Darren Hanlon, Shelley Short,Monnone Alone @ ThornburyTheatre, Melbourne(20/08/2010)

Wed 25th Aug, 2010 in Gig Reviews

The Thornbury Theatre was the ideal location for Gympie folk singer Darren Hanlon to showcase his new record, I Will Love You At All. It was difficult for those entering not to be immediately taken aback by the art deco building, with its grand lobby and marble staircase.

Monnone Alone started their set before a ballroom floor filled with numbered tables, half of which featured punters tucking into a three-course meal.

As other punters on the balcony shuffled the sofas and tables to gain a decent vantage point, the lights dimmed for Monnone Alone. They are fronted by Mark Monnone, a versatile local muso who plays bass in Darren Hanlon’s band, recently played bass with Sally Seltmann and was a founding member of The Lucksmiths (with whom Hanlon played briefly).

Monnone’s band played a pleasant set of jangly indie-pop, which was very reminiscent of The Church, and kept the crowd entertained. Their set didn’t really go anywhere, but their allotted 20 minutes didn’t really give them much of a chance.

Next up was the bare folk of Portland, Oregon native Shelley Short, who contributes vocals to much of Hanlon’s new album (which was incidentally recorded in Portland). Short has an lovely, effortless voice, but that wasn’t necessarily a good thing.

She picked away at her acoustic guitar, accompanied by fellow Portlander Corey Gray on keyboard and trumpet, but there wasn’t any noticeable passion or drive behind it. Fair enough, that’s her style, but the Friday night crowd weren’t up for it and conversations became more overbearing as Short’s set wore on.

Darren Hanlon strode onto stage with just his semi-acoustic guitar for company, but the sold-out Thornbury Theatre made him feel welcome with a generous reception. He returned the favour with a brisk version of Electric Skeleton, a popular tune from his 2009 record Pointing Ray Guns At Pagans.

Recently acquired drummer Steph Hughes joined Hanlon for Butterfly Bones, the first track on his new album. Like most of the songs he played on the night, this melodic and smooth song had an uplifting, effervescent quality.

It wasn’t just Hanlon’s melodies that endeared him to the crowd, but also his amusing anecdotes and banter. From outing his sleepwalking drummer to exposing his humiliating and unrequited love for an older girl when he was in Year 9 (hell, we’ve all been there!)

He also claimed that on the morning of the show, Jetstar officials in Hobart had asked him to pay $1000 for excess luggage. He refused and consequently was forced to leave his wardrobe on the Apple Isle, leaving him with only a brown slacks and jacket combination for a number of days. “I’m no Ziggy Stardust, but a lot of work goes into this,” he said.

It’s often this kind of authentic connection that helps make a show memorable and Hanlon combined his heartfelt folk ballads with a genuine affection for his audience.

The charming and romantic duet All These Things (his latest single), saw Shelley Short and Hanlon sparring over ukelele, before the rest of the band joined them and helped the song thump through the theatre.

Soon after, the band exited and Hanlon informed the crowd that he had recently signed his first American record deal. When the label asked what he wanted in his rider, he asked that it include a map to the nearest pinball machine. As if on cue, he launched into an upbeat and frenetic version of Pinball Millionaire, an old folk tune originally done by little-known country singer Gene O’Quin.

Hanlon briefly welcomed back drummer Hughes for the eccentric (There’s Not Enough Songs About) Squash, which included a great little drum solo and Hanlon doing a notable Chuck Berry impression on guitar.

Alone again, Hanlon performed a beautiful version of Folk Insomnia. From his new album, it’s a tremendously warm song that evokes very, very early Bob Dylan. How can you resist a song that contains the line, “the best thing about growing old is we all do it together”?

After concluding his set with the dramatic Modern History, which reflected the grand sound that characterises his new album, Hanlon returned for an encore that included an inspired cover of Human League’s Together in Electric Dreams.

By this stage the room had been swept away in a celebratory atmosphere, and Hanlon barely needed to ask the crowd to recite the closing choruses. Afterwards he remarked, “if there are any reviewers here, that never happens.” It was duly noted.

A highly memorable set finally came to an end with another wonderful, old fashioned ballad, Elbows, from his 2009 record, and the lively Buy Me Presents from the new record.

Elbows is probably Hanlon’s most complete song and he performed it with the the grace and elegance it deserved. It was a precise and affecting rendition at the conclusion of an outstanding gig.

CHECK OUT SOME OF THE LOVELY PHOTOS FROM THE NIGHT HERE