Highway to Hell - Perth Festival 2020

Perth Festival paid tribute to Bon Scott, on the 40th anniversary of his passing, with a parade of bands travelling and playing along the length of Canning Highway, from Applecross to Fremantle, the road that Bon dubbed the Highway to Hell, in the AC/DC song of the same name.

Bon Scott wrote the lyrics to Highway to Hell for AC/DC

The event was massive. The parade included eight bands, most of them featuring special guests and the road was lined with an estimated 150,000 fans.

The logistics of organising such an event are mind blowing, closing down one of Perth's major thoroughfares for 10kms for most of a day, the trucks, staging, lighting, sound systems, stewards, policing the list goes on. So a huge congratulations must go to Perth Festival and everyone involved, for pulling it off with such success and of course to the people of Perth and Fremantle, who showed up in huge numbers and made it so successful.

The trucks started out from close to the Raffles Hotel, in the Applecross suburb of Perth, one of Bon Scott's hang outs back in the day. They left slowly, in 10 minute intervals, with the bands playing AC/DC hits the the length of the trip. They would stop at designated points along the route and play a whole song for large sections of the crowd who had gathered at those locations.

The first cab off the rank was The Pilgrims, an older band who competently handled the Acca Dacca repertoire. Next were The Tommyhawks, an all girl band, with Dom Mariani guesting on guitar. The Tommyhawks were energetic and enthusiastic and include a saxophonist fattening up their sound.

The Tommyhawks with Dom Mariani

I guess the festival organisers wanted to include something for everyone, so the next few bands spanned a range of musical styles. For a traditional AC/DC fan, like myself, this did not always work.

Steve 'N' Seagulls played bluegrass versions of AC/DC songs

Next up were Steve 'N' Seagulls, a country come bluegrass band with a banjo, accordion and upright bass. I had seen this approach to AC/DC songs before, from the Hayseed Dixies. Steve 'N" Seagulls were animated and fun, although far from true to the original versions of the tunes.

At this point it became apparent that all of the bands were playing either It's a Long Way to The Top, or Highway to Hell, or both of them. I mentioned this to a woman standing near me. She said that AC/DC don't have many songs that lots of people know. I said "Really? They've released about 20 albums!" I could have also added that on their last tour they easily sold out the biggest stadium in Perth, twice over. I think the people in attendance would know more than two of their songs.

Carla Geneve was next to come along with The Floors, they answered some of my wishes, by being an actual rock band and playing a nice version of Hells Bells. Unfortunately, Hells Bells was not a Bon Scott era song, but you can't have everything, can you?

I'm not sure if Carla was making an attempt at an Angus Young impression, by wearing shorts and a tie, or maybe that was just her fashion choice for the day.

Shonen Knife, a three piece girl band from Japan, occupied the next truck. Unfortunately their stripped down, basic interpretations and pretty tuneless vocals did not appeal to this audience member. Odette Mercy with Matthas followed, who were proficient, without really doing much for me. Then came Amyl and the Sniffers, a punk rock type of band and once again the lack of quality vocals did not work for me.

Abbe May with the Southern River Band. This is not them, just a golf cart announcing their arrival.

But the best was really saved for last. Abbe May is a genuine bluesy singer and The Southern River Band are a real rock and roll band. Together they gave the true AC/DC fans, who were present, what they wanted.

My experience of the Highway to Hell parade ended at Tompkins Park, where Abbe May and the Southern River Band performed Jailbait, in front of a huge crowd that covered all of the sports fields there. It was announced that earlier over 3,000 people had broken the world record for simultaneous air guitar players, at this venue and there were at least that many here for this performance, which was beamed onto giant screens, so that everyone could see.

Abbe May with the Southern River Band on the big screen at Tompkins Park

From here the parade continued on to Fremantle, where no doubt the crowds were even bigger and more enthusiastic, as that was Bon Scott's home, where he is buried and some of his family still live. Add to that, the booze would have been flowing by then and the bands well warmed up, and you have the recipe for a very big night in the old town.

For those who continued to rock, we salute you!