Although latest Bob Evans stint on the road is dubbed the Sadness and Whiskey Tour it would be more appropriately titled “Back-porch anthems and a bottle of Merlot” if his recent show in Canberra is any indication. With not a trace of sadness (or whiskey) in sight, the engaging Kevin Mitchell’s better half delighted a modest crowd with his Suburban Songbook and a suitably informal set.
Farryl Purkiss had an attentive audience sitting cross-legged beneath the stage like a bunch of kindergarteners as he opened the gig with a pleasant acoustic set. Machine Translations marked the occasion in the nation’s capital by playing Monkey , a song written after John Howard’s GST election win – “we voted him in to make things ten percent more expensive, then for throwing foreign kids overboard… and now to make it easier to get the sack.” Bob Evans picked up on the political theme during a his own set, joking that he might head to “Parliament House to play the Government this song” before launching into the harmonica chords of Don’t You Think It’s Time . Armed with a bottle of red wine, his acoustic guitar and harmonica, he reminisced about the last time he played at the ANU, during supporting gigs for Josh Pyke and Evermore . This time round the only indication he was headlining his own tour was some strategically placed fairy lights around the perimeter of his acoustic guitar. The opening songs were performed with his band, The Bevans , before they departed the stage, leaving the Suburban Kid to demonstrate his Nashville influences in endearing tracks about falling in love, falling out of love and falling off the wagon. Impressive performances of Nowhere Without You, Friend, The Great Unkown and tour title track Sadness and Whiskey displayed his superior harmonica and vocal talents while his off-the-cuff manner kept the gig good-humoured and cheery.
During Steve’s Song he launched into an impromptu rock medley; playing Hoodoo Guru’s That’s My Scene , Josh Pyke’s Middle of the Hill and a few other recognisable riffs while kidding “See, I’m adept at all the classics.” His jovial manner (somewhat motivated by polishing off the wine within the one hour set) continued as he retorted to a front row heckler “You know you should join a band ‘cos then you get your own stage.” Bob Evans showed he’s more than at home on his own stage, in fact, you feel like you’re sitting alongside him on the back-porch.