Tim Rogers & Shane O’Mara @ The Baroque Room, 4th Apr ’14
A vibe of palpable mystique hung over the weird and wonderful township of Katoomba on this Friday evening as we made our way to the Baroque Room to witness the latest leg of the iconic Tim Rogers’ current solo tour.
There is always a touch of magic in the mountain air and tonight it was accompanied by an eerie layer of fog thick enough to slice with a knife.
By the side of the pin striped suit donning Mr Rogers was long time friend and guitar virtuoso Shane O’Mara, and these two stalwarts of Australian rock were to take an enchanted audience through an hour and a half of choice cuts from both Tim Rogers‘ solo catalogue and indeed some seminal You Am I classics.
Somewhat “shitfaced on whiskey” and full of self deprecation Australia’s “126th best songwriter” was in fine form.
In this frame of mind his between song banter is pretty much worth the price of admission itself.
Countless expletives were dropped in his lighthearted mockery on a range of matters including his guitarist, certain Katoomba locals and indeed Across The Ocean‘s photographer as he verged too close to Rogers’ trio of alcoholic beverages at the front of the stage. The photographer in question was dubbed a “cheeky fuck” then offered one of the drinks. He accepted.
There was some music too.
Whilst the newer tracks off Rogers Sings Rogerstein were received warmly enough, a sentimental crowd came to hear the classics and a revered artist such as Tim Rogers has plenty of those.
During the maudlin ‘Happy Anniversary‘ and poignant You Am I moments ‘Damage‘ and ‘Heavy Heart‘ one could hear a pin drop amongst the awed crowd.
Describing the venue as being akin to performing in his bedroom, the lanky frontman then treated us to the brilliant urban poetry of ‘If We Can’t Get It Together‘ (surely one of You Am I‘s best) and a somewhat improvised version of ‘Please Don’t Ask Me To Smile‘, evoking memories of primary school awkwardness among all of us.
With his combination of superb songwriting and perpetual showmanship, it is truly a privilege to see such an admired veteran strip things back to just a couple of guitars and perform in such an intimate setting, whilst still enjoying himself as much as ever.
Photos: Benon Julius William Otto Koebsch
He can also be found clinging to his youth on a skateboard or wandering aimlessly through the bush.
- The Beards @ The Metro, 2nd July ’16 - July 8, 2016
- Parkway Drive @ Wollongong Uni, 25th June ’16 - July 1, 2016
- Basement @ The Factory, 27th May ’16 - June 3, 2016
