With a long overdue ‘Hall of Fame’ trophy planted firmly on the shelf iconic Melbourne outfit Models can now get on with the task at hand: playing live. Rather than just trot out the standard greatest hits show though, Models have decided to perform their second and most compelling album Local &/Or General in its entirety, this February, for audiences in Perth, Sydney, Melbourne and Castlemaine.
But wait, that’s not all, Dave Mason, the former frontman for eighties pop eccentrics The Reels will also join the bill. Never one to stick to convention Dave will re-imagine The Reels‘ 1981 magnum-opus Quasimodo’s Dream in duo mode playing alongside a pianist. It’s Dave Mason from The Reels. What else would you expect?
Tickets on-sale Nov 16th. More….
Released in 1981, Local &/Or General would prove to be the building block between the earlier more formative Models (I Owe You Nothing, Happy Birthday IBM) and the top ten chart hits (Barbados, Out of Mind, Out of Sight) to come. And while the album itself stalled at no. 30 on the mainstream charts and the single of the same name achieved an even lower ranking, it is this album for which Models reputation as a unique player in the explosion of early eighties Australian creativity (The Birthday Party, Hunters & Collectors, The Church et al) stands tall. Devoid of the excess of later eighties production, Local &/Or General is the sound of a band not ahead of their time but rather, of their time, and waiting for the rest of the populace to catch up. Songs like the title track, the follow-up single Unhappy and live-favourite Man O’ Action are brilliantly conceived works of post-punk: spacial, idiosyncratic, anthemic.
For this get together, Local &/Or General recording alumni: Sean Kelly, Andrew Duffield and Mark Ferrie will be joined by latter-day Models drummer Barton Price in what the band firmly believe to be the definitive Models line-up. A recent ‘secret’ show elaborates…
Musically they were outstanding. Each member contributed to the re-incarnation of these songs into a more muscular, more flexible (but no less interesting) version of their former selves. Each player individually has evolved into a better player but collectively the whole far exceeds the sum of even these improved parts. But the real “one and one makes three” aspect of this line-up was the rhythm section of Price and Ferrie who had never recorded together and yet seemed obviously the best bass and drums backline the Models never had. – heyheymymy.com.au
But wait, that’s not all, Dave Mason, the former frontman for eighties pop eccentrics The Reels will also join the bill. Never one to stick to convention Dave will re-imagine The Reels‘ 1981 magnum-opus Quasimodo’s Dream in duo mode playing alongside a pianist. Yep, the same brain that brought us Reels By Rail, signed to K-Tel Records and produced the concept album Neighbors (an album of Australian rock classics reinterpreted as easy listening standards) moves the parameters yet again. It’s Dave Mason from The Reels. What else would you expect?
Models Local &/Or General and Dave Mason Quasimodo’s Dream are the first initiatives of a Know Your Product, an essential album series brought to you by Feel Presents, the Australian partners in the Don’t Look Back series. Expect more summer Know Your Product announcements shortly.
Except where noted tickets for all shows are to go on sale Tuesday 16th November.
Thursday 17th February: Perth International Arts Festival, Becks Music Box *On Sale Nov 3rd.
Thursday 24th February: Castlemaine Theatre Royal
Friday 25th February: Melbourne, The Prince
Saturday 26th February: Sydney, Metro Theatre
* Models appearing only.