Human Nature are Australia’s longest surviving boyband and are celebrating the moments that have made their thirty-year career worthwhile.
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They’ve entertained Wollongong crowds plenty of times, such as a free performance in the Crown Street Mall in 2000 where thousands of women (and men) were swooning at the quartet’s feet.
But one of the most memorable visits was around 10 years ago – their last tour that graced the Illawarra – all because of one woman.
Her name was Kathy and she was from Dapto.
We did a Motown show down there and it was incredibly memorable.
- Phil Burton
The nation’s premier boyband was in the middle of their Motown tour, performing timeless hits from the 1960s.
Andrew Tierney from the group helped Kathy from the crowd and onto the stage to sing My Girl.
Though Phil Burton mused his mate didn’t have much of a choice of bringing her up, because he said the eager fan may have had one too many drinks.
“He had her arm around the whole time while she was singing – or stumbling around the stage,” he said.
“When he let go of her to say ‘okay everyone thank Kathy from Dapto’ she literally fell straight backwards, smashed into Toby’s microphone and broke his microphone, cracked her head on the stage.”
On their return to the ‘Gong next May the four-piece welcome an older and wiser Kathy back to the WIN Entertainment Centre they are celebrating the highlights from the last 30 years after all.
Phil Burton, Andrew Tierney, Michael Tierney, and Toby Allen began singing together in high school.
They credit a residency in Las Vegas as the key to extending their life as a boyband and the ability to still draw thousands of screaming crowds while on tour in Australia.
Now 1770 shows in, Andrew Tierney said their jaunt in the world’s entertainment and gambling capital has made people “acknowledge” what they’re good at.
“Being in Vegas there seems to this acceptance of our talent and Aussies do actually come over to Vegas to see us perform,” he said.
“They sometimes say ‘oh, we never saw you in Australia we couldn't get tickets’ and we sometimes joke ‘yeah you could have, you just have to buy them’.”
Human Nature’s ‘Little More Love’ tour, WIN Entertainment Centre in Wollongong, May 7, 2019. Tickets on sale now: www.ticketek.com.au
The tour also heads to Brisbane, Gold Coast, Adelaide, Melbourne, Perth, Canberra, Newcastle and Sydney.
But wait, there’s more …
What’s the secret to 30 years guys?
PHIL - “Never let sex get in the way – sex ruins everything, it ruins friendships and it ruins marriages – so we just don’t have sex with each other and that’s really helped.”
How have you adapted to meet an ever changing music industry?
TOBY - “Music and how people consume it is so different from when we started, and you have to roll with it and try and educate yourselves.
“Luckily we have a fan-base who have loved our music for a long time, and still a lot of them are buying physical CDs.”
Is Las Vegas really all glitz n glam?
PHIL - “No its not - I think there is that perception, particularly Aussies seem to have that romantic notion of Vegas.”
Name 1 highlight of your career?
MIKE – “Opening our show in Las Vegas was a highlight.”
ANDREW – “More of an emotional highlight is that we’re still doing it.”