13/12/2025

Come Together: End Of Year Bash – Civic Theatre: December 12, 2025

Come Together celebrates with an end-of-year NZ v Aussie Bash…one stage…two nations… one unforgettable night of rock.

There are three main points of argument when it comes to trans-Tasman rivalry:
the origins of the pavlova, which side of the ditch gets to claim ownership of Crowded House, and which country is responsible for the crime against music that was Russell Crowe’s alter ego Russ Le Roq.

The first one can get a bit heated around this time of year; the second has mellowed into a benevolent dual-custody arrangement; and the third is more an argument founded on neither country wanting to claim responsibility.

The one thing that always unites a mixed crowd of Antipodeans, however, is our shared love of belting out a solid pub classic at the top of our collective lungs — preferably somewhere serving tasty alcoholic beverages.

So when Come Together, who have previously played to packed venues with Neil Young’s Live Rust and Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon, announced they would close out 2025 with a musical rock battle featuring Kiwi and Aussie classics, everyone knew it was going to go off.

And go off it did.

The band strode onto the stage clearly ready to show the audience a great time. Jon Toogood kicked us off by announcing that the first half would be all Kiwi music, with the second half given over to the Aussies — and that the audience vote at the end would determine the winner.

They opened strong with DD Smash’s Outlook for Thursday, followed closely by Gutter Black. A lovely rendition of Crowded House’s iconic Seven Worlds Collide followed.

EJ Barnes then took centre stage and gave Julia Deans a serious run for her money with a cracking version of Tears.

Next up was Whaling, which gave the packed audience its first real chance to sing loudly and enthusiastically, followed by EJ giving the sometimes-underrated Lydia its full dues.

Toogood returned to tell the audience, “You’ve got to get up,” and when the first bars of April Sun in Cuba rang out, get up we did — and we stayed on our feet for Be Mine Tonight and a blistering guitar-off between Brett Adams and Jol Mulholland.

Every gig has a moment — a song that is so deeply personal it cracks your heart wide open whenever you hear it. For me, it’s Tim Finn’s perfect ode to imperfect love, Stuff and Nonsense. Beautifully delivered by EJ, it completely undid me. I haven’t heard it played live since the death of my significant other, and it was one of “our” songs. Hearing those achingly gorgeous lyrics — “And you know that I love you, here and now, not forever…” — through the lens of loss gave them a whole new depth of meaning. There were tears, and it was a poignant, healing moment. Thank you, EJ.

And there is nothing like a searing rendition of The Datsuns’ MF From Hell to pull a person out of an emotional moment, with Shark Attack following hard on its heels.

There was a bit of a set-up for the next one that didn’t quite land, with Toogood asking Adams to tell a story about flatting with the song’s originator and a bemused Adams replying, “I didn’t flat with him — I played in his band once.” It felt endearingly like two Kiwi blokes trying to tell a funny story at any party ever.

Turns out the bloke in question was Andrew Fagan, and Victoria gave the audience another opportunity to let rip in full voice.

Jennie Skulander got her moment in the sun on Shihad’s The General Electric, finishing with a cheeky “Oh my God, it’s Jon Toogood” as they crossed paths onstage, before Toogood announced the final song of the Kiwi set: Dragon’s Rain.

After the break, the band returned strong with that Aussie anthem to testosterone and Vegemite, Down Under. Next up, Khe Sanh — fittingly knocked out of the park by EJ Barnes. People really need to stop putting “(Jimmy Barnes)” after her name on billings; she’s a star in her own right. It was on this track we truly discovered how many of our Aussie cousins were in the room — the Civic went off like a pub gig in Fitzroy.

Then came Milan — who had apparently lost half his shirt backstage — sliding us into Need You Tonight.

She Keeps No Secrets From You was followed by Hunters & Collectors’ lovely Throw Your Arms Around Me, and then the Barnsey barnstormer Lay Down Your Guns.

Next, Never Tear Us Apart gave the audience another chance to flex their vocal cords in preparation for the unexpected highlight: Jennie, in a Cold Chisel tee, leading a full-venue singalong of You’re the Voice. Turns out we were all the voices — Jennie said she was going to run out of hers. She and her T-shirt held the spotlight with Forever Now, followed by Jon giving Reckless the full treatment, with some lovely guitar work from Mulholland.

Then came another JB classic, Good Times. Milan was encouraged to lose the rest of his shirt, and journalistic integrity compels me to note that — given the next track — it may have been an homage to a great Australian musical icon, but honestly, I don’t care why he did it. I’m simply very glad he did.

The artist in question, of course, being Peter Garrett — no stranger to losing his chest covering. When Milan launched into a searing rendition of Beds Are Burning, the Civic roof didn’t quite come off, but the rafters certainly got one hell of a workout.

What else to close the Aussie section but AC/DC’s banger Back In Black!

Then came the “vote”. In fairness, I feel the Aussies did shout louder on the night — but it was pronounced a draw, which is exactly how it had to be, right?

Both countries got a closing song. For the Kiwis, what else could it be but Th’ Dudes’ rousing anthem to beersies, mateship and Kiwi summers: Bliss. The crowd, of course, went wild.

For the Aussie close-out, I must confess I was secretly hoping for Living Next Door to Alice, but we can’t always get what we want — and AC/DC’s It’s a Long Way to the Top gave the roof one last strength test before we were sent off into the night with renewed appreciation for our fine musical back-catalogue… and those Aussie songs aren’t too bad either.

To borrow a sporting cliché: it was a gig of two halves, and music was the winner on the night.

Best summed up by the visiting Canadian woman beside us:
“I didn’t know any of the songs, but that was a five-out-of-five night — and that Milan guy… phew!”

Jo Barry

Clip on any image to view a photo gallery by Huq:

Setlist:

Act 1 – New Zealand

Outlook for Thursday – DD Smash
Gutter Black – Hello Sailor
Seven Worlds Collide – Crowded House
Tears – Crocodiles
Whaling – DD Smash
Lydia – Fur Patrol
April Sun in Cuba – Dragon
Be Mine Tonight – Th’ Dudes
Stuff and Nonsense – Split Enz
MF From Hell – The Datsuns
Shark Attack – Split Enz
Victoria – Dance Exponents
Home Again – Shihad
I See Red – Split Enz
Rain – Dragon

Act 2 – Australia

Down Under – Men at Work
Khe Sanh – Cold Chisel
Need You Tonight – INXS
She Keeps No Secrets From You – The Angels

Thrown Your Arms Around Me – Hunters & Collectors
Lay Down Your Guns – Jimmy Barnes
Never Tear Us Apart – INXS
You’re the Voice – John Farnham
Forever Now – Cold Chisel
Reckless – Australian Crawl
Good Times – Jimmy Barnes
Beds Are Burning – Midnight Oil
Back in Black – AC/DC

Finale:

Bliss – Th’ Dudes
It’s a Long Way to the Top – AC/DC

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Jo Barry