It was with great sadness that Australia’s Electric Mary announced their retirement last year, after more than twenty years of career, four excellent albums, and several EPs and live recordings that have now become true collector’s items.
For French and European fans, however, there was still something to rejoice about: the band was cooking up one hell of a farewell tour, travelling the narrowest backroads of the country to play their final shows in the middle of the mountain. Unless you’re a seasoned mountaineer, no one will hold it against you if you’ve never heard of Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne — a narrow, sun-starved valley lost somewhere in the French Alps, not exactly a tourist hotspot.
For these Rock N’ Roll goodbyes, around a hundred people made the trip for what turned out to be a great Rock N’ Roll lesson, “The Way It Used To Taste.”
Chey ‘N’ Shiners
To kick off the night, a bunch of local youngsters determined to keep the Rock N’ Roll flame burning: Chey ‘N’ Shiners! Remember that name, because it’s absolutely worth it. Unknown to most of the crowd, a few might have recognised Jerem G, the new guitarist from Blackrain. It only took half a song for everyone to be won over.
First of all, Chey N’ Shiners is a mix of contagious energy and punchy riffs (maybe not the most original ones, but deadly effective). But above all, Chey N’ Shiners’ strength lies in their singer. She can really sing, no doubt about that! Whether it was on solid Rock N’ Roll anthems like “Last Night Was A Better Night” or on bluesy ballads, her voice swept the audience away. Everyone jumped in to sing along to the sexy, rockabilly-flavoured “You Turn Me On.” In short, a band to keep an eye on and a fantastic discovery! While the band has yet to release a full-length album, you should really give a good listen to their Eps.
Electric Mary
Electric Mary’s audience was thus in a very good mood. The band opened their set with their most recent track, “Shaun,” and it was clear that the band has travelled far and wide since their first French gigs fifteen years ago, without losing their touch. Rusty on vocals may be a bit more, well, rusty these days, but his voice is still that of an old-school rocker. On bass, his partner-in-crime Alex Raunjack remained as unstoppable as ever. On guitar, Pete Robinson still plays with an easy-going and laidback attitude. This time, he was joined by a new face stepping in for Brett Wood, who was busy with his solo project back in Australia.
As any farewell tour demands, the setlist revolved around all the band’s iconic tracks: “Gasoline & Guns,” “ Luv Me.” The band alternated between high-voltage moments and bluesy ballads soaked in whisky and sunshine. The excellent “No One Does It Better Than Me” even turned into “Personne ne le fait mieux que moi.” Among the gems was “Sorry Baby” from their latest album Woman, where Rusty’s voice was the best.
The venue deserves a big shoutout: from the outside, it didn’t look like much (when you read “multipurpose hall,” you usually picture Sunday afternoon bingo more than a rock concert), but inside it had top-notch lighting and sound. The audience knew their classics: “One Foot In The Grave” and “One In A Million” seemed better than ever. The band interacted with this crowd of long-time fans in playful banter, and Rusty even sang while wearing a vintage motorcycle helmet.
But the best moments were definitely the long, improvised jams. Rusty invited the singer from Chey ‘N’ Shiners to jam with him on “Already Gone,” then slipped away to let her take the spotlight. It turned into a spontaneous and super cool rendition of Led Zeppelin’s “Rock N’ Roll.”
Later, as the end approached inevitably, Spyder’s son came up to play a little drum solo, following in his dad’s footsteps, soon joined by the rest of the band. The jam rolled on into “My Best Friend”, thankfully still on the setlist. Everything wrapped up beautifully with “Let Me Out,” where our favourite redhead woman of the evening returned to sing a verse and blow everyone away. The crowd kept chanting “Let Me Out” long after the lights came back on.
All in all, it was a truly unforgettable show: a fitting farewell that did the Australians proud.
Could there be a last hope of seeing Electric Mary again someday? Maybe a version 2.0 with some fresh blood carrying the torch. That would be damn great, because, really, no one does it better than them.
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