Night Owl shows, led by Dan Clews, are a familiar face to FRINGE WORLD. They have plenty of other music-based shows throughout the duration of Fringe, and they all rate highly.

California Dreams is one of these many world-class iterations. As the title hints, this is a tribute to the period 1965-1975 of the Laurel Canyon movement, when a plethora of iconic musical gems were born.

Peter Marchant, vocals and Lucy Songi, keys and vocals, add to Clews’s acoustic guitar mastery and heavenly harmonies to create a magical space in the De Parel Spiegeltent for the sold-out Boomer audience.

Their collective chemistry on stage is palpable as they banter with each other in between songs and charmingly engage with their adoring, slightly older demographic. Look around, and you see the audience singing along and going back to their Woodstock days, which is encouraged by the three virtuosos.

If you are a lover of this era, the playlist is jam-packed with hit after hit. Hey Mr Tambourine Man, God Only Knows, Heart Of Gold, Doctor My Eyes, Take It Easy, Day Dream Believer and of course California Dreamin' to mention just a few.

What takes this show away from a karaoke mix-up is the different arrangements and individual voices of each of the stars on stage. The performance is also a history lesson on the behind-the-scenes happenings, including a great story about Frank Zappa giving David Crosby a $20 thousand dollar loan to buy a yacht to travel the world and find new talent. In fact, Joni Mitchell was a product of this experiment, apparently. Did you know Linda Ronstadt had “The Eagles” as her backup vocalist before they made it huge as a band?

Fun facts are shared throughout the one-hour gig, which keeps the audience riveted to their seats. Neil Young, Jackson Browne, The Monkees, The Mamas and the Papas, James Taylor, The Eagles, Frank Zappa and Crosby, Stills and Nash are a few of the many icons covered in their set.

This is a fun sing-along night of 60s and 70s angelic harmonies and legendary songs. An era where cross-pollination of ideas, songwriting and a genuine community sharing in the Laurel Canyon scene spawned music that has lasted the test of time.