Melbourne Reviews

Singer composer, Colin Hay is touring the globe again. Once lead singer of Grammy Award winner Australian band, Men at Work, responsible for such hits as, Who Can it Be Now, Overkill and the unofficial Australian anthem, renown worldwide Down Under.

Hay is in town performing at the Arts Centre as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MCIF). At first this may seem unusual, as he is not know for comedy, but, Colin Hay is no run-of-of-the-mill kind of artist; he is an accomplished guitarist, and a master story weaver. Hay must have been born under a lucky star which has enabled him with the gift of elaborate and extremely witty story telling. 

Concert goers are well aware of the gaps and/or breathers which singers fill with some light chit chat and background information of the origins of a particular song, however, this is not what Hay does. He delivers absolutely enthralling dialogue, peppered with some wicked humour which keep audiences in stitches, begging for more. 

Hay would be a fabulous dinner guest – and let me just make this official, I wish to invite Mr. Hay to dinner the next time he is in town – pulling golden threads of stories about his life experiences, bejeweled with interesting characters who crossed his path like, Little Richard, Ringo Star and Jerry Lee Lewis to name but a few, during the ups and downs of his career. Hay is not merely a name dropper, he also shares endearing family snippets with the audience. “Australia is about as far as you can travel, before you start coming back,” said his father to young Colin when he asked if Australia was far from his birthplace, Scotland.

Unfortunately Hay’s body of work is not as well known as it was back in the 1980s – although his albums are apparently ginourmously popular in Brazil – I find his songs to be better now than back when he first made his debut on the global music scene. His slightly raspy voice is stronger but also more mellow now. Hay’s gift for storytelling reflects in his songs as well, as they become fluid poetry, and food for the soul when performed. I found myself carried away by the lyrics, to the point that I closed my eyes on a number of occasions, breathing in the tune, and allowing for the words to seep into my every pore.

I can’t recommend highly enough Colin Hay’s Waiting for My Real Life... – he is a a one-of-a-kind, and as a Sydney Olympics event organizer said to him back in 2000... he is a true professional!


Duet Productions presents
Waiting For My Real Life...
Colin Hay

Venue: Arts Centre Melbourne, Playhouse | 100 St Kilda Rd, Melbourne
Dates: 10 – 12 Apr, 2014
Tickets: $49 – $55
Bookings: artscentremelbourne.com.au | 1300 182 183

Part of the 2014 Melbourne International Comedy Festival