Project Description
Tim Rogers
Liquid Nights in Bohemia Heights
@ The Powerhouse
09/08/19
(Live Review)
Reviewer: Tammy Whitelaw
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Tim Rogers is a man who wears many hats. Most famously, we know him as the enigmatic front man of Australia rock band You Am I. More recently, Tim has found himself in the land of radio, hosting his own show on DOUBLE J, ‘Liquid Lunch’. It only makes sense that at some point the two worlds would meet, and from that, ‘Liquid Nights in Bohemia Heights’ was born.
As I make my way into the Powerhouse Theatre and take my seat at one of the round tables that fill the venue, I’m a little unsure of what to expect from the night’s proceedings. The press release for the show read: ‘The show will include a live band, a pocket radio drama, a live quiz, faux sponsors, Poem of the Week, a live call of The 1932 Body Line Series, audience participation, and much much more’. Even after reading all that, I’m still left wondering what I’m in for.
Complemented by vintage lamps and a beautiful gramophone, the stage is set-up to look like a radio studio. Tim meanders out onto the stage in his cream coloured 3-piece suit. Somehow, even with his scruffy rock’n’roll hairdo, the man always looks so dapper. Tonight, Tim is the DJ of the Liquid Nights radio show, and the crowd are all flies on the wall of the 3BH community radio station studio in the fictional town of Bohemia Heights.
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Tim Rogers // Photo – Tam Schilling
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Joining Tim in the studio tonight is local Bohemia Heights musical duo, Broads. Due to some unpaid library fines, the pair have been forced to perform some community service at the station. Thankfully, their pain is our pleasure. The pair are a delight to the ears as they perform the Frank Sinatra classic ‘Last Night When We Were Young’.
When it comes to wild front men, there aren’t many who hold a candle to Tim. If there’s anyone who comes close, it would have to be Tim’s first guest, Phil Jamieson of Grinspoon. Phil takes to the stage for an electric solo performance of two Grinspoon tracks ‘Comeback’ and ‘Better Off Alone’ before joining Tim for an “on-air” chat.
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Tim Rogers & Phil Jamieson // Photo – Tam Schilling
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Patience Hodges pounces into the studio next. The Grates’ frontwoman is a shining ray of light in the dim room (and I’m not referring to the glitter in her hair). Her energy is as infectious as her band’s breakout 2004 hit ‘Trampoline’. She talks about her failings as a businesswoman – who else but Patience would feel so bad for firing someone, they deliver a carton of beer to their doorstep?
Multi award winning writer Trent Dalton joins Tim in the studio next. Since releasing his debut novel ‘Boy Swallows Universe’ to critical acclaim last year, the local boy has been on a rollercoaster of book tours and appearances. Trent admits to Tim that when he finds himself alone in hotels, missing his family, he’ll often sing ‘Heavy Heart’ to himself as he irons his shirt in the morning (something you can tell Tim is incredibly humbled by).
Getting hundreds of people to drunkenly sing along to your songs is something Mr Rogers has nailed over the years. His next guest, Astrid Jorgensen, has taken it one step further and turned that crowd into a full-blown choir. Astrid is the brainchild behind the incredibly successful ‘Pub Choir’. Basically, Pub Choir is hundreds of people, packed into a pub, learning a song in 3 part harmonies and performing it in full. It sounds like an absolute ball. As soon as I leave the Powerhouse tonight, I plan to organise my first Pub Choir experience.
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Tim Rogers & Astrid Jorgensen // Photo – Tam Schilling
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There’s no denying Tim has the gift of the gab, but tonight he showed us he’s also a great listener. Tim immediately puts all his guests at ease, making them feel comfortable enough to open up to the crowd. It was refreshing to hear Patience and Tim openly chat about their shared struggles with anxiety. Turns out rock stars are human too, who knew?
In this digital age of streaming, I rarely find myself listening to the radio. Most of the time I end up just getting frustrated with the excessive talking and advertisements. I’m always left wanting more music. Tonight’s show has me feeling the same way. As much as I enjoyed the interviews and hilarious faux sponsor advertisements, there just wasn’t enough music. Every time Tim picked up the guitar, it was never for long enough.
Just when all the You Am I fans in the crowd thought they’d be leaving the venue tonight without hearing any of the band’s classics, Trent Dalton returns to the stage in his pyjamas with an ironing board and iron in tow. He breaks into the classic ‘Heavy Heart’ and the crowd quickly joins in, reminding us all why we love our old Uncle Timmy Rogers so much.
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Trent Dalton // Photo – Tam Schilling
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Check out Tam Schilling‘s gallery of the show here
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