huge troupe of collaborators, contributing the song’s signature horns and vocals.

“It was phenomenal,“ says Michael Gudinski – Chairman and Founder of Mushroom Records, and organiser of the Music FromThe Home Front project. He’s clearly still on a high. Picking out Barnesy, Delta Goodrem, DMAs and Bliss N Eso with Kate Ceberano as particularly impressive performances, Gudinski reveals a little of what we can expect from the upcoming official release of the night’s sets. “We’re going full-out on the packaging – it’ll be a multi-CD – but the thing I’m most excited about is, in about eight weeks there’ll be a triple-disc vinyl commemorative set,“ he says. “I’m personally not getting a project fee – I don’t want it – but every artist got paid. You can tell in my voice, it’s something that I will never forget. I was very nervous but... from when I started [Mushroom Records] in ’72 – geez, that makes me feel old – Music FromThe Home Front was one of the greatest moments of my whole career – and it’s been a long, great career.“ Michael Gudinski

92 MAY 2020

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