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November 1999

"Pace in the Driver's Seat at The Hope and Anchor"
by Jess Newsom
beat Magazine, September 18, 2004

The lights are dimmed throughout most of the house. On a table stands a single yellow rose in a clear decanter. The decanter itself is an opened bottle of Corona beer.

All right. It isn't the most romantic image. But it did sum up, symbolically, the mingled seriousness and light-heartedness (and perhaps a little light-headedness) during an impromptu performance from DriveSHAFT's own Charlie Pace at the The Hope & Anchor on Tuesday night.

Exchanging his electric bass for an acoustic guitar, Pace thrilled the crowd to quieter - though no less intense - renditions of DriveSHAFT's hits as well as a few selections from his solo EP Pente. Not only a few sniffles were heard as Pace sang the lines, "You eclipsed the moon / You said it would be over soon / I could have stayed in the dark forever," from the wistful "Ask Me Again" off DriveSHAFT's sophomore record Oil Change. He even offered lucky patrons a stripped-down version of DriveSHAFT's neo-classic "(You All) Everybody," to which he encouraged everyone to sing along, turning around the microphone and pointing it toward the audience while he belted the chorus from the side.

Despite his uncanny ability to captivate, Pace could not avoid the plague that infests most acoustic shows: the annoying loud talkers. Never fear. Pace simply flipped them off mid-song and admonished them afterward in a barely straight-faced rant. When one patron asked if he was trying to give his brother (Liam Pace, DriveSHAFT's guitarist, other vocalist and current Sydney resident) a run for his money by switching instruments, Charlie Pace chuckled and said, "I think he has nothing to worry about. Although when it comes to appearances.... Well, I am sexier than he is, aren't I?" He then launched into a mocking falsetto twist on Rod Stewart's "Do You Think I'm Sexy?" which somehow seamlessly morphed into a cover of The Beatles' "Sexy Sadie" which flowed yet again into a breathy delivery of his new song "Sadie Said."

The highlight of the evening came when Murphy, The Hope & Anchor's irreverent and leprechaun-esque owner, strolled onstage to offer Pace the yellow rose. In exchange, Pace asked for a kiss. Murphy hesitated before bending Pace over for a dramatic fake kiss that had the audience rolling. Evidently the rose sparked some romance after all.