Gareth Liddiard, Dan Kelly @ANU Bar, Canberra (23/3/11)

Fri 25th Mar, 2011 in Gig Reviews

Walking into the ANU Bar on Wednesday night and seeing tables and chairs still in the refectory, you would have been forgiven for thinking that they weren’t prepared for a concert. But as soon as Dan Kelly took the stage, it became clear that this night would have an intimate feel.

Kelly opened with I Will Release Myself (Unto You). This set the tone for his set with its old-school rock ‘n’ roll feel, and just in case the crowd wanted to know, halfway through the song, he let them know its chord progression.

Next up was a song about controlling the ice junkies at Dandenong train station using the power of classical music. The story of how Kelly had written the track had everyone laughing hysterically and the story told through the song was just as funny.

From there, Kelly’s set touched on such topics as convincing a lesbian couple to marry him, pollution and, because he was playing in Canberra, the obligatory political song which had everyone singing “Cock sucker, Mother fucker!” in perfect unison.

The standout song from the set was Bindi Irwin Apocalypse Jam. The song was like a good acid trip. The setting of what’s left of the human race living under the rule of an iron-fisted Bindi Irwin, all while in an air bubble under the sea created by the guitar stylings of Jimi Hendrix, was a crowd favourite. And with a flick of his hair, Kelly showed his crowd control skills as everyone happily joined in to help sing the chorus.

Kelly’s set also showcased his fondness of sound effects. These ranged from a cheesy 80s drum beat to the sound of chickens in a barn. This was an awesome way to kick off the night.

Gareth Liddiard’s set began with a short spiel about climate change which immediately engaged the audience who were happy to offer their views as well.

After the discussion, Liddiard launched into Blondin Makes an Omelette. The haunting melody of this song and Liddiard’s unique style of singing worked perfectly together and the emotion that he poured out, not just in this song, but throughout the whole set, was amazing.

He showed that even though this gig was nothing but him sitting on a bar stool, playing an acoustic, didn’t mean he couldn’t be just as energetic as if this were a Drones gig. From the start of his set, right to the very end, Liddiard had the whole crowd mesmerised. His stories had everyone in hysterics while his songs had people on the verge of tears.

One of the many highlights of Liddiard’s set was the title track from his new album Strange Tourist. He conveyed the sadness and pain of the track’s main character with ease and completely drew the crowd in with the melody and beauty of the music. The transition from mellow to heavy within each song was incredible. Chords that people would usually think couldn’t go together worked flawlessly in Liddiard’s own brand of dirty folk.

When he played The Radicalisation of D, a 20-odd minute epic about a boy who grew up in a tough world, the crowd sat in silence, hypnotised by the simple strumming and sorrow being poured out. Anyone in attendance would have been forgiven for shedding a tear while listening to the pain ‘D’ had been through.

To hear and watch someone so up-beat and funny while telling his stories and also able to express so much anger and grief in his songs was amazing. Liddiard’s powerful ability to tell a story through his music made sure that the applause he received at the end of the night was very much deserved.