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The Guardian
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Jimmy Barnes: Defiant review – familiar but reliable territory from the indestructible rocker
'He's been wondering lately, where did all the good times go?' While this line in the opening song on Jimmy Barnes' new album is ostensibly about a couple struggling to make ends meet, it's hard not to think of Barnes lying in a hospital bed, a recurring sight in recent years: recovering from infection, then hip surgery, then bacterial pneumonia, then open heart surgery, then hip surgery again … but eventually 'it's a new day', as Barnes sings on the second track, a sentiment delivered without a question mark. If you're wondering where all the good times are, it seems Barnes' answer is: wherever the hell I want them to be and, until it all ends, I'm going to be a rock star. Specifically a rock star of the late 80s and early 90s, when he didn't have to dress down, à la grunge, or gloss up, à la ozone-depleting poodle metal, and instead slipped on a leather jacket and leaned into the camera as a freight train pulled out behind him. Defiant lands smack bang in the middle of that Peak Barnes Moment and it is no coincidence that while Barnes shared the songwriting with some old hands and near-family, the production is given over to that master of Australiana rock, Kevin Shirley. You'd know his work from early Silverchair, the Screaming Jets, the Angels, Baby Animals, Cold Chisel … and Tina Arena. You'd know his work by the ringing clarity in your ears. It's in the in-your-face drum sound (that snare snap is sharpened to a point) and forward-facing guitars (you could do your hair in the reflection from the shine on them), and it's in the careful middle ground of keyboards and a smattering of modern country to show range. You can recognise it in the prominence given to every corrugation of that lived-through voice and the softening agent of rich backing vocals and, in the powered-up ballad Beyond The Riverbend, even in the bagpipes. If this album were any more 1990s, it would come with a Hawkeian cigar and a Rachel haircut. A song like Damned If I Do, Damned If I Don't has the skinny-arse shaking beat of the Rolling Stones or the Faces, but those drums won't let you do anything other than stomp. Things are a little lighter in opener That's What You Do For Love, its 'woah-ohs' softening the ground, but the backing vocals of an escalating chorus and a hero-cast guitar solo don't resist the temptation to go full back-of-the-beerbarn anthemic. If the muscular rock of Nothing Comes For Nothing and the brassy southern soul Sea Of Love, possibly the most satisfying song on the album, gives Barnes a moment to ease back on the throat – but there's little evidence he was looking for respite. He rips it up in the title track and pushes it to the edges in the husky Never Stop Loving You; even at half-force in Dig Deep he feels powerful, controlled rather than raw against the saloon piano. What heart operation? That operation and its aftermath, however, does play through Barnes' lyrical focus. Not just in the obvious I-get-knocked-down-I-get-up-again rugged roar of the title track's 'I don't get tired, I just higher/I stand defiant', but in the reflections of a man given yet another chance. There are throwbacks to the stories he's told us in his series of hugely successful memoirs. Of mistakes and repair, like The Long Road's declaration that 'I'm on the long road to perdition', and of coming through a childhood where 'if you showed any weakness, the streets will make you bleed', as he sings in Dig Deep. And there is Never Stop Loving You's clear view of the complications and satisfactions of a long love affair that was not only life-saving but life-affirming. It's true that this makes for an album that could hardly be said to break new ground or reach stellar heights. But it's also true that it nails the essentials of Jimmy Barnes – and even more so, the Jimmy Barnes that people wanted to hear in the good and the bad times almost half a century ago. Defiant is out now (Mushroom)
Daily Mail
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Pop diva Tina Arena kicks out unruly concertgoer who sparked a brawl at her Melbourne concert - after scolding attendee for taking toilet break: 'You need to leave'
Tina Arena is being commended for the way she handled an unruly woman at her Melbourne show. The Aussie singer, who is currently on her 30th anniversary Don't Ask Again tour, was performing at the Palais Theatre in St Kilda on Friday night when a concertgoer allegedly began punching and kicking strangers in the crowd. One member of the audience said that the woman appeared out of control as she incited the brawl, which saw four security guards escort her out, according to Herald Sun. Tina, 57, responded calmly to the incident, saying onstage: 'Darling, you need to leave the show'. Peter Ford, an entertainment reporter who was at the show, posted a clip of Tina pausing the concert and making a request from the audience. 