With 11 studio albums, and having toured for around 30 years, the legacy You Am I has left on Australian music is huge.
And they don't just tour, they still play at a super-high energy level, with a number of their earlier concerts bringing them to the attention of some of the world's biggest acts, having supported the Stones, Oasis and Soundgarden, just to name a few.Tim Rogers is one of Australia's best-known rock stars, and despite – or perhaps because of – the thousands and thousands of gigs they have played, as he alluded to on Friday night, he still brings a level of command and awe over the audience that would leave many artists in envy.
This tour is currently playing smaller local venues, and it's incredible they keep this energy level up over consecutive nights. The Triffid was an excellent venue, as its smaller size really allowed the audience to get up tight and close to these artists.
Image © Bill Prendergast
Last time I saw Tim Rogers was at the Soundlounge on Gold Coast, and I really think these smaller venues are the way to absorb these shows. The You Am I music itself is extremely infectious, reflected by their three consecutive #1 albums in the 1990s.
Starting as a three-piece, Rogers subsequently asked guitarist, then teenager, Davey Lane, to join the band after Davey had transcribed a lot of the You Am I songs for guitar – no mean feat given the use of suspended chords in open tunings.
However, the band has been stable since, and that stability and understanding comes through in the gigs. The band may be slightly less wild these days, but that hasn't prevented these shows from finding the same high level of energy (not to mention volume!).
In terms of the show itself, the boys kicked off with the slightly slower 'Damage', and ramped it up from there. 'Mr Milk' was huge with the crowd, moving into 'Flag Fall $1.80', then one of their signature hits, 'Kick A Hole In The Sky'.
Image © Bill Prendergast
'She Digs Her' followed up, and I think this song really encapsulates some of the best short, melodic hits written by the band, ending up with a drumming crescendo by Rusty Hopkinson.
'Erasmus' is more of a traditional rock song, and really gave Rogers the chance to show some of his strut (his outfit was off the charts too!). 'Plans' followed, and Tim's intro chat really showed how appreciative the band was that the audience had included the band in their plans for the evening.
'Doug Sahm' was a song which clearly resonated with the crowd, but there was substantial meaning to Rogers and the band, as he introduced the song with some comments on what an important influence Doug Sahm has been (having apparently played with Hank Williams when he was six).
Doug Sahm was apparently a great singer, had written great music, and all he wanted to do was entertain – this influence was clearly visible in this rendition and You Am I'd work ethic in general.
Image © Bill Prendergast
As Rogers noted, Wes the guitar tuner had been working overtime, as the two guitarists were constantly changing guitars throughout the set – presumably the crazy heat followed by torrential rain on the day was a factor – but Rogers noted how much they "f...en love him".
'Cathy's Clown' is one of their most popular songs, and had the expected impact on the crowd. 'Purple Sneakers' – not one of my favourites, although one of their best known songs – followed, with a beautiful sound driving out of Davey's Telecaster.
The set wound up with 'Get Up' and 'Thank God I've Hit Rock Bottom'. Rogers wound up talking about his love of playing with the beautiful people in the support acts Screamfeeder and Ben Ely.
For the encore, the band was back into four of their best known songs, including probably my two favourite YAI songs, 'Jewels And 'Bullets', and the fantastic finale, 'Berlin Chair'.
Late in the show, Rogers thanked the crowd for supporting the band for so long – "we appreciate you giving us a chance," and "love that you have supported the community through participating in Australian music". They have given so much to this scene!
Overall this gig was fantastic, super high on energy, and well supported by Brisbane band Screemfeeder, and another Brissie local Ben Ely (in his fun band, Mungo Fungo). Both of these support acts put on a gig worthy of its own show, and this shows the strength of the Brisbane impact on Australian music.
The guys were stepping straight out of a gig in Cleveland the prior night, and into Marketta at the Gold Coast the following night, as they get to their fans in smaller Queensland venues.
I couldn't recommend these guys highly enough, both from the energy they imparted on the show, but also just to hear this collection of amazing and influential Australian music. I loved this show.
More photos from the show.
