Perth Festival: Peter Garrett & The Alter Egos bring passion to East Perth Power Station gig spiked with Oils

The former member for Kingsford Smith implored his constituents at the East Perth Power Station to find their “inner funky soul” as his band, The Alter Egos, busted out 1979 surf rock banger Section 5 (Bus to Bondi) five songs into his performance. Age has not wearied Peter Garrett, who turns 72 in April, nor has it dulled his acid tongue, which found predictable targets — mining magnates, Woodside and despotic Donald — at his star turn for the Perth Festival on Friday night. When he wasn’t talking about “chucking a brown-eye” at Mar-a-Lago, the Midnight Oil frontman put on a terrific rock’n’roll show spanning the Oz rock legends’ catalogue right up to his brand spanking new cover of World Party’s 1990 song God On My Side. Garrett was joined by a talented band, starring Oils guitarist Martin Rotsey, former Jezabels keyboardist Heather Shannon, bassist Rowan Lane and drummer Evan Mannell, who couldn’t help but suffer from comparisons to peerless tub-thumper Rob Hirst. Oh, and Garrett’s daughters Grace and May, whose harmonies helped material both new (Paddo and the pulsating It Still Matters) and old (Beds Are Burning) soar into the night sky at the power station’s open-air Main Stage. Some songs lacked the intangible chemistry that helped propel Midnight Oil to the pinnacle of the Australian rock pantheon. Shannon’s synths were overly prominent on opening number, the Oils’ 1993 song Feeding Frenzy, but the mix was fixed for Homecoming from Garrett’s 2016 solo debut album A Version of Now and the towering singer unleashed the first of his trademark dances. One wit commented that he’s throwing hands more than feet these days, but most people would be happy moving like Garrett at any age. Rotsey’s guitar drove the bus to Bondi and back, as his Oils band mate boogied like he was being electrocuted or perhaps karate chopping invisible tyrants. Earlier Noongar songwriter and University of WA professor of music, Clint Bracknell performed a robust set under his nickname Maatakij, a reference to his “skinny legs like spears”, joined on stage by wife Kylie Bracknell and former Perth Festival artistic director Iain Grandage. Garrett seemed stoked to be back in Perth — Midnight Oil last played here in September 2022. The environmentalist saw the irony in performing at a former coal-fired facility, waxed lyrical about our infamous Sunday sessions and unveiled a slow-burning cover of Beds Are Burning and rockier rendition of Blue Sky Mine. Festival fans were treated to the world premiere of God On My Side, a prescient song written by late Welsh singer-songwriter Kurt Wallinger with lyrics about people parading in “strange caps”. Released on the day of the concert (February 28), the track features the line: “Well, I see you thought we could change the world”. Garrett has been doing his best since joining Midnight Oil more than half a century ago. He’d be the first to admit that he hasn’t always got it right, but at least he has had a crack. While God On My Side might sound defeated, the great Australian protest rocker isn’t putting his cue in the rack. During the encore, rowdy 1981 punk-rock number Don’t Wanna Be the One segued into more recent Oils’ song We Resist that concedes that while the “summer of love” is over we can still rage against the machine. The verdict: 4 stars.