'Ladies and gentleman, if we could please just have some calm in this hall, I would really appreciate it' Tina said. The Aussie singer, who is currently on her 30th anniversary Don't Ask Again tour, was performing at the Palais Theatre in St Kilda on Friday night when a concertgoer allegedly began punching and kicking strangers in the crowd Seeming rattled, she added: 'I've never experienced anything like this in 50 years.' Peter went on to praise the star for her handling of the moment on Channel 7's Sunrise. 'What a reminder how long Tina Arena's been around,' he said. It comes after Tina launched scathing attack on fans who took a toilet break during a recent show. The pop diva was performing at the Palais Theatre in Melbourne 's St Kilda last Thursday night as part of her Don't Ask Again tour. However, some concertgoers, who paid a reported $250 for a ticket to the sold out show, needed a bathroom pit-stop during Tina's set, The Herald Sun reported. This allegedly upset the Sorrento Moon singer who took severe umbrage with the flighty fans interrupting the flow of the show. In response, Tina shot back a very crass response to the errant attendees. 'Back in my day you wouldn't leave to go to the toilet unless you were s***ting your pants,' she reportedly said. The pop star hopes future concertgoers heed the warning and 'go before the show' with Tina set to continue her Australian tour with two shows at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre and one at The Star on the Gold Coast. She will round out her Australian run at Her Majesty's Theatre in Adelaide on May 30 before continuing the tour in France. The pop star revealed the surprising reason she decided to do a 30th anniversary tour celebrating the success of her 1994 smash hit album Don't Ask. Tina appeared on Channel Ten's The Project last year and was asked by co-host Rove McManus why she embarked on her upcoming tour. 'What designates the milestone? Do you wait until 21, 25, 30, what's the number?' Rove asked the pop star. Tina responded that she came to the realisation she was getting older and she either had to do the tour now - or potentially miss out on it altogether. 'I think the fact that it is has been around for as long as it has. People said to me at the 25-year mark, 'what are you going to do about it?' Tina began. It comes after Tina launched scathing attack on fans who took a toilet break during a recent show. The pop diva was performing at the Palais Theatre in Melbourne 's St Kilda last Thursday night as part of her Don't Ask Again tour when she reportedly scolded people for walking out 'I was like, "I will wait." The record will hit 30, 40 years, it will hit 50 and I will be dead! I can't do anything at 50 years! 'It seemed like the right thing to do, as it is a record that played such a fantastic role in so many people's lives.' Her Don't Ask album debuted at number one on the Australian album chart in November 1994 and went on to be certified 10 times platinum. The album also sold well in the UK, the US and New Zealand, due to the success of its hit singles Chains, Wasn't it Good and Sorrento Moon. Tina's Don't Ask... Again national tour kicked off on Sunday, April 27 at the Riverside Theatre in Perth, Western Australia.
News.com.au
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Tina Arena berates fans for daring to use the bathroom during chaotic live show
Iconic Australian pop star Tina Arena was left fuming after she spotted concertgoers sneaking off to use the bathroom during her show. The Chains singer performed at the Palais theatre in Melbourne on Thursday night as part of her Don't Ask Again tour. Some fans who had paid up to $250 for a ticket to the show were spotted by the star getting up to use the toilet mid-performance, and Arena was heard heckling them as a result. 'Back in my day you wouldn't leave to go to the toilet unless you were sh***ing your pants,' shouted the star, who last year opened up about seeking therapy. The drama continued later on in the night when Arena was forced to stop a brawl that had broken out between two of her fans. Arena paused her show to chastise the man and woman who were hurling abuse at each other before security eventually intervened. 'Ladies and gentlemen, if we could please just have some calm in this hall, I would really, really appreciate it,' said the star. 'Sorry about this, ladies and gentlemen. I have never experienced anything like this in 50 years. 'If there's something that needs to be discussed, please do it outside. I won't commence the show until this is the case. Channel 7 reporter Peter Ford shared more insight into the incident, revealing that one of the fans 'threw themselves on the ground' at one point during the ruckus. 'We don't expect this to happen at a Tina Arena concert,' Ford said. 'We don't know what caused it. We certainly know that people who were shouting abuse at each other were not easily going to leave. Security did have to intervene. 'One woman threw herself on the ground and said, 'don't you dare touch me'. The show had to stop. It happened right at the foot of the stage. He continued: 'It was not like it was happening at the back and people didn't know about it. 'It was clear the show had to stop until this was resolved. 'To her credit, calling upon those 50 years (of performing), Tina, of course, stayed very calm and collected. She was very resolute that all these people who were warring should be leaving the theatre.'
