{"id":81707,"date":"2026-08-27T20:17:21","date_gmt":"2026-08-27T20:17:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/81707\/"},"modified":"2026-08-27T20:17:21","modified_gmt":"2026-08-27T20:17:21","slug":"live-review-go-west-with-debbie-gibson-plus-exclusive-photoshoot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/81707\/","title":{"rendered":"Live Review: Go West with Debbie Gibson (Plus Exclusive Photoshoot)"},"content":{"rendered":"

By\u00a0Sheldon Ang<\/a><\/p>\n

Photography by Sheldon Ang Photography<\/a><\/p>\n

This photojournalist had the rare opportunity to sit in on the soundcheck for both Debbie Gibson and Go West, then photograph them for some set shots before the show. Yes, that is an unashamed flex, given both were global superstars in their heyday. And as the doors opened and the crowd filtered in, the energy inside the Astor began to shift from a hectic, present-day reality to full\u2011blown nostalgia.<\/p>\n

The rain held off for the night, only for the nostalgic storm to pour from the roof of the Astor Theatre Perth twice, all for the price of one.<\/p>\n

For most fans, this tour felt less like \u201cGo West with special guest Debbie Gibson\u201d and more like a shared bill between Go West and Debbie Gibson. And that was hardly surprising; Debbie was a global superstar who broke records and helped define a generation of pop. Her set ran for an hour, and fans had to remind themselves there was still another show to come in Go West. Her sold-out VIP meet-and-greet only reinforced the point, with 50 fans queuing from the floor.<\/p>\n

\"\"Peter Cox and Debbie Gibson in Perth Australia. Photo: Sheldon Ang \/ Sheldon Ang Media<\/p>\n

For our under-50 readers, Debbie Gibson was the Britney Spears of the late \u201980s in terms of fame, youth and pop-cultural wattage, except this former teen idol wrote, produced and performed her own material. At 17, \u201cFoolish Beat\u201d made her the youngest artist to write, produce and perform a Billboard No. 1 single, an achievement recognised by Guinness World Records. She has since sold more than 16 million albums worldwide.<\/p>\n

As for Go West, they were global phenomena in their own right, with more than 20 million records sold. Peter Cox and Richard Drummie had returned to Perth two years earlier with Nik Kershaw for a show that was close to sold out, so Cox\u2019s return to the stage was no surprise. Nor was the attention around Debbie Gibson, given she had not toured Australia since her heyday. This time, Cox performed without Drummie, who was absent due to health issues.<\/p>\n

So\u2026<\/p>\n

\"\"Debbie Gibson in Perth Australia. Photo: Sheldon Ang \/ Sheldon Ang Media<\/p>\n

Debbie Gibson<\/p>\n

The night sparked to life with three male dancers gracing the stage, opening Debbie Gibson\u2019s set with \u201cDanced 4U\u201d from her 2021 comeback album, The Body Remembers. It was a fusion of modern pop and \u201980s shimmer, an upbeat, club-ready track with a clear nod to the synthwave and retro-pop glow of her original era. Through the synchronicity of Debbie and the three dancers, the playful performance recalled the choreography of the \u201cElectric Youth\u201d video: a teenager buzzing with confidence. The movement, the gestures, and her interaction with the crowd all resonated with the persona we often see on her socials: friendly, open, everyone\u2019s best friend. Her eliciting smile was as wide as the models in the old \u201cAre your Macleans showing?\u201d ads, while her signature bright resonance and youthful timbre, sitting in the mid-to-high range, echoed across the Astor Theatre.<\/p>\n

And just like that, we are in the sparkly world of Debbie Gibson.<\/p>\n

\"\"Debbie Gibson in Perth Australia. Photo: Sheldon Ang \/ Sheldon Ang Media<\/p>\n

But there was a caveat tonight.<\/p>\n

Debbie asked the audience to join in: \u201cI\u2019ve been having migraines for the last few days, and I\u2019ve reached the point where it has affected my voice. I do not lip-sync. I do have backing tracks, but I\u2019m not going to use those\u2026 so I need your help. Sing with me.\u201d<\/p>\n

And the crowd showed its true colours, appreciating the fair go, the honest take. \u201cI\u2019m a performer, and we give our best.\u201d<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t long before the first major hit was unleashed with No More Rhyme, then the record-breaking \u201cFoolish Beat\u201d, which remains one of the great ballads of the broken heart. Nearly four decades later, the hurt and self-blame could still be felt in the voice: the mistake, the bitter taste of lifelong regret, the reminder that we do not always know what we have until it is gone. It was as if Debbie Gibson was revisiting teenage heartbreak from behind the keyboard. She spoke and half-sang through the confessional emotion, and it was palpably sincere. We felt it. We miss \u201980s ballads: the poignant touch, the distant memory through an \u201980s kaleidoscope. The confessional lyrics were transformed into life through a performance of quiet, aching sincerity.<\/p>\n

\"\"Debbie Gibson in Perth Australia. Photo: Sheldon Ang \/ Sheldon Ang Media<\/p>\n

