The Whitlams

Now this is why I love a Whitlams gig. Apart from seeing the band, hovcourse, the crowd is always far better behaved. There is nary a vomit stain to be seen the Corner tonight. I didn’t even have to wish I had brought mace. Whitlams fans genuinely have that desire to soak up every second of the music; the singalongs are heartfelt and endearing, more than just yelling along with the words.

The band did something a little off-kilter, deciding to play the entire tracklist from their 1997 album (arguably their most successful; four times platinum and spawning their biggest hit, No Aphrodisiac) Eternal Nightcap. I guess since the bands’ most recent release was a best-of collection, they are attempting to remind people of the music they have brought us over the years. Not that we needed reminding.

Opening with the aforementioned ear worm No Aphrodisiac, the crowd were immediately entranced into the world of the love amongst trannies with guns and finger-sucking. The zealous singalong continued with Buy Now Pay Later (Charlie No.2), and, had there been more wiggle room, there might have been a jazzy hoedown to You Sound like Louis Burdett; the line “all my friends are fuck ups, but they’re fun to have around” surmising many punters’ social lives, and we all laughed.

A home-grown pride filled the room when Tim performed Melbourne and I was reminded again how the line “We go out, we don’t always come back” from Charlie No.3 kills me every time. Up Against the Wall; Tim says that “no one ever requests this live” and, I think, if said punters had heard the alternate take (a live version available only, as far as I can tell, on the Fall for You single but which I managed to track down on iTunes) they would be far more inclined to request it. Titled One in a Million, it leaves out the slow, grindy darkness of Up Against the Wall and replaces it with jubilant piano, Tim’s audible smile and, quite simply, a far greater appeal. Track it down if you haven’t already!

After the Nightcap re-cap, the band launched into a greatest hits-of-sorts assembly of tracks; there was Year of the Rat (Little Cloud), Made Me Hard (Love this City, this reviewer’s personal favourite album), a surprising addition of Kate Kelly (Torch the Moon); more Whitlams balladry and bolstering than you could poke a piano-based pop-rock stick at.

I went home with the line; "As my grand pappy Ol' Reliable used to say" (yeah, it's from Lady & the Tramp, wanna fight about it?) because the Whitlams are my Ol' Reliable. Every Whitlams gig I've seen in my years as a devoted fan has been stellar and dandy kinda night. Come back soon, Tim and Co.

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