How To Make Gravy is the greatest Australian Christmas song ever written. No question. In fact on the list of songs written about the Aussie Christmas experience, Paul Kelly‘s enduring classic sits at the top of the ladder, with Tim Minchin‘s tear-jerker White Wine in the Sun comfortably in second, and then it’s fucken daylight until something like… I dunno… Six White Boomers.
Kelly’s 1996 tune, written ad hoc for a Christmas compilation after the tune he originally selected to cover was taken, contains no choruses and is set entirely in a prison. Despite that, or perhaps because of it, it managed to capture the essence of a scorching hot Christmas Day in Australia better than any other tune has, and as such its stature amongst Australian music has grown exponentially as each festive season passes.
PK has embraced it, and in celebration of yule this year, he’s throwing an incredible Christmas gig in Melbourne with the kind of lineup you’d ordinarily jot down on a list for some big bloke from the North Pole to read.
Making Gravy is going down at the Victorian capital’s historic and picturesque Sidney Myer Music Bowl, and will feature Kelly headlining with a swathe of his country-defining hits.
But while Kelly himself might be the flour and salt, he’s bringing a little red wine and a dollop tomato sauce for sweetness and extra tang in the form of Gang of Youths, Meg Mac, and Gretta Ray.
That’s Paul Kelly, Gang of Youths, Meg Mac, and Gretta Ray all on the one bill celebrating the festive season. Carols by Candlelight eat your heart out.
The show’s going down on Saturday, December 16th (not quite the official Gravy Day of the 21st of December but what can you do), with pre-sale tickets for Frontier Touring going on sale from Monday, October 30th. Get the pre-sale info via this link. The remainder of tickets will become available to the general public on Wednesday, November 1st.
Beautiful bloody way to ring in the holiday season. If you’re going, give our love to Angus, Frank, and Dolly.
