Queen In Australia
May 1976
BY IAN MELDRUM
OUTRAGEOUS Queen arrived back in mother England from Australia with a right Royal message to all their subjects: "We came, you saw, we conquered."
Yes, Queen, who paid a royal visit to Australia, but failed to impress the colonials with a message they delivered at Sunbury, Victoria, just over two years ago, left their Australian subjects breathless a month ago with one of the most amazing stage acts the country had ever witnessed.
The group, comprising Freddy Mercury (lead singer cum (no, I haven’t written this up wrong, the magazine actually wrote it that way) keyboard player), Brian May (lead guitar and vocals), Roger Meddows-Taylor (drums and vocals), and John Deacon (bass guitar), had capacity audiences around the country leaving concert halls using such superlatives as "incredible", "stunning", "mind boggling", "stupendous", "fantastic"... to describe their musicianship and stage act.
And deservedly so. This group, which was born in 1971, has become one of the hottest properties on the world music scene today. Their unique albums, Queen, Queen II, Sheer Heart Attack and, most recently, A Night At The Opera, coupled with one of the most outrageous, yet stunning, stage acts we have ever witnessed, has made Queen the king of rock theatre.
Out front is the incredible character of Freddy Mercury, whose stage clothes make even Elton John green with envy. Who can you liken him to? Mick Jagger? Rudolf Nureyev? Mae West? Joan Sutherland? Or the Devil himself?
“Black magic I'm not into," says this dynamic singer, "but the love of it I am." The writer of Bohemian Rhapsody says: "It means nothing unless you, the listener, interpret it into something. I wrote it purely for myself."
For an interviewer it is a horrifying experience to come face to face with Mercury, because you always have the fear he is about to put an evil spell on you, or just become bored and disappear in a puff of smoke. The black nails that glint on stage and the "bucky beaver" teeth that could be a clever disguise for a vampire, make this rock animal one of the most photographed and central figures of today's rock scene.
“Meet my friends and colleagues," he says, and you turn to Roger Meddows-Taylor, who possesses the face of an innocent child, the voice of a nightingale and the strength of a wharfie. Meddows on stage sits behind a mountain of drums and provides the heartbeat of Queen. You rarely see him through the cymbals and tom toms, but you are always aware he is there. "Our satisfaction," he says, "is in our music and our audiences. Without them we are nothing but university graduates.”
And then there is John Deacon, always with such a serious face you could easily mistake him for a doctor or electronics engineer, the latter in which, oddly enough, he holds a first-class honors degree. But on stage he provides the pulse and the throb of the bass guitar. He rarely moves and you get the impression that he is horrified when Mercury minces in front of and around him. He's their instrument, and he's their friend. He is also the writer of their current single, You're My Best Friend.
Finally, there is Brian May, who is gentle and quietly spoken. He sits cross-legged and on stage he assumes the same position standing, but when he leans into Queen he and his guitar come out with some of the most amazing sounds you could ever wish to hear.
The four members of Queen have been described as "eccentric", "flashy", "sophisticated glitter", and even "frightening", but most music critics around the world agree they are one of the finest bands to emerge in the '70s.
In April, Australian audiences saw Queen in action. There were explosions, smoke bombs, fog machines, grand pianos, a Chinese gong, intricate lighting plots, electrifying sounds and four talented musicians. To begin their concert with Bohemian Rhapsody, then trace their music through four albums, finish with a version of Hey, Big Spender, where Mercury strips from a Japanese robe to candy-striped braces and shorts, and to encore with a rock 'n' roll medley, is an experience. An evening with Queen is certainly A Night At The Opera.
Queen is without a doubt the group of today and of the future. Yes, they came to Australia in '76, they saw, and they conquered.
FREDDY MERCURY — Virgo, born in Zanzibar on September 5, 1946, qualified illustrator and graphic designer, lead vocalist, keyboard player, composer and lyricist.
BRIAN MAY — Cancer, born Hampton July 19, 1947, Bachelor of Science, Degree in Physics, and PhD in Astronomy, lead guitarist, vocalist, composer and lyricist.
ROGER MEDDOWS-TAYLOR — Leo, born Norfolk on July 26, 1949, Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology, drummer, vocalist, composer and lyricist.
JOHN DEACON — Leo, born Leicester on August 19, 1951, first-class Honors Degree in Electronics, bass guitarist, composer, vocalist and lyricist.
