James Reyne

Blue, purple and green lights made it feel like an underwater oasis as Models opened for James Reyne at The Palms, Crown Casino Melbourne (6 April).

Maybe it was the 80s, where bad haircuts and the innocuous cheesy lines about ‘boy meets girl’ songs that had the packed crowd singing at Reyne’s beckoning.

James Reyne, focussed and fighting fit 57 year old Aussie rocker of Australian Crawl fame, strode onto the stage every inch the understated stately rocker in plain white t shirt and stripey yoga pants. I even had a flashback to seeing Paul Weller stride this same stage in 2010 and thought maybe Reyne occupies

In the late 80s, when Guns N’ Roses were straddling the world stage, I only had ears for James Reyne.

Starting right on 10pm – as promised – to a crowd that consisted of mostly over-35s, he laboured through the set-list with a three-piece band.

While the thought of clawing royalties from Guns N' Roses would have many seeing dollar signs, Reyne seems nonchalant about all of the attention.

Reyne has often distanced himself and refused to partake in nostalgic tributes or reformation tours, preferring to focus on his solo work and future music production.