Harvest, then Let It Be? Australian Rock Collective supergroup is up to the task
A quartet of acclaimed Australian rock musicians will finish a national tour celebrating Neil Young’s Harvest, then turn their minds to a classic Beatles album the following night.
In a rare double header for classic rock fans, Melbourne’s Palais Theatre will this week play host to riveting performances of two beloved albums from the 1970s on subsequent nights.
On Wednesday, a supergroup of acclaimed musicians known as the Australian Rock Collective will close a run of 12 shows celebrating Harvest, the landmark 1972 release by Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young.
And on Thursday, the same quartet will perform 1970’s Let It Be, the final album by The Beatles, as the first concert on an 11-date national tour.
The Australian musicians who have tasked themselves with reprising these classic works are old hands at this format: drummer Kram (Spiderbait), guitarist Darren Middleton (Powderfinger), bassist Mark Wilson (Jet) and guitarist Davey Lane (You Am I) performed sold-out national tours of another Beatles album, Abbey Road, in both 2019 and 2020.
Those performances set a high bar for the task of breathing new life into decades-old tracks, and the ARC has brought that same sense of serious sonic dedication and faithful musicianship to both Harvest and Let It Be.
“As a challenge, it’s good mental gymnastics; I’m sure it’ll keep the Alzheimer’s away,” Wilson told The Australian. “It’s a sign of the times where you’ve got to be pretty fluid and agile, and if that means knowing 70 songs at a level where you can perform them for a paying audience, then so be it.”
After playing each album in full, the four musicians – who are accompanied by an extra player or two at both shows – will return to the stage for a second set packed with fan favourites and a few deep cuts sure to impress hardcore listeners.
Covid forced the Let It Be shows to be rescheduled from last year, to coincide with its 50th anniversary, but the ARC are now beneficiaries of a renewed wave of interest following The Beatles: Get Back documentary series.
As a dedicated Beatles fan who previously described learning Paul McCartney’s bass parts on Abbey Road as “the biggest mental workout of my life”, Wilson has watched the eight-hour TV series several times.
Beyond the joy of witnessing the quartet’s creativity in action, the Jet bassist admires Get Back for its true portrait of life in a band.
“Half of it’s goofing around, boredom, making each other laugh and being stupid; the other half is work,” he said with a laugh.
“That’s why, when you go on tour, you want to go on tour with people you like, because half of the time you’re not doing anything – you just need to be able to hang.”
After the Melbourne show on Thursday, Let It Be Live will visit Adelaide (May 15) and Brisbane (May 18), with the 11-date tour to end in Albury, NSW, on May 31.
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