SWEETHEARTS OF SONG AND PETE EDWARDS SWELLED HEARTS AT TOOGOOLAWAH RSL

If concert goers were not already fired with enthusiasm when they entered the RSL Hall in Toogoolawah for the Sweethearts of Song concert on that Saturday afternoon on May 8^th, they certainly were long before the last strains of When Will I See You Again had audience members calling for ‘more’!

And just as ‘Mod’ Culture set the mood for fashion and music of the ‘60s, so too did the Sweethearts on this day as Kathleen, Susie and Carolyn sashayed onto the stage in their ‘anything goes’ black and whites, the boldness of the fashion well in tune with the songs from that era. Songs made popular by Petula Clark, The Carpenters, The Supremes, Paris Sisters and even a little bit of Doris Day thrown into the mix had audience members who were seated around decorative tables, tapping their feet while surrendering to the urge to contribute.

While Peter Edwards may be the Somerset’s favourite plumber, it was obvious that his clear pipes were not just limited to his trade when he began his set with an Elvis evergreen, The Wonder of You backed by the girls.  Pete, the consummate entertainer soon had the audience further invigorated with a bracket of his trademark vocals and ready repartee.

With many of the Andrews Sisters’ songs still as popular today as they were during the ‘30s and ‘40s, it was only right that the Sweethearts chose to don army greens to bring the next bracket of harmonious swing and boogie woogie songs back to life.  With the ever-reliable Lloyd at the audio controls pushing all the right buttons to allow the show to flow, the girls jump-blued and boogied their way through a sentimental journey of songs from the war years wrapping it up with the bawdy bounce of Bette Midler’s Billy-a-Dick and Stuff Like That There.

Pete, who is fast becoming a regular at Sweethearts’ concerts delivering his unique brand of entertainment to audiences during the girls’ costume changes, once more had the concert goers in the palm of his hands with his comical quips and upbeat songs, the popularity of which have endured the test of time. Debunking the lyrics of Your Mama Don’t Dance, Pete even managed to lure two energetic jive bunnies to hit the dance floor!  Mustang Sally had both audience and the Sweethearts testing their tonsils with the backing of this bluesy Wilson Picket classic.

Having enjoyed a tipple or a cuppa and cake and the drawing of some fabulous raffle prizes during interval, the audience found their way back to seats for the finale of swingin’ songs from the ‘60s and ‘70s, some, regular Sweethearts’ favourites, others, recent additions to their repertoire, including the Leslie Gore classic, You Don’t Own Me, a song adapted by Bette Midler and Co for the movie First Wives Club, borrowed by The Sweethearts of Song to round out their final bracket. It was to an RSL hall now filled with intense fervour that the Sweethearts gave their parting ‘thank you’ to this wonderfully appreciative audience.

We, the Sweethearts of Song, Kathleen, Susie and Carolyn wish to express our sincere gratitude to Doug and his team from Toogoolawah’s RSL who so generously allowed us the use of their hall as a rehearsal and concert venue; to Anne and her staff at Two Galahs Gallery and Felise Evans for their fabulous facilitation of ticket sales and bookings;  to the crackerjack team at The Somerset Newspaper who are so supportive of all things musical which we and the Choir strive to do; Choir members, Kerrie and Jan who volunteered to lessen our burdens by manning front- of- house and Lloyd, our sole roadie and audio ace whose value to us is incalculable; to Boutique Meats Castell Park for yet another delicious meat tray to raffle and to Alexis and our Choir and Community supporters who are very quickly becoming such a big part of the story of our lives. 
By:Sue Walker