And just like that, we are back to our teenage years of heartbreaks, with old wounds revisited, but with a smile on our faces.<\/p>\n

It was a hat trick of ballads, with a happier storyline arriving in the moment many had waited more than three decades to witness: Debbie Gibson performing \u201cLost In Your Eyes\u201d. It was the ballad of our teenage years and, for some, remains the ballad of our lives. She remained on the piano, the opening keystrokes tingling through the room and evoking bittersweet memories from the last century. It was Rage TV countdown all over again: wintry blues, Saturday morning, lying in bed as the song filled the house.<\/p>\n

The next track stirred the room awake as Debbie waded through the crowd for her latest song, \u201cLegendary\u201d. Camera phones appeared as the intensity brewed. This was a different track altogether, driven by end-to-end riffs and guitar licks in the background, before closing with a soaring lead-guitar solo that carried a touch of Slash in the extended version of \u201cNovember Rain\u201d. The fans loved the new sounds of this track.<\/p>\n

\"\"Debbie Gibson in Perth Australia. Photo: Sheldon Ang \/ Sheldon Ang Media<\/p>\n

We also heard \u201cOnly In My Dreams\u201d from the Electric Youth era, this time in a stripped-down version, with Gibson once again at the keyboard. The saxophone that followed was hypnotic. \u201cYou won\u2019t see this version again,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

By now, fans were on their feet again for \u201cShake Your Love\u201d, dancing to the soundtrack of childhood dreams. It is another track Debbie produced at 16, an extraordinarily rare achievement at the time: a teenage girl writing and producing her own hit. With its bright synths and bouncy beat, the song still carries that roller-rink energy almost 40 years later.<\/p>\n

And finally, \u201cElectric Youth\u201d, the classic roller-skater track of the \u201980s. Frankly, even after nearly 40 years, the thematic energy still fits Debbie Gibson because of the vitality and energy she continues to possess. Her synchronicity with the three dancers looked sharp and assured like the video itself. It felt like an extended version of the studio recording, or at least it carried that extra live spark.<\/p>\n

\"\"Debbie Gibson in Perth Australia. Photo: Sheldon Ang \/ Sheldon Ang Media<\/p>\n

The set culminated in a medley of club bangers, a perfect relay that began with \u201cRight Back to Where We Started From\u201d, passed the baton to Kylie\u2019s \u201cCan\u2019t Get You Out of My Head\u201d, moved into something more contemporary, and ended with \u201cXanadu\u201d and \u201cLast Dance\u201d.<\/p>\n

After waiting 37 years for Debbie Gibson, a full two-hour show would be more than welcome next time. Give us Out of the Blue, \u201cSure\u201d, \u201cWe Could Be Together\u201d, and perhaps, why not, an Out of the Blue and Electric Youth album tour back to back. On this evidence, Perth would turn up for it.<\/p>\n

And best part of all, the fans would be treated with another 90 minutes of nostalgia.<\/p>\n

\"\"Debbie Gibson in Perth Australia. Photo: Sheldon Ang \/ Sheldon Ang Media<\/p>\n

Go West<\/p>\n

So we had the queen of wishful thinking. But for the less sappy hearts in the room, Go West was the main act, with the duo celebrating 40 years of music and memory.<\/p>\n

The night commenced with \u201cDon\u2019t Look Down\u201d.<\/p>\n

Go West entered as Peter Cox and band, with Richard Drummie absent from this tour due to illness. Cox wasted no time settling the room into that familiar polished \u201980s groove, moving through \u201cDon\u2019t Look Down\u201d, \u201cBlack and Gold\u201d and \u201cEye to Eye\u201d with the assurance of someone who knows exactly how these songs land after all these years. They may not have lived on Australian commercial radio the way the bigger hits did, but there were still pockets of fans singing every line with committed, full-hearted conviction. Cox, meanwhile, remains a magnetic frontman: eyes closed, head snapping with the rhythm, arm punching the air when the songs reached their lift-off points. The nostalgia was there, of course, but it did not feel lazy. It felt lived-in, carried by songs that have aged with their audience and still know how to pull them back into the glow of another time.<\/p>\n

\"\"Peter Cox (Go West) in Perth Australia. Photo: Sheldon Ang \/ Sheldon Ang Media<\/p>\n

The first major hit was \u201cFaithful\u201d, a track built around loyalty, devotion and steadfast love.The crowd began to sing along to the addictive chorus. Cox sang flawlessly, with ease and without strain, his rich baritone rounded and full of emotional weight.<\/p>\n

The night carried more emotional anchors, from \u201cToo Far Gone\u201d and \u201cTears Too Late\u201d to high-energy crowd movers such as \u201cBlack and Gold\u201d, \u201cShe Wants It Bad\u201d and \u201cLet Love Come\u201d.<\/p>\n

We also heard the Motown classic \u201cThe Tracks of My Tears\u201d, an ode to Smokey Robinson. Peter Cox hit the notes as if it were still the \u201980s: smooth, relaxed and touched with swagger.<\/p>\n

The fans remained largely reticent, not because they were disengaged, but because they were gripped by every word and tune, almost as if at an opera, only to erupt in applause after each song. The delivery was superb.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

