Brothers, Angels & Demons

The Brewster Brothers, the backbone of one of Adelaide’s greatest musical exports: The Angels, have compiled a wonderfully eclectic arrangement of anecdotes, theatre and musical hits (or misses) in their cabaret contribution – Brothers, Angels & Demons.

Steeped in nostalgia, brothers Rick and John lead the audience through an entertaining musical retrospective. We encounter their humble musical beginnings with the Moonshine Jug and String Band. Special guest Peter Tregloan on banjo/kazoo (the ultimate combo?) and Rick strumming and dancing uncharacteristically uncooly with a washboard are particular highlights.

The performance progresses to the energetic renditions of the classics, ‘Marseilles’ and ‘Face the Day’, which draw the greatest applause. John on vocals and guitar is a very passable stand-in for original frontman, Doc Neeson, and Rick, sporting his trademark sunglasses, continues to demonstrate his ability as a guitarist with frequent and impressive solos.

While the stories behind the songs and tales of life on the road (including some demons) were engaging, the premise of the production felt clunky. The use of multimedia however, was very effective. The slide show acting like a scrapbook created interest, projecting onto a screen rather than a curtain would have been useful.

The song we were all waiting for, ‘Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again’, was met with a wonderfully obscene refrain and was the perfect way to end the show. The familiar tunes and high energy performances, characteristic of The Angels in their heyday, has not diminished with time. And the band boasted 100% Adelaide-grown talent.