DON’T STOP UNTIL YOU GET ENOUGH
Hindley Street Country Club leapt off our screens and onto the stage at the iconic Thebarton Theatre
Last weekend, Adelaidians were going about our everyday lives, blissfully unaware we were about to re-enter Covid restrictions to stop the spread of another wave of Corona Virus. What a difference a week makes! Now we have concerts cancelling left right and centre along with the devastating thought that many more people are now going to lose their jobs, their businesses and possibly even their lives.
We were definitely not oblivious in South Australia, just how blessed we were compared to our brothers and sisters in the eastern states, and we have been celebrating each positive milestone with them as they inched their way out of their required restrictions.
That makes it all the more poignant that the Hindley Street Country Club concert we attended at our iconic Thebarton Theatre, may be the last concert we attend for a while ….. so thankfully it was an amazing one!!
Hindley Street Country Club was established only three short years ago in Adelaide by Con Delo and Darren Mullan. HSCC as they are affectionately known, took the internet by storm. A few months ago they reached over 100 thousand subscribers on YouTube and over 2 million views on their channel …. all from their studios in little old Adelaide.
I attended their first live concert when they leapt from our computer screens to the stage at the German Club in 2018. Special guests included John ‘Swanee’ Swan and Vince Contarino from the Zep Boys, and HSCC were pretty amazing even then.
After missing the two 2019 concerts, when they hit the stage last Saturday night, I was once again blown away by the level of talent we have in this town of ours. Two sets of star-studded hits followed, mainly from the late 70s and 80s.
This girl who spent her youth sticking to the carpet at venues, watching the likes of Cold Chisel, The Angels, Rose Tattoo, Chain etc, not only recognised, but also loved the song selections. There were never less than six artists on stage, quite often ten or more, coming together to create their unmistakable interpretations of the classic hits. The lighting was spectacular and added to the dazzle of the night. Musically you cannot fault HSCC and the crowd clearly appreciated every minute of every performance.
In such a sea of obvious talent, how do you pick a highlight? There were two ‘goosebump’ moments for me, both in the second set. The first was Fortunata Rillotta as she sang the Whitney Houston epic ‘I Have Nothing’ (see video above by Judy Beyer). Fortunata stood still in the middle of the stage and you simply could not take your eyes from her. The rest of the audience felt the same as she received a standing ovation. For me, another highlight was co-founder Constantine Delo’s ‘I’m On Fire’ by Bruce Springsteen – simply a brilliantly arranged and executed version that he made his own.
Adelaide people would have recognised Con Delo (bass), Tzan Niko (guitar) and Brad Polain (drums) from one of our most beloved bands, The Zep Boys, and it was thrilling to see them performing together on stage. They shared that stage with co-founder Darren Mullen (keys), Steve Todd (percussion), Dave Ross (keys) and Jack Degenhart (sax) along with The Bad Girls, made up of vocalists Nikki Kosmider Heuskes, Pina Del Re, Sarah Lloyde and Lesley Williams, in the sparkliest dresses I’ve ever seen! The finest of SA’s vocal talent continued with Jordan Lennon, Andy Seymour, Daniel Lopresto (Clearway), Kat Jade, Dusty Lee Stephensen and Fortunata Rillotta.
All too soon there were the 19 artists on stage joining Darren Mullen singing the finale ‘Ride Like The Wind’ from their first CD. Then my girlfriend Judy and I were on our way to Vili’s for a late night coffee and chat about what a wonderful night we’d just shared and very much looking forward to our next gigs, whenever that may be now.
Australia – stay safe!
South Australia – we’ve got this!
Check out HSCC at https://www.thehscc.com/ or https://www.facebook.com/hindleyscc
