On the evening of Friday, 10 January 2020, just prior to the Covid-19 shutdown, I saw the reformed 1970s Australian hard rock band Finch perform at the Heritage Hotel, Bulli, with all four original members - Owen Orford (vocals and harmonica), Bob Spencer (guitar), Tony Strain (bass) and Peter McFarlane (drums). It was a real case of deja vu, as I was a fan back in the mid' to late 1970s when out and about in my late teens. At that time you could see bands such as Finch almost any night of the week, at local pubs, sporting clubs, university campuses and even school dances. I had their two albums - a second-hand copy of the Drouyn surf film soundtrack (1974) and their later studio release Thunderbird (1976), though by 2020 I was unsure if I ever saw them live, such are the vagaries of memory .... though I think I caught them once in a support at the Wollongong Town Hall.
I know I saw Drouyn a couple of times, as the local Vista picture theatre, Woonona, used to specialise in showing surf movies and Easy Rider. My friends and I would have a beer beforehand in the Royal pub across the road, smoke a reefer or two in the beer garden, and sit through films such as Crystal Voyage, taking in the visuals and the awesome soundtracks. The latter often appeared to ignore copyright and use all the best current music - Goin' to California by Led Zeppelin was especially common - along with soundtracks specially recorded, as in the case of Drouyn. I later saw Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs and The Angels at the Vista, near the end of the decade, in some very loud and raucous concerts.
This period was, in many ways, a golden age for Australian rock music, and I was fortunate enough to have lived through it, and actively participated. Orford had a very powerful rock voice, and young Bob Spencer was a top guitarist. Raised, like myself, on listening to English bands such as Free and Led Zeppelin, the band's mix of covers and originals made them popular with the pub rock scene which then dominated in Wollongong and its northern suburbs. The set Finch played on the night was as follows, with reference to the length of the performance and the studio or other origin of the song:
1. Crystal Country Gorge [Thunderbird] 0 - 6.30
2. Lilly Ly Low 6.30 - 10.10
3. Stay [Thunderbird] 10.10 - 15.00
4. Searchin' [Drouyn] 15.00 - 17.20
5. Poser [Thunderbird] 17.20 - 21.20
6. Roses [Drouyn] 21.20 - 25.00
7. Pink Spiders [Thunderbird] 25.00 - 30.25
8. Crazy Child 30.25 - 33.50
9. Valley of Tears [Thunderbird] 33.50 - 39.00
10. Fly Higher [2JJ live session] 39.00 - 44.50
11. Trouble Maker 44.50 - 47.50
12. I Need Your Lovin' 47.50 - 50.40
13. Sailaway [Drouyn / Thunderbird] 50.40 - 54.40
14. One Nighter 54.40 - 59.00
15. Short Changed Again 59.00 - 1.02.10
[Encore]
16. Whole Lotta Love [Led Zeppelin II] 1.02.10 - 1.08.00
I was fortunate to meet, and chat with, Bob Spenser and get the band to autograph my very worn copy of Drouyn. I also recorded the concert audio on my smartphone, so I can always cherish the memory, not only of that night in 2020 with Marcel and Christina, but also of when I first became a fan of Finch back in the mid' 1970s and saw them as one of a very raucous young crowd on a Friday or Saturday evening in Wollongong.
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Last updated: 30 April 2021
Michael Organ, Australia
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