Bob Log III & The BlackwaterFever @ The Troubadour(23/12/07)

Mon 31st Dec, 2007 in Gig Reviews

Fans turned out in true Troubadour attire, with SixFtHick tees, checker pattern shirts, dirty jeans, dark dresses, and messy hair scattered throughout the venue’s rustic confines.

As a generous number of patrons had settled in, the night’s only support, The Blackwater Fever, began their set of delta blues-inspired rock. With lead singer Shane Hicks delivering each song with a deep, gravelly howl, as if possessed by the spirit of Ben Ottewell via Tom Waits, and drummer Andrew Walter backing him up with his classy drumwork, this local dark, garage blues band ensured none who had entered the venue were subject to any reprieve from their gloomy, atmospheric southern stylings.

With tracks off their Abused Blues EP and their upcoming Sweet Misery record providing the crux of their set-list, the two-piece provided the crowd with a true raw essence which contrasted greatly with the main act’s known antics. Tracks Shakin’ All Over and Better Off Dead garnered the most praise, however the whole set afforded the audience with solid, ballsy blues ballads and a gritty start to the night’s proceedings.

A short time later, and everyone’s favourite Arizona native, Bob Log III, burst onto stage to much approbation. Decked out in his usual garb, complete with motorcycle helmet with a telephone receiver fixed inside the visor (serving as his personal microphone) and blue Evel Knievel-style jumpsuit, Mr. Log had no hesitations in entertaining the crowd with his facetious comical stylings from the very start.

However, the crowd had come to see his musical talents first and foremost, and with that in mind, the man launched into Fire In The Hole to the delight of the audience. Bob Log III is a one-man crazy blues band, playing a bass drum with one leg and cymbals with the other, whilst playing guitar and singing in a fashion rarely (if ever) seen.

Hey, if Tom Waits considers him crazy, he must be doing something right, yeah? An explicitly dirty sound, in combination with mostly lightning-fast delivery, makes this man a musical maelstrom of madness into which all who witness his live show will be dragged into.

With lyrics focusing heavily on sex, alcohol, and more sex, Bob couldn’t resist bringing a young lass up on stage to perform a sultry pre-Christmas striptease, sparking many fans with limited vision to clamber to get a better view.

Throughout the set, and with tongue buried deep inside cheek, the man produced many of his ‘noise balls’ – “not songs”, as he made clear to the audience, merely, well, balls of noise. Admittedly, these ‘noise balls’ were exactly like his recorded material, and consequently were received well by the crowd who were trying to “catch” them.

Peppering his set with self-addressed compliments and overtly sexual comments to the audience, Mr. Log continued to provide an all-round entertaining experience for all involved, including grabbing two young ladies from the audience to sit on his knees while he played I Want Your Shit On My Leg and acquiring another to place one of her breasts into a glass of scotch right before inevitably launching into fan-favourite Boob Scotch.

Add to this a casual stroll through the audience out into the Brunswick St Mall whilst playing his guitar, much to the confusion of those passing by, and a continuous three-part encore, and you have one of the most entertaining shows to have been hosted at any local music haunt ever. Hasil Adkins would be proud.