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BC DOWN UNDER


6 July 2016
1:50:49




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Special guests: Andy Inkster and Dwayne Bunney

Big Country’s first ever tour of New Zealand and Australia – 11-18 June 2016.

Introducing Andy

  • The state of Andy’s voice - will he ever get it back?
  • Andy’s amazing Big Country YouTube channel: BC1000stars.
  • Andy’s personal BC history.

Big Country’s near-brushes with Australia

  • The cancelled BC Australian tour in 1984.
  • Teased tours in 1987 and 1989 that didn’t materialize.
  • The video shoot in 1988.
  • The reaction upon seeing the 2016 tour announcement.
  • Australian fan get-togethers.
  • Andy’s story about meeting his BC penpal Fe for the first time after 30 years.

Speakpipe from Fe Skoufa.

The Australian Journey

  • The travelling from gig to gig and the distances involved.
  • The strains of travel, Simon not feeling right, but always getting great reviews.
  • The emotion of seeing the band.

Speakpipe from John Porter.

The build-up to the shows:

  • The recollection of anticipation immediately prior to the show, the band walking on, Porrohman hitting as the first song.
  • Andy bringing a BC flag to the Brisbane show, and how it ended up as the band’s backdrop.
  • The curse of Culture Club pops up again...
  • The feeling of being alone as a BC fan, and how that disappeared as people met and got together.

Speakpipe from Sandra Middleton.

Dwayne joins! He shares his personal BC history.

The setlist & the shows:

  • Porrohman as an opening number.
  • Harvest Home.
  • Look Away’s status as a crowd pleaser, and why this is one for the general public.
  • The 1-2-3 punch of Steeltown songs: Steeltown, Where the Rose Is Sown, Just A Shadow. We get to hear Andy’s recording pf “Rose”, including his own passionate rendition.
  • Simon – about his health issues on the tour, yet how he picked up energy from the crowd and rose to the occasion. Also how he fits in, how he now seems to fit more into the band - and did he do a “ha!” or “sha!”?
  • Scott – how well he fits in, and how quickly he fit in. Those looking for the band feel get that very strongly from Scott.
  • King of Emotion, which Mark gave the fanciest drum intro ever.
  • We’re Not In Kansas, where Colin Berwick was welcomed on stage.
  • Chance, with the mighty singalong (but nobody beats Nashville).
  • Remembrance Day, which made Andy wee a little with excitement.
  • Ships, where the man with the mighty organ came back and turned up to 11.
  • Ending with another 1-2-3-punch of their biggest songs: IABC, Wonderland, Fields of Fire, which had the crowd in a frenzy every night.
  • And finally: Inwards, the rather unusual (but good!) encore choice.

Post-show interactions:

  • Discussions with the band were mostly about what they are doing now, their touring and how much they are enjoying that.
  • Soundcheck stories.
  • The “Wall of Sound” article by Melanie Scrafton, where new material is mentioned by Mark in a non-committal way – and even if they do, will it be YouTube, online, etc.?
  • Feelings on the tour and having see them on their “home turf”.
  • The chance for the band to come back.

The VIP Experience

  • Meet & Greet with several commemorative items.
  • What you should bring to get signed by the band.
  • Andy’s helpful tip for how to get more than your allotted share of signatures.
  • The merchandise for sale at the shows.

Outro: Big Country’s on-stage end of show farewells to Australia.