He ended the night with the big three. The closing stretch fired on all cylinders as Go West moved into their biggest hits. \u201cCall Me\u201d rolled in with a smooth, extended groove that immediately lifted the room, Cox\u2019s baritone sitting warm and confident over a polished arrangement that had the crowd singing. The energy spiked the moment \u201cWe Close Our Eyes\u201d hit, those unmistakable synth stabs igniting the venue as the rhythm drove forward and the chorus became a full-room release, reminding everyone why the track remains one of their most enduring live moments.<\/p>\n

And finally came \u201cThe King of Wishful Thinking\u201d. Cox got the crowd going a cappella before the rhythm section kicked in and sparked the first verse, once again ringing the school bell as everyone climbed aboard the midnight express to the days of childhood sweethearts and Pretty Woman. It was the soundtrack of a generation. The crowd was standing and chanting, and this song felt different from his other tracks, mainly because it crossed so fully into the commercial mainstream. Whether we like it or not, it has paid off handsomely.<\/p>\n

In the end, the Go West and Debbie Gibson pairing worked because it did not try to sound the same. One brought the sparkly ache of teenage pop memory; the other brought polished soul-pop confidence and the weight of songs that have lived with people for decades.<\/p>\n

Go West with Special Guest Debbie Gibson Australian Tour will continue across Australia. Tickets are available from Destroy All Lines<\/a><\/p>\n

Sheldon Ang Media<\/a> would like to thank Estellar PR<\/a>, Destroy All Lines<\/a>, Go West<\/a> and Debbie Gibson<\/a> for the Media Accreditation.<\/p>\n

\"\"Peter Cox (Go West) in Perth Australia. Photo: Sheldon Ang \/ Sheldon Ang Media<\/p>\n

\"\"Peter Cox (Go West) in Perth Australia. Photo: Sheldon Ang \/ Sheldon Ang Media<\/p>\n

\"\"Debbie Gibson in Perth Australia. Photo: Sheldon Ang \/ Sheldon Ang Media<\/p>\n

\"\"Peter Cox (Go West) in Perth Australia. Photo: Sheldon Ang \/ Sheldon Ang Media<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"Debbie Gibson in Perth Australia. Photo: Sheldon Ang \/ Sheldon Ang Media<\/p>\n

\"\"Debbie Gibson in Perth Australia. Photo: Sheldon Ang \/ Sheldon Ang Media<\/p>\n

\"\"Debbie Gibson in Perth Australia. Photo: Sheldon Ang \/ Sheldon Ang Media<\/p>\n

About Sheldon Ang Media: Sheldon Ang, photojournalist, writer and the founder of Perth-based\u00a0Sheldon Ang Media<\/a>\u00a0(est. May 2022) has been accredited to over 250 of the hottest acts including Taylor Swift (ERAS Tour in Sydney), Coldplay (Perth), AC\/DC, KISS, Metallica, Iron Maiden, RHCP and P!NK with reviews shared by the likes of Belinda Carlisle, UB40, Delta Goodrem, and Roxette. He has interviewed rockers Suzi Quatro (pictured below), the late Ace Frehley (KISS), John Steel (The Animals), Frank Ferrer (Guns N Roses), Phil X (Bon Jovi), Andrew Farris (INXS) plus over 100 artists. He\u2019s also a contributor on Triple M Radio as a music journalist.<\/p>\n

\"\"Debbie Gibson in Perth Australia. Photo: Sheldon Ang \/ Sheldon Ang Media<\/p>\n

\"\"Peter Cox in Perth Australia. Photo: Sheldon Ang \/ Sheldon Ang Media<\/p>\n

\"\"Debbie Gibson in Perth Australia. Photo: Sheldon Ang \/ Sheldon Ang Media<\/p>\n

\"\"Peter Cox in Perth Australia. Photo: Sheldon Ang \/ Sheldon Ang Media<\/p>\n

\"\"Debbie Gibson in Perth Australia. Photo: Sheldon Ang \/ Sheldon Ang Media<\/p>\n

\"\"Debbie Gibson in Perth Australia. Photo: Sheldon Ang \/ Sheldon Ang Media<\/p>\n

\"\"Debbie Gibson in Perth Australia. Photo: Sheldon Ang \/ Sheldon Ang Media<\/p>\n

About Sheldon Ang Media: Sheldon Ang, photojournalist, writer and the founder of Perth-based\u00a0Sheldon Ang Media<\/a>\u00a0(est. May 2022) has been accredited to over 250 of the hottest acts including Taylor Swift (ERAS Tour in Sydney), Coldplay (Perth), AC\/DC, KISS, Metallica, Iron Maiden, RHCP and P!NK with reviews shared by the likes of Belinda Carlisle, UB40, Delta Goodrem, and Roxette. He has interviewed the late Ace Frehley (KISS), Suzi Quatro, John Steel (The Animals), Frank Ferrer (Guns N Roses), Phil X (Bon Jovi), Andrew Farris (INXS) plus over 100 artists. He\u2019s also a contributor on Triple M Radio as a music journalist.<\/p>\n

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