Benjalu, James Fahy Trio @ TheFront, Canberra (16/7/11)

Sun 17th Jul, 2011 in Gig Reviews

First up we were charmed by the James Fahy Trio as they mellowed an already chilled venue with Fahy’s humble words and his sombre harmonies. 
“It’s drink time…then I think it’s fun time”, he proclaimed to the intimate gathering who responded with cheers and raised glasses. 
His calming songs progressively became more up-beat, however the haunting harmony between Fahy, his drummer and bass player prompted the venue to go silent, drinking it in. You could almost hear a pin drop. We were all ears.
 Soon we were giggling at their cover of Outkast’s Roses, laughing that such a man could still pull off singing about flora smelling like poo.
 However, soon it was time for the James Fahy Trio to make way for the main act.


Drinks were firmly in hands. Bums were planted on couches. It was clear who everyone was here to see as the room erupted into cheers, shouts and whistles as the roots rock outfit, Benjalu, cruised onto the scene to spruik their latest musical offering Shadows in the Sun. 
It was quickly pointed out to us that the drummer had only been with the band a few days. No pressure. But he fitted in perfectly. At times it felt as if we were merely sitting in on one of their jam sessions, with lead singer Ben Gumbleton turning his back, amping the band’s energy tenfold. No one seemed to mind this however, with fans of the four-piece from Newcastle tapping their feet energetically on the wooden floor.
 Note to self – dancing was imminent, albeit kept to the confines of my comfy chair. 
Proving how hard this was to be, Benjalu’s quirky fan base was swift to rise onto their feet and bop, shuffle, jump and jive along to the tunes. At one stage one of the more eccentric fans broke into the chicken dance. Others looked on quizzically, but this guy is the epitome of what Benjalu is about — feeling free.
 Gumbleton fed off the energy and delivered with a high octane vocal set, throwing in a yelp here or a howl there, the crowd lapping up every movement and sound emanating from the singer, perched atop a stool (he pointed out The Front is the only place he sits to perform). 


In celebration of their new skins man, Gumbleton proclaimed “New drummer, new song,” explaining this tune was about getting drunk and not caring about how much you’ll pay for it the next day. Fitting, seeing as a massive party was held at The Front the night before (with many punters having drunk straight through).
 To mix things up, Gumbleton swapped with the newbie drummer, proving he is just as talented up front as he is on the skins, before the new singer (or was that the new drummer?) went on to try his hand at bass. What a talented crew!
 Proving talent runs through their veins, Benjalu eased into a haunting cover of Adrian Lux’s Teenage Crime.

After a colourful set, Benjalu signed off and attempted to leave the stage. They didn’t get far.
 “One more. One more. One more!”
 Obliging, the friendly guys placed a bongo in the lap of a fan and played one more amazing song before finally fleeing. After all, they were on their way back to Newcastle for a flight to Melbourne in the morning.
 It may have been two degrees outside, but the brisk ‘Berra weather was no match for the fans who abandoned their warmer lounge rooms for one bouncing set. 
Benjalu sure know how to have fun.