It’s called the Darwin Festival now, but once upon a time it was the Bougainvillea Festival, so it’s fitting the festival includes a show which takes Darwin back to its roots, and that show is A Night of Rock and Roll with Bogan Villea.
On its opening night at the Inpex Sunset Stage, Ben Graetz’s alter ego Bogan Villea took an appreciative audience on a rock and roll journey, re-visiting an array of rock anthems, with the assistance of some of Darwin’s best known performers.
Ben Graetz, born and bred in Darwin, noted he had lots of family in the audience, but he had soon charmed everyone into feeling like family. He shared his early memories of rocking out to Guns’n’Roses in the living-room, and seeing Tina Turner perform at the Darwin Amphitheatre—a pivotal moment in his life.
Songstress Natalie Pellegrino impressed as usual, channelling Australian rock goddess Chrissy Amphlett as she belted out some of the Divynls’ most famous numbers, and then drag performer Vogue MegaQueen took the audience back to the days of the much-loved Darwin nightclub Throb, in a fabulously revealing outfit, and plenty of strobe lighting and fog machine to give the true nightclub experience.
Darwin drag king Donnie Piccolo gave a show-stopping, high-voltage renditions of Queen’s Radio Gaga, in a performance that would have had Freddie Mercury himself applauding, and another highlight of the evening was a tribute to the activist anthems of the 1980s, with Bogan Villea giving a rousing interpretation of Midnight Oil’s Beds Are Burning.
And a night of rock anthems wouldn’t be complete with a nod to Jimmy Barnes and Cold Chisel, there was a tribute to them, thanks to local singer Max Fredericks who is a stalwart of Darwin’s pub music scene.
But it was Bogan Villea who was in charge of the evening, with numerous inventive costume changes, from bogan essentials, the stubby shorts, to more fabulous and creative costumes, Bogan Villea spread buckets of bogan charm, complemented by two talented back-up dancers, the Bogettes.
The audience was on board from the get-go for this nostalgic and fun nod to Darwin’s bogan roots, singing, dancing and some were even sporting mullets. A fun night, and a lovely tribute to Darwin’ great local performers.
A Night of Rock and Roll with Bogan Villea, performed on the Inpex Sunset Stage at Darwin Festival, August 14 & 15 at 9pm.
BY SALLY BOTHROYD
photos by Charlie Bliss