27 Club
The Fantail - Gluttony
13 March 2025

The 27 Club is not a new show at the Adelaide Fringe. In this, its fifth and apparently final year it was my first time reviewing the rock and roll club of death.
It was just the right night to attend an outdoor show like this and I couldn’t help but feel if I closed my eyes, I could have been in California at a music festival in the 60’s or 70’s.

Starting with the band who were all outstanding in their own right. They were led by Dusty Lee Stephensen, who opened with “Crossroad” by Robert Johnson showcasing his powerful blues vocal and dexterity on guitar. Danny Leo had all the right hits on drum kit and the sound engineer made his sound perfect for the audience. Keyboards by Jack Strempel were spot on and gave a feeling of authenticity to the music that was played. Lastly, sought after Bass player Milush Piochaud drove the groove throughout this over 70 minute soundtrack of our lives. The simple screen at the back of stage illustrated each artist played and was subtle but added just the right dimension and tribute.

So, to the singers. Dusty was the standout male voice of the group and a powerhouse throughout the evening. Justin Burford channeled Kurt Cobain on “Smells like Teen Spirit” and Jim Morrison on “Break on through”. Burford totally immersed himself in the character of each artist whilst keeping his own rich and powerful gravel filled vocal. Burford presented a soulful acoustic guitar version of “You Know I’m No Good.”

Sarah McLeod has a unique vocal quality that easily lends itself to legend Janis Joplin. In some of the toughest vocal tunes of the day “Cry Baby” and “Take Another Piece of My Heart”, McLeod was more than able to rock it out, stretching to the stratosphere vocally in true Joplin style.
Carla Lippis could sing the phone book and make it sound good. Lippis covered Jimi Hendrix, “Fire”. Carla’s vocal is silky but powerful. She blends a rich bluesy midrange with an almost superhero upper range that filled the outdoor venue from front to rear.
Featuring a great Medley of “Light My Fire”, “About a Girl”, “Move Over”, “All Along the Watchtower” and “Valerie”, there wasn’t much of the artists material not covered.

With this much vocal and musical talent, this show is an absolute must see if you are a music fan of Cobain, Morrison, Joplin, Winehouse, Johnson or Hendrix. The standout cast find time to knit the show together by paying tribute to each artist in some of their history.
In essence, it Rocks, it Rolls and t is the tapestry of life in 70 minutes of pure energy. There are no passengers in the 27 Club they all have their eyes firmly on the wheel (Roadhouse Blues).

So far this is my musical pick of the fringe and a definite must see in its last shows for Adelaide Fringe 2025.