Barnes Gives Private Glimpse Of Show (Press, 20 January 1989)

On 15 January 1989, a private rock concert featuring Jimmy Barnes took place at Sydney's overseas shipping terminal, attracting over 300 attendees, including 24 competition winners from New Zealand and Australia. This event was part of a summer promotion by Pepsi-Cola. New Zealand music fans will soon have a chance to see Barnes live during his "Barnestorming" tour in New Zealand, which will also include performances by Knightshade and the Choir Boys. The artists are set to perform in Christchurch on 28 January, alongside Iggy Pop in Auckland and Wellington. In music news, the Pet Shop Boys are in the studio working on a project with Liza Minnelli. Initially intended to produce songs for half an album, the band is now eager to complete a full album for the singer. They have also penned a single for Dusty Springfield titled "Nothing Has Been Moved," which serves as the theme for the film “Scandal,” based on the Profumo affair of the 1960s. Tragic news followed the passing of 40-year-old Sylvester, a notable transvestite funk star known for hits like "You Make Me Feel Mighty Real" and "Disco Fever." He died in San Francisco due to complications from AIDS while working on a new album for Warner Bros. In other happenings, former Housemartins members Paul Heaton and Dave Hemmingway have formed a new band, tentatively named The Beautiful South, with collaborations from a former Housemartin roadie and local friends from Hull, where they have been recording. Another ex-Housemartin, Norman Cook, is reportedly working on solo material and producing “Real Sounds of Africa.” In its 1988 readers' poll, “Melody Maker” noted that while its readers preferred bands like The Mission and All About Eve, critics highlighted The Pixies' album “Surfer Rosa” as the top album of the year. Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds’ single “The Mercy Seat” also received significant acclaim. The publication acknowledged John Cleese's film “A Fish Called Wanda” as the top film of the year. In the quirky awards section, Ben Johnson was named man of the year by “Melody Maker,” while Morrissey was chosen as the Morrissey clone of the year. Both categories aligned in naming Julian Cope as nobody of the year. Paul Weller was recognised as grey man of the year, and U2’s Bono as black man of the year. The only straight award recognised Julianne Regan of All About Eve as woman of the year. According to the critics, in addition to “Surfer Rosa,” the top albums included “Life’s Too Good” by The Sugarcubes, “Isn’t Anything” by My Bloody Valentine, and others. The top singles list featured Nick Cave’s “The Mercy Seat,” also highlighted My Bloody Valentine’s “You Made Me Realise,” and other notable tracks from various acclaimed artists.

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