The Whitlams @ The GovernorHindmarsh, Adelaide (21/08/10)

Mon 23rd Aug, 2010 in Gig Reviews

From the outset of this gig, it was clear that conventions were not going to be followed. Indeed, it was election night, and what better way to celebrate the democratic vote than with a band who take their name from one of the most famous Labor prime ministers. I speak of course of iconic Sydney band The Whitlams. As we discovered throughout the night, the Labor references did not stop with the name, as Tim Freedman showed his allegiances towards the left with a patriotic attempt to win over the sold-out crowd at The Gov.

Support was amicably provided by Adelaide alternative-rockers Galleon who continued to demonstrate their potential with another rocking set in their hometown. However, this night would ultimately belong to the lords of Newtown.

The dimming of lights and a scratchy backing track heralded the arrival of the 4-piece to nothing less than a rousing reception, and The Whitlams delivered right from the start with opener Duffy’s Song (I Will Not Go Quietly). Freedman’s between-song political banter soon became one of the highlights of the night, and after the first song I almost felt as though I was at a Labor Party victory speech with the band’s front-man as our new leader. There was even a Julia Gillard lookalike providing updates throughout the night, and as the result slowly swung towards Australia having a hung parliament, the cheers slowly turned to boos amongst what seemed to be a very pro-Labor crowd.

Oh yeah, the music. This tour was in support of the most recent Whitlams best-of release Truth, Beauty and a Picture of You, which coincidentally was released some two years ago now. This had no effect on the crowd though, as songs like Thank You (For Loving Me At My Worst) and Fall For You carried on from the rocking opening to the show. Tim pronounced soon after though that if the band were to continue playing happy songs the set would only last 35 minutes, and the band followed up with tracks like Made Me Hard and Kate Kelly which represented the band’s more melancholic side of their music. It really is a testament to the band’s level of originality in being able to lay down songs that can be played fast or slow, heavy or soft, yet still keep that iconic Whitlams sound, largely through Freedman’s turn of phrase and uniquely-sounding piano-work.

The band began playing Shining and then remembered there was another song similar to that one in End of the Street. A democratic show of hands ultimately decided upon the latter to be performed, and Freedman aptly thanked his “delegates”. He also suggested that they probably should have put that song on the best-of album as well. The most incredible moments of the night though were left until the end of the main set, which was finished with perennial tracks Blow Up The Pokies and No Aphrodisiac. Cue spontaneous sing-alongs and communal swaying. The simplicity in the delivery of both tracks highlighted The Whitlams’ ability to take a small observation and turn it into something far greater than the sum of its parts. It now became clear that this gig had turned into a really special moment for everyone at the venue.

Set-closer Gough could not have been any more fitting on the night, and ultimately wrapped all the political proceedings of the evening. I’m sure the man himself would’ve been proud of his namesake’s band after their performance this evening. However the band still had a couple of tracks up their sleeve, and came back out for a short encore to the delight of the rapturous Gov crowd. Royal in the Afternoon finished up the evening and, although many stuck around for an unlikely second encore, that was to be all from The Whitlams this evening.

All in all, this was a truly incredible performance, and proved that, after two sold-out shows in the same amount of nights in Adelaide, The Whitlams are still one of Australia’s most respected live bands almost 20 years since they began their musical foray. The best aspect of the band is the fact that they could play in a small jazz bar, in a pub, in a grand old theatre, or the biggest festival in the world, and their music would still have an amazing impact on their audience. Another thing I learnt from this gig is that Tim Freedman could have won the 2010 federal election as a Labor candidate if the vote was based on popularity. The next “Hawkey” you might say.