Seeker finds new image for himself

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32640, 23 June 1971, Page 20

Seeker finds new image for himself

It will be a long time before Bruce Woodley loses his clean-cut Seekers image, even though his musical style has changed considerably, if not radically, since he decided he was ready to go his own way. With friends, Terry Walker (lead guitar), Johnny Dick (drums) and Peter Skerrit (bass guitar), Woodley entertained a full house of young people at his concert in the Civic Theatre last evening. Throughout the concert the emphasis was on relaxation ana participation, and the audience soon warmed to his natural appeal, joining in when they felt like it Many of the songs he performed he had written him-

self, and these showed no great difference from much of the material he wrote for the Seekers. However, since he has left the group, his greatest change is reflected in his approach and his style, both of which are much more natural and “with it,” In spite of tuning problems with the steel guitars because of the cold, the show went smoothly, progressing easily from song to song, interrupted only by Woodley’s commentary on songs and songwriters, and by an occasional joke. Moods shifted from heavy blues to light folk lyrical music, and an anti-pollution protest song, written by Woodley himself, added a serious note at. the end of the concert. Other songwriters whose material was used included Paul Simon, James Taylor, Chris Kristopherson, Gordon Lightfoot, George Harrison, and Tom Paxton. One of the most beautiful songs on the programme was “Waily Waily,” a traditional ballad, which was sung with lyrical simplicity and sincerity. The most impressive performance, however, was of James Taylor’s “Fire and Rain,” an autobiographical song about a heroin addict, aged 20, whose girl friend is killed suddenly, Normally a moving song, its particular appeal generally has remained unexplained, but its intensity was not lost because of this. A lingering, improvised ending to the song gave it an even more striking effect. For the two hours that Bruce Woodley and his friends were on stage, the audience was relaxed and free from self-consciousness, joining enthusiastically in the songs it knew. It would seem that last evening Woodley made many more friends, —F.P.