How lucky was I to catch the mighty Whistle & Trick perform their wonderful show at the Ron Hurley Theatre in Brisbane. A relatively small but intimate venue which provided the perfect backdrop for this inspired performance. The stage set up consisted of a Pearl drum kit with an additional monitor to the side, three vocal microphones and some sparse but highly effective lighting. Incidentally, the venue was packed to the brim with excited children and families eagerly anticipating the performance.
The dynamic duo hit the stage at around 11am, and despite some untimely technical problems quickly shifted into gear, working the audience to maximum effect with their colourful costumes and delightful vocals. The opening track "Bananas and Other Delicious Things" immediately had the audience clapping and singing along in rapturous delight.
The children were soon up and dancing to a host of brilliant songs, as the duo served up some familiar favourites including "Clicketty Clack" and "Shake Your Body" just for starters. As the show progressed the band provided plenty of theatrical moments including the unexpected arrival of a charming life-sized emu puppet during the electrifying "Melindu".
The drumming of Col Leadbetter was superb throughout, as were the excellent harmonies of Maddie Thiele who also played the ukulele. Despite the fact that Trick was struggling with a throat issue she powered on nonetheless and never missed a beat throughout. The degree of professionalism on display despite such setbacks, was of the highest standard providing real credence to that old cliche 'the show must go on'.
Other standout tracks included the mesmerising "Shake Your Body" the highly engaging "Shiver Me Timbers" and the alluring "Rain Rain" where a bubble gun was introduced firing an array of exploding bubbles into the air adding further colourful mayhem to the proceedings. There was clearly no shortage of theatrics here, further epitomised in the form of two multi-coloured fans that moved like butterflies floating in the breeze.
The duo then took the tempo down a notch with the gentle lullaby "Sleep Baby", a song which provided an opportunity for the audience to momentarily pause for breath and enjoy the gentle vibe. Even in the quietest moments they manage to hit the target such is the strength of songwriting featured here. This was shortly followed by the lively "I Love My Family" adding another slice of joyful optimism to the proceedings, where the energy of the music was clearly working on an enraptured audience.
The band finished with the explosive "I Wanna Be a Dinosaur"; without doubt one of the finest dinosaur songs you are ever likely to hear, which had the children jumping around impersonating dinosaurs like their lives depended on it. All in all a brilliant show from a superb new band, who really know how to work an audience. Many of which seemed very familiar with the songs, and sang along with gusto and relish throughout.
It's no mean feat to keep young children engaged for almost an hour, and even when the curtain finally fell, you could feel the audience would have loved to have heard more. For me, the main strength of this band is the way they communicate with the audience, creating the type of atmosphere that is both infectious and engaging, where seemingly there's a party going on, we're all invited and everyone's having a great time. They achieve this with the type of exuberant energy and playful participation that can only make you smile.
Whistle & Trick - we are family.
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