Music / Mikelangelo & The Long Lost Friends. At Smiths Alternative, March 8. Reviewed by IAN McLEAN.

Mikelangelo, alter ego of Michael Simic, is the consummate professional entertainer. 

For well over two hours on Saturday evening at a crowded Smiths Alternative he joked, pranced, danced, combed his hair and completely enthralled a willing, excited and responsive audience.

Well known and much loved for his successful long-term association, across many musical genres, with his group, Mikelangelo and the Black Sea Gentlemen, this particular concert was presented to introduce his new band, Mikelangelo and the Long Lost Friends. These musical mates are based in Braidwood, where Michael now resides raising his young family, and are very much part of the fabric of the township, which teems with artists, poets and musicians.

The Long Lost Friends title seemed most relevant both to the band musicians and also to many of the songs aired during the concert. 

A solo Mikelangelo opened the show with catchy tunes such as I Would Follow You which featured his deep, sonorous voice, the poetry of his lyrics, his well-constructed melodies and pulsating rhythms that blend a gentleness of folk music with the off-beat chunk of rock and roll and blues. 

In amongst amusingly berating the owner of a ringing phone and finding seats for a couple of late arrivals he sang passionately while reminiscing about his early Canberra performances dating back to 1986 at the upstairs bar at the ANU. 

Time then for some melancholy with tunes from his Lost Recordings album, a sad This Broken Dream then a turn on piano for Hope, a gentle lullaby, and Memory, a sweet little waltz.

The Long Lost Friends band then joined in and a sudden change of pace and mood – pure country music then a touch of funk before rockabilly. The band, together since only September last year, was excellent. Featuring Bruce Rose on guitar, Steve Maher on keyboard and guitar, Jake Annetts on bass and Ben Willson on drums, they were not simply a backing band but an integral element of the show. 

In a long, but interesting and varied set, not one player required printed music, every song was fixed in the memory so the sound of the band was, not surprisingly, particularly tight and slick.

There was Crosses and Flowers, a moving rock ballad, Action from a back catalogue and All the Beauty, a lovely tune written by Michael while sitting at the Shoalhaven River, a place for him of solace, solitude and inspiration.

With everything from European and Australian folk music, rock, funk, rockabilly and a touch of jazz and pop music, combined with the easy-going charm, vitality and energy of Mikelangelo with his banter, lovable audience interaction and genuine love of his craft, this was a concert to be treasured in the memory bank.

Canberrans, in fact all Australians, will hear much more of Mikelangelo & the Long Lost Friends. Not to be missed the next time around.