Darren Hanlon

The weeks leading up to Xmas can be a bit of a chore. The traffic is crap, every night the streets are full of drunken insurance clerks and public servants staggering home from office Xmas parties and if I hear “All I Want For Christmas Is You” one more time there will be violence. The one thing that helps me get through this period, along with a certain amount of self-medication, is the anticipation of the Xmas shows that have become an annual fixture. Mick Thomas and Even have been doing it for time immemorial and in recent years they have been joined by a man who, according to Wikipedia, is the second most important person to ever come out of Gympie, Darren Hanlon.

Hanlon’s last headlining gig in Melbourne at the Thornbury Theatre back in April had the air of the Las Vegas spectacular about it with the dinner and a show deal being enhanced by Darren doing a spot of table dancing. For Friday night’s show at the Northcote Social Club it was back to travelling troubadour mode: just Hanlon and acoustic instruments.

I wonder whether it was the right decision to go without the band this time? Xmas crowds always seem a bit more raucous and I think acoustic acts sometimes lack the punch necessary to engage the crowd. The support for this year’s shows, Missincat, a softly spoken singer/songwriter from Berlin, certainly struggled with a boisterous, Xmas drinks fuelled crowd. It prompted her to ask for a bit of quiet a few times but she didn’t have a whole lot of luck.

The crowd was certainly in a participatory mood when Hanlon got to the stage and he seemed a little shocked by the level of their involvement. Too be honest it wasn’t the only time he looked a bit overwhelmed on the night. He told us that he had just flown in from the U.S. 3 days before and had already been to Adelaide to play a gig. I think the poor bloke was just bloody tired and it led to the whole gig being a bit flat. It wasn’t that Hanlon wasn’t trying but he just lacked his normal spark.

Of course his songs are of such a high standard that he could probably sing them in his sleep and we would still have lapped them up. Electric Skeletons kicked off proceedings and the list included A to Z, Falling Aeroplanes and a great version of The Go-Between’s classic Lee Remick. Karl Smith, from Sodastream, joined Darren for a run through a new song, Modern History. I think a few more practice runs might have helped them nail the harmonies a bit better.

Missincat came back to help Hanlon kick out a shambolic but totally engaging rendition of Billy Joel’s Uptown Girl complete with kazoo solo. The crowd participation seemed to hit a high point here.

What momentum had been built was lost when unfortunately an audience member collapsed. Hanlon was quick to stop proceedings and went to make sure the person was ok. The gig paused for a few minutes to allow friends and security to get the woman out and when Hanlon returned to the stage he announced he would only do a couple more. Smith rejoined him for a version of Guy Clark’s From The Heart and the night finished with a request, (There’s Not Enough Songs About) Squash. Hanlon seemed very reluctant to perform the song but it proved a definite favourite among the crowd.

As I wandered off into the High Street night I hoped that Darren was turning his back on the Xmas cheer and turning in early. Reports of a cracking show in Canberra on Sunday night suggest he might have.

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