TIM ROGERS

@ Basement, Sydney

(18/11/17) Live Review

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For the third time this year I find myself in a room waiting for Tim Rogers to take the stage. He’s done the ‘Actor Repairs’ concept piece, the rockstar frontman bit touring You Am I with Hoodoo Gurus and now he’s ‘De-Touring’, a kind of ‘an evening with Mr Rogers’ if you will.

Basement, down towards Circular Quay, is one of the few venues still standing, unaffected by the plague of poker machines and bullshit law, like a souvenir from the old Sydney. History literally drips from its underground walls and the list of artists who’ve cut their teeth here is as impressive as it is long. Tonight, crowds eager to see a more refined version of Tim Rogers, pack in to every spare space and do their best to ignore the humidity.

Opening for Rogers is one Hanny J, best known for her work with Melbourne’s savage 5 piece punk outfit Clowns. Tonight she shows a very different side of herself, strapping on an acoustic 6 string and playing the troubadour. It’s a role she slips into well, giving her a chance to show off her admirable vocal skills and tell a few stories in between, including a poignant moment about the loss of a close friend.

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When Tim Rogers comes and does his thing it is with his usual aplomb. Aware of the glaring irony of downplaying his ability to act whilst giving every word a dramatic flourish, his stories feed into his songs, which when given context take on a level of melancholy that might otherwise not be so obvious. His persona is best encapsulated by a musing-out-loud in which he talks about walking around the dining precinct and, upon noticing families and lovers enjoying quality time, begins to question his choices and wonder if he hasn’t made a mistake devoting himself to the life of perpetual adolescence. Midway through this thought Rogers catches his thinking and reminds himself “pfft, I’m Tim fucking Rogers” (cue opening riff). He has a way of giving any self-aggrandising moment a hint of insecurity and any hint of insecurity an undercurrent of relished self-indulgence.

The songs are a broad sample of his work over the years, with quite a few tracks coming from his solo records ‘What Rhymes with Cars and Girls” and “An Actor Repairs”. They’re wistful without giving way to syrupy sentimentality and he seems most engaged when talking about his other role, that of father to a 17 year old. On this he wins over a good chunk of the room by dedicating “Part Time Dads” to all the full-time mums. He also gushes about touring with Hanny J and applauds her considerable talents as performer, songwriter and long suffering travelling companion.

For me Rogers represents the best of what Australian music has to offer. It is a combination of rich and sincere songsmanship and a typically blokey nod to the fact that in the end its really just a way to keep living like a 22 year old. It’s all in the balance of taking the work seriously without taking himself seriously.

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