By Ben Nicol
‘Up All Night’ 20th Anniversary Album Tour At Anita’s Theatre 16/07/2023
July 18, 2023
It was a night of reflection and celebration for the sold-out crowd that packed the historic Anita’s Theatre to see The Waifs blast through their breakthrough album Up All Night, on its 20th Anniversary.
Multi-instrumentalist extraordinaire Josh Pyke kicked things off with harmonica riffs, guitar strums and kick-drum beats, all of which he played himself at the same time. He was comfortable on stage at what he called his “second home” in the south coast. Pyke, who himself has been perfecting his craft over the past 20 years, nailed fan favourites The Lighthouse Song and Middle of the Hill, both of which received cheers of recognition from the well-versed crowd. It was a tight, attention grabbing 40 minutes that showcased Pyke’s skills, his incredible dexterity appearing effortless. His crooning vocals led the crowd in singalong to close out his final track Don’t Let It Wait, effectively warming up the audience for the long night of singing to come.
It was a rockstars welcome for the iconic folk-rock trio, The Waifs. Made up of sisters Vikki Thorn and Donna Simpson, and lead guitarist Josh Cunningham, the group proved to not have missed a beat in the past 20 years since the release of Up All Night. They confidently nailed fan favourites, such as Fisherman’s Daughter, while also doing justice to “the songs that have never been requested,” as joked by Thorn.
There was plenty of banter and stories interspersed between tracks; Simpson asked the crowd to sing the words to their smash hit London Still “if you’re old enough to remember the lyrics.” But it wasn’t just long-time fans enjoying the festivities, plenty of young people were also in the crowd reciting lyrics verse for verse on many tracks, such as the foot-stomping jaunt that was Lighthouse.
The group, with help from bassist Ben Franz and drummer David Ross Macdonald, took some occasional detours from Up All Night, an early highlight being their smooth-jazz rendition of Sun Dirt Water, made all the better by Thorn’s captivating vocals. Another attention-grabbing divergence came when the band performed what Thorn claimed to be “the first song Josh [Cunningham] ever wrote,” in Gillian before closing the night out on a high with the uplifting bluesy jam Crazy Train.
The Thirroul crowd made it clear that the nostalgia and love for this record, as well as much of The Waif’s discography over the past 20 years, has only strengthened with time, as they sang loudly and danced fervently throughout the night.
See the full gallery by JohnnyD Photography HERE