Boom Crash Opera / James Reyne

 

Boom Crash Opera / James Reyne

Canberra Southern Cross Club

2 April 2026

 

“We’re going to play a new song”.

 

Is there a any phrase you dread to hear more coming from the stage than that one?

 

Boom Crash Opera even made a joke about it. James Reyne pointed people to the bar.

 

There must be something so disheartening when you’re nearly 60 to know that all people want to hear is work you did in your early 20s, so it’s understandable wanting to play a new song or two. You have lived a life and want to write about it. Surely that’s one of the reasons you formed a band in the first place.

 

On the other hand, there must be something satisfying seeing a thousand people singing your song lyrics back to you. You don’t get that in an office job! So understandably both Boom Crash Opera and James Reyne stuck to the hits.

 

It’s self-evident, but the reason why the songs are hits is because people like them. You could see it in the artist’s faces the joy and appreciation when the crowd sang the lyrics back to them that were written when they were young men. The songs had woven their way into the audience’s lives and they were happy to be reminded of when they first heard them, or special moments, or who they were with. It’s a rare treat for musicians. 

 

Both artists started off with a big hit (Great Wall and Boys Light Up respectively) which is only something you can do if you have enough big hits left in your bag to play later. And they did! James Reyne was celebrating 40 years of Australian Crawl and played most of their big hits and some hits of his own. Boom Crash Opera mainly stuck to their heyday of the late 80s, but no one was complaining!

 

Unfortunately, both artists were let down by a terrible mix. It flattened the songs, removing all subtlety. A side note, but one that is relevant, is that Canberra really needs a good venue for mid-sized bands to play. Playing in what was essentially a conference venue (you could almost see where the conference tables had been removed) wasn’t ideal.

 

Both bands overcame these obstacles and put on a show which delivered exactly what the audience was after.