“Thank f***ing God it’s Thursday!” exclaimed You Am I frontman Tim Rogers, (or Jeff Martin as he requested the audience to address him as for the night) halfway through his first song on the set, and to the crowd couldn’t agree more.
Not knowing who was supporting You Am I and Tame Impala for the evening, I walked into the ANU Bar and apart from a very small gathering of people, I noticed a bright orange guitar amp on stage among others, and I thought to myself, “I’ve seen that before somewhere. I think it’s Kempsey’s”. Lo and behold, Canberra boys Kempsey were indeed the local support. I’ve seen them a handful of times now supporting interstate bands, and their particular brand of rock driven pop-ish tunes continue to get better and better. Despite a fairly subdued beginning, by the end of their set, Kempsey were moving around the stage like they were much higher up on the bill.
Although I have always had a soft spot for You Am I, I was very keen to get my eyes and ears on Perth trio Tame Impala. A friend steered me onto their music just before they were signed to Modular, and without wanting to sound like I’m saying ‘I was a fan way back when…’ I really want to point out just how long I’ve waited to see them. And they really didn’t disappoint.
Every song a sprawling 60’s psychedelic epic reminiscent of bands like the Doors or Jefferson Airplane. Highlights of their set were their seemingly never ending cover of Blue Boy’s 1996 hit Remember Me, and when they closed out their short but sweet set with Desire Be, Desire Go, their single that has been receiving some airplay on JJJ.
After a fair wait between acts, the crowd that had slowly but steadily been building up throughout the night were jammed up towards the front and ready for Australian music veterans You Am I to make their way onstage. They powered through a good chunk of their current album Dilettantes, with band members swapping guitars after just about every song, and Rogers swigging from his wine glass after every other song.
Then, after performing his own interpretation of the opening few lines of When A Man Loves A Woman, Rogers launched into a bare-bones reworking of Heavy Heart. Nearly a dozen fans held aloft their lighters, and after some time, Rogers challenged the crowd to think of something more original to do than to hold lighters, saying he was sick of second rate stand-up comics taking the piss out of rock and roll,
“Rock and roll is soul music. It’s not something for Julia Zemiro to make fun of.” He then went on to suggest more creative alternatives,
“Go and cut of your mate’s pubic hair and hold that up.”
The band were ending each song as if it seemed to be their final for the night, but after nearly an hour and a half of You Am I brilliance, they walked off stage to rapturous applause, only to return minutes later for the encore. Rogers now shirtless, thanked the support bands and dedicated the next track to Tame Impala. Then just as even the hardcore fans seemed like they were eyeing the exits, out came Cathy’s Clown and Berlin Chair.
Then finally as the clock ticked into tomorrow, the quartet took centre stage, in a sea of feedback, to link arms and take their bow. All save for Tim Rogers who decided to curtsey.
