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Tim Rogers & The Temperance Union + Southpaw Governor Hindmarsh Hotel, Thurs 1 Dec  Although
the support act promised in the promo was the Gin Club, on the night
there was no mention of the aforementioned band. Instead, Southpaw
did their best in warming up the steadily growing crowd. At first
glance the lead singer of Southpaw even looked a little like Tim Rogers
circa mid-90's; skinny, scruffy and very rock'n'roll. Southpaw began
well with their country tinged blues-rock, however some riffs sounded
as they had been lifted straight from the Triple M playlist. Guitar
solos abounded until they slowed down their rock sound for the chilled
Grass Is Greener. Southpaw were well received by the crowd,
but they slowly lost my interest and I was distracted by a conversation
on the evils of the Howard government. Tim Rogers is a performer like few others. A brief recital of a deliberately piss-weak poem was a taste of the quirkiness yet to come before Rogers opened the set on stage alone with his acoustic guitar and his heart firmly on his sleeve as he sang Arse Kickin' Lady From The North. The depth of sound increased significantly as the Temperance Union joined him on stage for I Left My Heart All Over The Place. Rogers amused the fans by cheekily changing the words of that song to further glorify his drinking habits, suggesting that "last night I left my lunch all over the place". The evenings between song banter included referring to himself as "fallen icon Tim Rogers" and caricatures of British backpackers who were mad for "some banging house beats". One of the more peculiar moments was a break to introduce members of the crowd to one another, followed by a biting remark that you wouldn't get John Butler doing that ("because he plays in front of millions"). The stripped back opening of You've Been So Good To Me So Far was further enhanced by simple but stylish use of coloured lights and when the Temperance Union kicked in, it added a significant country groove. Rogers explained the meaning behind a new song about being inspired by and growing up in awe of his older brother's record collection, an aptly titled rock song, My Brother's Room. Around half way through the set, things went from quirky to bizarre with covers, or parts thereof: Lust For Life, Summertime Blues and of all things, the guitar solo from Stairway To Heaven. Things briefly returned to normal for a rousing pub rock rendition of Fiction while The Songs They Played As I Drove Away finished with a big rock ending. This pleasant night of oddities finished with a cover of The Cars' Best Friend's Girl, followed by an encore ending with a song sung by the bass player. No one could complain that Tim Rogers is predictable: here is a man determined to keep his fans guessing and to enjoy himself during the journey.  |
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