A dimly lit and smoky Prince Bandroom provided the familiar scenery for the T’n’T Melbourne unveiling. Arriving to see the opening of Rebecca Barnard’s set we were accosted with a friendly verbal tirade aimed at the disappointing performance of her beloved Saints who were sent to an early finals deathbed. Much like the featured performers Barnard is a veteran of the stage and managed to carry the one woman show with a snappy performance that included her own solo material, some Dylan, a sprinkling of the Rebecca’s Empire back catalogue and a spirited sing along of ‘You Shook Me All Night Long’.
By now every single person who dares to label themselves a music fan has read some article or another that asserts the cult status of both Tim Rogers and Tex Perkins. Undoubtedly you have also heard the cash cow rumour that suggests that the whole thing is just an elaborate money making prank. But amongst all of this hearsay, heresy and flattery one essential question has been left relatively unscrutinised … How do Timmy and Tex sound together?
Performing a hybrid blend of songs from their debut album, a mixed bag of covers and a few classics for good measure (‘Heavy Heart’ and ‘Whenever it Snows’) Tim and Tex proved that both performers can easily carry a night without the punch of the band behind them. Rogers spent the majority of the gig with nylon string in hand weaving guitar solos that sounded drastically departed from his normal raucous approach to You Am I and The Temperance Union. Not to be outdone, Tex provided the usual grunt work with his booming low register and surprised many in the crowd with fresh faced falsetto harmonies that sounded more at place at a Timberlake gig than a Tex Perkins show. T’n’T ripped through the social commentary of ‘Everybody Hates You When Your Popular’ and the country swing of ‘Any Old Time’ from their release ‘My Better Half’ and provided the audience with a mix of harmony, banter and comedy that was perfectly served to the Prince’s packed setting.
The boys wound up the night with an expose on the sad sexual exploits of the one and only Rod Stewart. With Tex leading a slightly tampered jury through the true intentions of Rod’s ‘Tonight’s the Night’ (and let’s face it the man’s name is Rod there is no jury alive that could remain impartial). Before the curtain fell on the evening T’n’T took the audience on a journey too a place that is very rarely discussed at private gatherings … Yes, we are talking about the world of female oral sex and with this topic in hand Tex and Tim gently lead the crowd through a history of the act and even suggested some modern interpretations to technique.
Tim and Tex had taken the audience with them on a fun, varied and ultimately entertaining excursion. For those who have written off Tim and Tex as simply swigging upon the case cow’s udder you may have misread the tongue in cheek reality of T’n’T. This is not a recreation of the wheel, this is not You Am I and The Cruel Sea rolled together … but it was a great gig and really that should be all that matters.
