July 18, 1998, 7:00 AM Australian time, Melbourne. The Crowns load into the Recovery soundstage for a live performance on one of the most popular live music shows in the country. Recovery was a huge Australian program at the time, airing Saturday mornings with live music performances for their audience "recovering" from Friday night.
The techs and designers had gone above and beyond in creating a soundstage with the Crowns logo hung high up and in the back of the band. The band was floored to see it.
The show was fun, if not a bit nerve-racking. Playing that early, and in front of a small, quiet studio audience, was a challenge they threw themselves into. Additionally, Jason had to watch his mouth because they were told that since this was a live show, swear words were a no-no, and Jason can be a bit, how shall we say, "in the moment".
The hosts could not have been more accommodating and fun, special shout out to Recovery host Jane Gazzo for putting the band at ease!
After the Crowns played this live broadcast, they were often recognized as they traveled Australia.
"The precision they ran that show with was impressive, we had to be in tune and ready at the drop of a hat. Once the cameras pointed at you, there had to be no hesitation." - Dennis Kelly
"I really thought I swore during Shivering. I had to review the footage with the techs afterwards because someone thought they heard a swear. I didn't utter a dirty word, thankfully. I guess they would've had to pay a big fine to their version of the FCC. The in-studio audience was a bit cold but what do you want at that time in the morning?" - Jason
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Image 1: Recovery in-studio audience.
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Image 2: Video of Crowns performance on Recovery.
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Images 3-8: The Crowns performance, with The Porkers horns for Do The Devil!
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Image 9: Dennis meets his adoring fans behind the studio after the show.
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Image 10: Jason and host Jane Gazzo talk about Australian music and fan out over Nick Cave and The Birthday Party.
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Image 11: Recovery hosts and crew!
Photos from the collection of Dennis Kelly
Video from the Collection of Jason Kendall
