An auction at Gardiner Houlgate on 3rd December included many pieces of Quo's stage and studio equipment. Although it probably indicated that Quo's live shows have indeed come to an end, it was an opportunity for fans to pick up some good gear. Every lot was sold with the most expensive pieces being the Marshall and Vox guitar amplifier heads, going for £4000-5000.
The full auction results can be found here.
Revisit the December 2024 event list
Musicland in Melbourne played host to the first Quo Story gig in Australia on 12th December and about 100 fans made their way to this excellent venue. We arrived early, to find Richie and the band heading out for a break after battling sound issues all afternoon. By the time the support band took the stage (Dark Room, an Angels tribute), it was looking and sounding good - but it was a long wait for the main event, not starting until after 10pm.
The Quo Story played brilliantly, with the first quarter or so of their set featuring their own rhythm guitar player, Jack, before Richie took over for the remainder of their lengthy set. The sound issues came back to haunt them throughout the gig, unfortunately, making it especially hard work for Richie who's obviously become used to a much more professional standard now!
The set was a modern Quo affair, something of a mix of setlists from the last 15 years and so including a number of medleys (even "The Anniversary Waltz" got a spin!). With a short break before a long encore, the band didn't the leave stage until after midnight. The band's tightness was very impressive and Rhys is so close to Francis in mannerisms, movements and guitar work that it's almost freaky! Gary on the Status bass worked well with Richie and Jay was stunning on the big drumkit.
It was good to see many of the familiar Melbourne Quo contingent making the effort to attend this gig and top efforts from the New South Wales and Queensland fans who'd come down for it too. Eva and Paul had come from the UK, taking it to the next level in terms of commitment.
Richie came out after the gig and mingled with the fans for a chat and photos. He obviously enjoyed himself and said he was glad to be back in Australia despite it being a very short trip (only 6 days on the ground).
A really enjoyable night of live Quo to kick off their short Aussie tour!
Revisit the December 2024 event list
The Golden Vine Hotel in sunny Bendigo played host to the second Quo Story gig in Australia on Friday 13th December. Many of the Melbourne fan contingent had travelled up for this second gig, as had the interstate and international fans, bolstering a sizeable local crowd.
Support again came from Angels tribute, Dark Room. By the time they kicked off (after 9pm), the pub was packed and this audience were clearly in the mood to rock! It was a long wait for us Quo fans, but eventually the Quo Story lads took the stage at about 10.30pm. It was a much smaller stage for them than at Musicland and the audience were very up close and personal (including me plonked right in front of Rhys).
From the get go, the sound was much better than at Musicland and the band were obviously much more relaxed as a result. The setlist was basically the same as the night before, but cut short (maybe due to a noise curfew as the hotel is in a residential area) so longer tracks like "The Anniversay Waltz" didn't make the cut. The performance was top notch in every respect, Richie played his heart out and said afterwards that he loves this kind of venue - packed to the rafters, punters up close and all up for a great night. The small stage didn't leave much room for on-stage antics but Rhys was again on point with his Francis moves and it was amazing to watch his lead guitar work up close from my spot right at the front.
The band mingled after the show and Richie was again very gracious and patient with some, erm, enthusiastic members of the audience! Despite the date, there were no dramas at this gig and the encouragable country crowd certainly gave this great band a huge response.
Revisit the December 2024 event list
Rounding out their very brief time in Australia, The Quo Story with Richie Malone played a private gig on Saturday 14th December. This special event was organised by a Quo fan and held at his property, with an outdoor stage and about 80 guests. It was a hot and sunny afternoon and evening, quite a challenge for the young lads from chilly Scotland!
First up was "Slow Quo", featuring The Quo Story guys playing some "lighter" Quo songs to get the party started. Only a few notes into the set, the power went off - a Spinal Tap moment given that the party's host runs an electrical business! It was soon fixed and we were off and running.
It was great to see Jay stepping away from the drums to take on lead guitar and vocals in this version of the band. The set didn't live up to its billing, though - as Jay later said, it's more like "slow-burner" Quo tracks than slow per se - so we got "I Saw The Light", a full version of "Slow Train" and a full version of "4500 Times"! It was an incredible set and Richie filmed a lot of it from the side of the stage, another Spinal Tap moment!
Jay's lead work was exemplary as always, what a talent he is. The choice of songs was music to the ears of the few diehard Quo fans in this audience and Jay again impressed by closing out this set with a 10+ minute rendition of Dire Strait's classic "Sultans of Swing". (The Quo portion of the "Slow Quo" set can be watched here.)
Next up were local band, Darkcide, playing together with this line-up for the first time in decades. They played a heavy set of their own songs plus rock covers. "It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll)" saw a professional bagpiper join them on stage and he also went on to play "Scotland The Brave", much to the delight of the Quo Story lads who watched on respectfully from the side of the stage. (The full Darkcide set can be watched here.)
The Quo Story appeared once it had got dark and the slightly cooler evening temperature was probably very welcome for them. As soon as they kicked off with "Caroline", the folks in their fold-up chairs all got up and joined us few diehards going bonkers on air guitars down the front. The setlist was pretty much the same, with Richie joining the band at the same point in the set as previous shows. The party's host got his time in the spotlight when he drummed along during "Roll Over Lay Down" (his favourite Quo song), a classic moment. A nice surprise came later in the set when the slot occupied by "The Anniversary Waltz" was given up in favour of "Roadhouse Blues" - and a stonking performance of that song it was too! Closing out with "Rockin' All Over The World", the host got to strum a guitar and all the band members joined in to round out a brilliant gig. (The full "Quo Story" set can be watched here.)
Francis was interviewed by Chris Benson on his YouTube channel on 26th December.
The interview started off as expected by promoing Francis's 2025 talk tour and he raved about the Fender Acoustasonic guitar he uses for those shows.
Talk then turned to the experience of making the "Backbone" album and also working with Hannah Rickard. Chris brought up the recent "Driving To Glory" compilation and Francis mentioned his love of the track, "You Let Me Down".
The experience of making the "Heavy Traffic" album was discussed next, which Francis described as "just another album" with "Mike Paxman in the chair" - but he did acknowledge that it represented something of a "renaissance" for the band. Turning to the "Aquostic" albums, he said they were a joy to make and how much he loved working with Geraint Watkins. When asked about any covers that he had not recorded but would like to, Francis immediately said "Running Bear" by Johnny Preston.
Closing out talking about the 2025 talk tour, Francis mentioned perhaps trying "One Step At A Time", "Someone Show Me Home", "20 Wild Horses", "All We Really Wanna Do" and even "King Of The Doghouse".
The full 25-minute interview can be watched on YouTube.
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