Gig Review – 40 Years Of Xpress Magazine

Astor Theatre, Wednesday, April 18, 2026

There was a time when Xpress was the go-to magazine for music and culture in Perth. After 40 years since it hit the stands, former editor Bob Gordon created Rewind – a coffee table book documenting the history of the free magazine. To launch it and celebrate the anniversary, the team gathered musos past and present to play and have a chat.

After a heartfelt intro from MC Gordon himself, the music kicked off with Dave Hole and band. The veteran guitar man, now nearing eighty, showed he could still shake it as he slid his way through a couple of blues classics and pulled out all the stops.

Kav Temperley came next with acoustic renditions of Eskimo Joe hits sandwiching his solo song Pollyanna. The frontman read the room well and was happy to share anecdotes between songs. Kav contemporary, Katy Steele was next and gave the front row more than they were expecting. Aside from the view, her unplugged version of Rescue Boat from 2016s Human album was melodic beauty.

Katy had a chat with MC Gordon and shared her stories about growing up in Perth with the mag, before founding editor Joe Cipriani took to the stage for a deep dive into how it all began. For an audience who grew up with the magazine this was insightful, and a little slice of local history worth listening to.

Aside from the live performances, the night was really about getting together and celebrating the cultural legacy of the mag. The intermission gave everyone a chance to gather and reminisce, soaking up the peak-era nostalgia. It felt like a room full to the brim, flooding with memories of nights out in the nineties and beyond (I met one of my heroes in the lobby, 3-time soap box derby champion Mike Wafer, and had the sudden realisation that he and other writers for Xpress had a huge influence on my work).

Bicton punk-rock royalty Dave Warner came next and played his ode to the suburb’s opus, Suburban Boy. Warner was as energetic and animated as ever, and gave way to the next generation of punks, Gyroscope, who went all out with a full-blown rock show.

Next up was the younger generation rep, Cal Kramer, of Southern River Band fame. Cal played a few tunes on the acoustic then had a chat with Gordon. It was good to see someone from the modern era of local musos up there along with the oldies, and you can’t go past SRB for the hardest rocking band actively pursuing the rock n roll lifestyle.

Donna Simpson had the crowd suspended as she sang Rowena and Wallace. She’s one of the best voices to come out of Western Australia and another who came up in the Xpress heyday. The section was a highlight of the night as fellow Albany royal family member Carla Geneve also had the house hypnotised.

More memories flowed between Bob and the guests, and the audience were treated to another dose of modern WA music with Boox Kid; a Noongar star on the rise and showing the polish to prove it. To conclude, none other than Dom Mariani to share his stories and rip it up with the full band performance. The power pop pioneer has lost none of the creative energy that has possessed him since the 80s.

With plenty of fond memories to fill the evening, the only question remaining is will Xpress continue on? Now owned by Vanguard Media, the mag has a strong online presence (physical stopped long ago) and still getting plenty of press passes and free stuff, so perhaps the future is bright. Or maybe it is time that someone else took the reins and offered up exposure and experience for artists in this remote city. Don’t worry, PerthZine is here, and we will take some of those press credentials thank you very much.