Review - The Whitlams +
Leonardo’s Bride + Bean
@ Fairfield RSL 15/05/98
It is not often, at any venue nowadays, that
one plans to attend a gig where you want to see all the bands on the bill. Such
was our disappointment when we heard Bean already playing when we arrived
at a time when all other venues would only be opening the doors. We’ve seen
them often enough to know that they’d have put in at least a «««« effort.
The stage was being set for Leonardo’s Bride when we
entered the auditorium. Candles and stools hinted at a quiet set of acoustic
numbers, as they have done on Recovery and Hey! Hey! But
first-timers for Leo were
pleasantly surprised by the fact that it was not very quiet or totally
acoustic. Finding out that Abby has had
no vocal training was even more impressive than the show she put on; if the
band stood up she would have even more power in that wonderful voice! Even When I
Sleep (the APRA song of the year
was also the obvious crowd-pleaser), Hey (for the
close harmonies by Dean and Pat), So Brand New
and Titanic
were the stand-out songs of the set. Leonardo’s
Bride earned every one of their ««««¶ tonight, despite the dour mood set by and
constant reminders of the demise of Frank
Sinatra earlier that night.
The Whitlams jumped straight into a
rocked-up version of their forthcoming single Melbourne
for the set tonight, and followed it by the first single from “Eternal
Nightcap”, Louis Burdett. This
was like leading with your best hand, but it came as a surprise that most of
the front row of this Fairfield audience were singing along to all of the
songs! Tim (No I don’t want any fuckin’ rock, mate) Freedman
is a highly clued up character who knows absolutely everyone in his audience,
from those introduced through Hamburgers
and Nightcap
to those who knew Gough and Pauline. He sang to all of us
individually and totally enjoys his work. You’d think he’s been playing to
audiences this size for all his career, not just on the strength of Nitecap.
It’s a real shame he hasn’t: us out here in the ‘burbs have missed a helluva
lot because of it! «««««
The punters who are queuing for tickets at
the Leagues Clubs and RSLs around the country are in for an excellent night.
Those who don’t know either of the support bands are assured that it is well
worth getting in as early as possible to check them out. You won’t be
disappointed by Tim’s, The
Whitlams’ and the Brassholes’ stage, light and sound
extravaganza!