Metro
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
90s pop star slams fans for taking toilet break during show
Tina Arena has taken aim at fans who left their seats at her concert to go to the toilet. The Australian singer-songwriter rose to fame as a child on the variety programme Young Talent Time, then beginning her career as a solo singer aged 17. Her second album Don't Ask, which was released in 1994 reached number one on the Australian charts, while it also peaked at number 11 in the UK. In 1996 she was also nominated for International Breakthrough Act at the Brits, however it was won by Alanis Morissette. In the years since she's sold over 10 million records worldwide. However, this week Tina, 57, was left unimpressed while putting on a show at the Palais Theatre in Melbourne. During her Don't Ask Again tour, Tina launched a scathing attack on fans who moved from their seats. Some fans, who paid around $250 (£125) for tickets, needed a toilet break during her set. Them deciding to go to the bathroom reportedly upset the singer, who called them out. 'Back in my day you wouldn't leave to go to the toilet unless you were s***ting your pants,' she said, as reported by the Herald Sun. However, several people who were at the concert defended the singer. 'It was a tongue in cheek comment. Also let's not discuss the drunken people disrupting and having a brawl, that resulted in the show being stopped for 10 mins whilst security escorted the people out. Tina was absolutely fabulous,' Berni commented on FaceBook. 'I was at this concert and I have never experienced the amount of people getting up and walking up and down aisles. It was disappointing and disrupting to the patrons. Multiple people around me could not believe how many people were walking up and down…it was ridiculous. She simply asked for people to go between songs and not during a song, a reasonable request,' Raelene shared. 'It was annoying the amount of people walking in front while we were trying to enjoy her concert. She was amazing. I've never been to a concert where some patrons were so disruptive. I'm 65 and I can manage to hold my bladder. We were lucky she spoke so calmly and finished her sets. She also had to deal with a drunken argument in the front rows and a flash going off every few mins,' Pam added. More Trending Last year Tina faced backlash during a performance with Katy Perry at the Australian Football League's Grand Final. In 2023 she had been slammed after admitting she broke Melbourne's Covid lockdown rules in an interview, calling it 'totalitarian' and saying she 'couldn't cope' with being 'fear-driven'. When she took to the stage at the sporting event, boos could be heard among the crowd of 100,000 people at the stadium. Metro has contacted representatives for Tina Arena for comment. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: 70s rock star bans fans from using phones at upcoming shows MORE: Liam Gallagher responds to reports that Oasis axed iconic song from reunion tour setlist MORE: Oasis 'axe popular song from reunion tour setlist' due to Gary Glitter connection
Daily Mail
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Pop diva Tina Arena slams concertgoers for walking out during her Melbourne show
Tina Arena has launched a scathing attack on fans who took a toilet break during a recent show. The pop diva, 57, was performing at the Palais Theatre in Melbourne 's St Kilda on Thursday night as part of her Don't Ask Again tour. However, some concertgoers, who paid a reported $250 for a ticket to the sold out show, needed a bathroom pit-stop during Tina's set, The Herald Sun reported. This allegedly upset the Sorrento Moon singer who took severe umbrage with the flighty fans interrupting the flow of the show. In response, Tina shot back a very crass response to the errant attendees. 'Back in my day you wouldn't leave to go to the toilet unless you were s***ting your pants,' she reportedly said. The pop star hopes future concertgoers heed the warning and 'go before the show' with Tina set to continue her Australian tour with two shows at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre and one at The Star on the Gold Coast. She will round out her Australian run at Her Majesty's Theatre in Adelaide on May 30 before continuing the tour in France. Back in December, Tina revealed the very surprising reason she decided to do a 30th anniversary tour celebrating the success of her 1994 smash hit album. The Australian music icon, 57, appeared on Channel Ten's The Project and was asked by co-host Rove McManus why she embarked on her upcoming tour. 'What designates the milestone? Do you wait until 21, 25, 30, what's the number?' Rove asked the pop star. Tina replied she came to the realisation as she was getting older she either had to do the tour now - or potentially miss out on it altogether. 'I think the fact that it is has been around for as long as it has. People said to me at the 25-year mark, "What are you going to do about it?"' Tina began. 'I was like, "I will wait." The record will hit 30, 40 years, it will hit 50 and I will be dead! I can't do anything at 50 years! 'It seemed like the right thing to do, as it is a record that played such a fantastic role in so many people's lives,' she said. Her Don't Ask album debuted at number one on the Australian album chart in November 1994 and went on to be certified 10 times platinum. The album also sold well in the UK, the US and New Zealand, due to the success of its hit singles Chains, Wasn't it Good and Sorrento Moon. Late last year, the pop diva made a triumphant return to the stage after illness caused her to cancel her Love Saves world tour in 2023. The star wowed the crowds at Mornington Racecourse in Melbourne in December and appeared in excellent health.
