Despite each being involved in the music industry for the better part of 50 years, Brian Cadd and Glenn Shorrock keep finding enough reason to keep the show on the road, with the pair returning to Mandurah on March 19.
“We have so much in common – we share the same musical tastes, the same history, the same passions,” Cadd said of his working relationship with Glenn Shorrock, probably best known as the frontman of the Little River Band.
“Also the same ridiculous sense of humour. But I think the fact we both came up around the same time, playing in bands that played together, meant we developed in the same kind of way as musicians.”
Anyone who has seen Cadd – the legendary member of The Groop, the Flying Burrito Brothers, Axiom and more – and Shorrock perform knows how integral this camaraderie is to the show. Less a concert, more a celebration of their own music, and Australian music in general, “The Continuing Adventures of Cisco and Pancho" (as the tour is affectionately known) has become a favourite for those looking to hearken back to the glory days of Australian pop music.
The pair are known for producing some of the most anthemic songs in Australia, such as the Little River Band classic Help is on its Way and, of course, Grrop classic Little Ray of Sunshine, which always gets a rapturous applause. It wouldn’t be anywhere as near as intimate and special without the dynamic energy shared between Cadd and Shorrock.
“I think that, when you’re on stage with someone you know that well, there’s an element of trust there that drives the show,” Cadd said.
“You know you can sort of head off on a tangent, and their won’t be any sort of recriminations. no, ‘what the hell was that? You should’ve asked me’, just room to move around in.
“We literally finish each other’s lines, and I think that’s the biggest pleasure I get out of the show, apart form the audience. But then the audience really tunes into that, as well. It’s basically just two old blokes shooting off on stage, and playing a bit of music in between.”
Of course, Cadd can’t doubt the obvious drawcard to these shows: over five decades, both he and Shorrock have built an envious back cataolgue that almost anyone can relate to: their music, through avenues like Countdown and national radio, have basically touched everyone in some way.
“More than for us, these songs are memories,” Cadd said.
“You can see when a certain song plays, and couples will look at each other and smiles will appear on their faces. That’s magic.”
