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Tim Finn has a strong, loyal and very vocal fanbase in the City of Churches and they were out in force at The Gov, singing along to the songs of their youth and staying on throughout the generously long set of their icon. This would have been one of the gigs of the year for many as the brother of (the more celebrated) adopted music legend Neil, put on a show for the ages.

Support act Andy Bull was a surprise not so much for his strong songwriting with a sort of jerky melodious composition fittingly not entirely unlike Split Enz, but moreso for his voice which could perhaps be described as a having high pitch mousy, helium swallowed character. He started off with a surprising Shins cover and settled into his repertoire of sweet sounding British influenced tunes, over bouncy key patterns. Bull is also a prolific storyteller with almost half his gig taken up by his tales. Unfortunately for much of his set he had to struggle over the noise of a barely attentive crowd.

Firstly from the outset, Tim Finn’s stage presence has to be acknowledged. The former Split Enz frontman is a witty, confident, singing, storytelling tour de force, constantly ad libbing with his keyboardist, partaking in jovial exchanges with members of the crowd and throwing out one liners as if it were a side profession. Decades in the music scene have sharpened his tongue and his ease on stage is just something to be admired, especially when compared to the newer breed of musos. It’s just something you just can’t teach in Rock School.

Whilst both the band’s sound and the mix was a little rough, perhaps with fold back or mix issues in the initial rockier numbers, as soon as the melodic tracks came out, the band fell into it’s groove. Six Months in a Leaky Boat was brought in relatively early and the crowd lapped up the timeless number. Other stand outs include That Was My Mistake, seminal classic I See Red, a beautifully mixed Not Even Close and Made My Day which had this 80’s breakfast radio vibe to it. The cover of Crowded House smash hit It’s Only Natural was a wonderful moment for the crowd.

Luckiest Man Alive was beautifully executed by the band. The hoffner bass had a wonderful tone and timbre throughout, especially on this number. The guitarist had exceptional runs and licks utilising tremolo reverb type pedals to create a range of silkier ethereal sounds. Tim struggled with falsetto throughout but covered it well, whilst the harmonies throughout were solid and serviceable, if not spectacular.

It’s clear that Tim Finn is as great a showman as he is a songwriter. And if tonight was anything to go by, age has done little to dampen his love for the stage or his music.

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