Charlie Parr, Luluc @ TheToff, Melbourne (20/05/09)

Fri 22nd May, 2009 in Gig Reviews

A sold out gig tonight tells me this is going to be one hell of a performance. A queue to get into the venue then its first come first serve, grab a chair and grab your position! Some of the elderly were ushered in before us youngies so they got dibs on seating with tables first but there was plenty of room for us with only the chairs. A comfortable room with a slightly smaller stage than the usual pubs. The theatrical stage reminiscent of a Punch and Judy show with its red curtains.

Luluc (lou-luke) support tonight’s main gig, consisting of Steve Hassett and Zoe Randall. Their sound reminds me of The Carpenters or Simon and Garfunkel – a sixties sound with perfect harmonies and symmetry doused with some folk/indie style. The song Long Way from Home has lovely finger strumming and shows off Zoe’s advanced vocal range. Some of the songs do tend to stay on the same level but the music is still wonderful. Though Zoe seems tad nervous tonight, Steve makes jokes which seem to relax the room . There is an eclectic mix of people in the room, many genres and ages. Passer By from their up and coming album Dear Hamlyn is another beauty as is the passionate, slower song Little Suitcase. Zoe has a voice of an angel when singing but needs to talk a little louder between songs as it was hard to hear much of what she said. But this was one powerful performance from two amazing musicians.

After two previous sold out shows Charlie Parr is back for one last hurrah in Melbourne. He hails from Duluth, Minnesota and as his website states ‘he is one man, one guitar and one foot in the grave’.
Charlie entered after an extended wait, and when the curtains opened he was amazed at them and said that over his way in the US he doesn’t get curtains. With the finger plucking goodness of Get Behind Your Friends and Piedmont Blues early on we’re off to a good start. While Charlie looks like he just got in from the farm with his bag of secret herbs and spices of the musical variety. Charlie’s resonator guitar gets a big reastion and slide is introduced into the next song, Delia, a murder ballad based on events that happened in 1885. It’s the usual boy shooting girl scenario and Parr’s slide gives the song, also recorded by Johnny Cash, an powerful edge.

Charlie tells us he has bad posture and a toothache but that’s all the problems he’ll tell us tonight. Some deep guttural guitar plucking to the highly responsive crowd and we’re welcomed with the banjo to the brief _Let an Old Drunkard Be _. The air guitars movements I could see in the corner of my eye, suggest that some punters are inspired to pick up a guitar themselves. But there’s bad news when the banjo breaks so the song is cut short. So it’s quickly into Last Pay Day at Coal Creek which got the feet tapping and the hands cheering. This is one loud and thunderous song that floods the room with an attentive vibe.

Another murder ballad about Wild Bill Jones had Charlie tapping his feet on the wooden box on the floor that gives his music that country yet folksy feel. He says he can’t talk and tune his guitar at the same time yet he rambles on to introduce his tunes. The tale of Jesus at the Kenmore was followed by Yo Yo Mama, which brought some curly guitar plucking from Parr.

Charlie can only stand up for brief second before clapping makes him sit right down and on he continues with an encore he learned from Blind Willie Johnson, God Moves on the Water. Last track of the night was his favourite blues track 99 Year Blues with lyrics like ‘grab a pick and shovel cos your going down’. More applause from every punter and Charlie jumps off stage and enters crowd. Charlie was the highlight for the majority of the room tonight, but with Luluc close to stealing the show it was a great night of folk and blues.

CHECK OUT THE PHOTOS FROM THE GIG HERE