Iconic star of stage and screen John Waters celebrates the songs of the British Pop Invasion that changed modern music forever.
The newest show from John Waters, featuring Stewart D’Arrietta and the Chartbusters, presents a phenomenal walk through nostalgia and an era of music that remains in the cellular memory of fans over several generations.
From the evocative strains of Peter Saarstedt’s Where Do You Go to My Lovely, and the memory dredging Waterloo Sunset by the Kinks and To Love Somebody by the Bee Gees, to the infectious grooves of Itchycoo Park by the Small Faces and the anthemic My Generation by The Who, Waters and his band reprise and reinvent the classic hits. With a six piece band and singers in brilliant voice, Waters recounts anecdotes and moving memories of the music of the era, taking the audience through the time continuum to songs that resound over decades, and remain as relevant as ever.
Born in London, Waters was in his teens and early twenties during the 1960s and considers himself one of the luckiest music lovers as a result. The reason why is in part due to Radio Luxembourg. At a time when commercial radio licenses were not available in the UK, pop and rock music of the day was broadcast from continental Europe. This access was courtesy of the independent principality of Luxembourg - a clever move by the British record industry to circumnavigate the laws of the day.
“The great boom in pop music, which started in the US with Elvis Presley and his contemporaries, took a quantum leap with the arrival of the British-led ‘revolution’ and was opened up to me and a whole generation by that great invention: the transistor radio,” Waters said.
“We could hide under the bedclothes to muffle the sound from our parents ears, tune in to 208 on the medium waveband, and listen to Roy Orbison and Frankie Avalon, Motown and the Four Seasons and Dion. The list was long beyond our wildest dreams. When we no longer had to hide the Beatles exploded onto the scene followed by so many others, and the ‘British Invasion’ really began including bands like The Moody Blues, the Kinks, The Who and scores of others. This was our identity.”
Waters is shameless about his passion for the music and said that aside from nostalgia that it represents one of the best and most influential eras in contemporary music.
“I love nothing more than to keep the flame of the music of my youth alive,” he said. “And although it is still broadcast for the enjoyment of all generations on classic radio, actually performing these legendary songs live on stage is a very moving and enjoyable experience,” he said.
“The hardest part of Radio Luxembourg is choosing the songs NOT to do – the British Pop Invasion cannon is huge. We can’t wait for this tour. Stewart and I have been humbled by the incredible support of our Australian shows, especially the regional towns that we love playing. This show is a special ‘thank you’ to our amazing audiences and such a thrill for us.”
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