The Whitlams
Sydney Opera House (22nd September, 2007)
Well, hasn't Timmeh come of age? From the Sando in Newtown to the big white house at the end of East Circular Quay, the inner west anthemist took to the stage with good grace and a foul mouth. That's the way, lad...
Anyone familiar with the cheeky, jaunty, quasi-acoustic sound of The Whitlams will find it strange that the boys have made it to the Concert Hall of Sydney's most famous building backed by a full orchestra. After all, aren't they supposed to be bumming around the back of a kombi van or something? Well, frontman Tim Freedman swapped his keyboard for the Opera House's grand piano and gave the job of scoring his songs to no less than nine different composers, which made for a very interesting aural experience indeed.
First and foremost I'd always regarded Freedman as an adept lyricist who occasionally wrote cool jangly piano bits that were well-supported by guitar, bass and drums. This gig more than showcased the flexibility of musical talents that belied his pop/rock persona. Congrats on that front - Timmeh, you got to show off your musicality.
More than that, though, this concert forced me to listen to familiar songs with new ears. 'Keep the Light On' became a grand narrative complete with an earnest and poignant soundtrack while one of my favourite songs, 'You Sound Like Louis Burdett' retained its rollicking good time elements but built to a coda of almost explosive cheer "My friends really are fucked up but they're fun to have around".
Adjunct to that was Timmeh's mood, which was upbeat and jokey, as is his usual way. Sir and I were up in the box seats behind the piano so we saw a lot of the back of Timmeh's head but he was kind enough to acknowledge those of us in difficult seats both directly and with constant swivels, which satisfied Sir (who desperately wants to snog him because in her mind he's still 31 and she's now 27 so it's all good on the age front).
He also started to play 'Fur Elise' on the piano, much to the amusement of the conductor, for the sole reason that he wanted to tell his "non-existent grandchildren" that he "played Beethoven solo in the Concert Hall of the Opera House". It was during jokes like this that I started to wonder whether he'd played them all before, on previous nights. This gig was supposed to be the second show of two concerts (I bought the tickets about four months ago expressly for Sir's birthday) but due to popular demand they put on two extra shows before this one, so it ended up being the last of a four gig run.
I take away a point for Timmeh's rallying political call in Labor's favour (The Whitlams having been named after former Labor Prime Minister Gough Whitlam) because people came for the music, not the politics; even if the audience did agree with him the context didn't sit quite right. Maybe at a music festival but not in the Opera House backed by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. Don't know why, just feels wrong.
Okay, I take another point away for the none-too-subtle prepared encore too. Encores should be spontaneous but it was clear that it was all expected (a problem caused by the audience as much as musicians). But all in all it was a fun night with good music that hit the heart in all the right places and made me proud to be Straylian.
"Sex is everywhere but nowhere round me" - 'You Sound Like Louis Burdett'
Gig rating: 8/10
Enjoyment rating: 8/10
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