On a stormy Sunday afternoon, around 8,000 lovers of Aussie music gathered at Keirle Park in Manly to celebrate some of the best to do it in our nation’s history in a momentous occasion. Leading the bill was the reunion of Australian Crawl after more than 40 years, alongside the Colin Hay-led Men at Work, which a pretty remarkable line-up and one that meant that tickets sold out very early. Although guitarist Simon Binks was initially announced as part of the Australian Crawl lineup, he was ultimately absent from the show.

Starting around noon, the grounds at filled up from the outset, with festival-goers keen to snag one of the best seats for their camp chairs. One of the early highlights was the pulsating set of Eskimo Joe who brought fire, energy and passion to the crowd with an awesome, rocking set. When they sang “Black Fingernails, Red Wine”, their music was so tight that it almost sounded better than the record. It was an exceptional performance and a fantastic display of musicianship which delighted the very knowledgeable crowd in attendance and was a reminder of just how good Australian music is.

Unfortunately, with storms forecast throughout the afternoon and evening, the worst fears of patrons and organisers came true during Birds of Tokyo’s set. As the heavens opened and the grounds needed to be evacuated, this sparked mass confusion with the screens on stage telling people to evacuate to their cars but security guards at the venue telling people that if they left they couldn’t re-enter. This led to crowding at the exits and ultimately left a lot of people in potentially dangerous situations with lightning in the field. Given that stormy weather is not an unforeseeable event for an event like this, it does strike me as somewhat odd that there wouldn’t be a clearer communication plan beforehand and this really is something that needs to be looked at as if the storm had been longer and more severe, it could have caused some serious harm.

Unfortunately, the storm meant that Birds of Tokyo’s set was curtailed early, but a sizeable portion of the crowd still remained as Men at Work took to the stage. Colin Hay remains an exceptional vocalist, and he showed this early with some wonderful sustained high notes, which had the crowd in absolute raptures from the start of the band’s set. The rain meant that everyone was just that little bit looser and more celebratory, resulting in a really fun atmosphere that the band members clearly enjoyed as well.

The band performed some of their biggest hits, including “Overkill” and “It’s a Mistake”, which still stand up extremely well. Of course, this is a much different lineup from the original Men at Work, but the group still functions impeccably, with Rachel Mazer in particular extraordinary on saxophone, bringing a huge amount of charisma to the stage. When the band played “Down Under”, there was a sense of unbridled joy in the crowd, which the band absolutely played up to, with Hay’s voice coming through rich and powerful in the field. It was a beautiful set and a huge energy lift for the crowd, who were still strong in numbers after the rain but looking for a pick-me-up, which they got in droves.

Then, when Australian Crawl hit the stage, the crowd erupted into pure pandemonium. It was a wonderful sight, with the band reforming for this tour for the first time in more than 40 years and although Simon Binks was not part of this lineup, the crowd did not care with everyone enjoying the setlist which featured many songs that James Reyne had not played in many years. As he started with “Hoochie Gucci Fiorucci Mama”, he quickly moved into “The Boys Light Up”, which had the whole crowd up on their feet before everyone was singing along to “Beautiful People”.

Reyne’s voice stood up well and he was well supported by the band, with the performance living up to the anticipation surrounding this long-awaited reunion. Some deeper cuts like “Lakeside”, “La Califusa” and “Unpublished Critics” were also fun before he again got the whole crowd singing along to “Downhearted” and “Reckless (Don’t Be So…)” before closing out the main set with another sing-along in “Errol”. It was a wonderfully energetic night and everyone was having the time of their lives after the storm, which was now well and truly in the distance with some light rain not dampening anyone’s enjoyment at all. As the group closed out with “Things Don’t Seem”, it was a wonderful way to cap off a great night of music.

Overall, this was a really special show, with incredible sets from Men at Work and Australian Crawl keeping the crowd happy despite the rain. Eskimo Joe were also sublime and despite some safety concerns, eventually everyone was able to make the most of the occasion which was all that mattered. A hugely joyous and special night celebrating some of the best of Australian music.

Rating: ★★★★1/2

Red Hot Summer Tour – Keirle Park – 25 October 2026

Photo credit: James Douglas Cooper @jamesdouglascooper