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Robyn Hitchcock & Venus 3 w/ The Minus 5
Concert appearance: Thu., 19 Oct. 2006
The Clarendon
Katoomba, Australia
Set list:
I Often Dream of Trains
Vibrating
Birdshead
Flesh Number One (Beatle Dennis)
Adventure Rocket Ship
Somewhere Apart
Not Dark Yet (Bob Dylan)
Ole! Tarantula
Chinese Bones
Television
Creeped Out
Jewels For Sophia
Madonna Of The Wasps
Driving Aloud (Radio Storm)
Encore: Cigarettes Coffee And Booze (Minus 5)
Encore: Aw, Shit Man (Minus 5)
Encore: Bells Of Rhymney (Pete Seeger/Idris Davies)
Encore: N.Y. Doll
Encore: Queen of Eyes
Well, it was a very different set last night. Probably only 50% of
what they played had got an airing the previous night. For starters,
Robyn opened solo with I Often Dream Of Trains, then Buck (wearing a
particularly lurid floral shirt) came out and they did Vibrating,
Birds Head and Flesh #1. Robyn said "someone will be along soon with
a set list, I expect he's just downloading it from the internet...",
then Scott and Bill came on. Not nearly as many songs from the new
album, but a couple from Spooked that didn't get a run the previous
night (Television and Creeped Out), as well as Not Dark Yet (a
corker!) and Somewhere Apart. No new song, no Destroy You, but they
did Bells Of Rhymney instead of Eight Miles High as the token Byrds
song. The sound wasn't quite as good as at the Basement, though, and
the vocals seemed struggling to be heard over the guitars all night.
Overall it felt like a better set then the previous night and they
seemed to be having more fun. Robyn was more talkative, not having
to tell his stories over a room full of chatter. The set was a bit
more laid-back, and the crowd, although very polite, were more
receptive. Obviously a night for the die-hards. Probably about 60 -
70 punters in total? The venue was VERY straight-laced, though....I
was on the guest-list, so I was ushered to the table at the very
back of the room (I'm surprised they didn't put us right next to the
bathroom!), where I was expected to sit and not move all night.
Fortunately I'd brought the zoom lens, so I still got some good
pics, although Caroline (their agent) got a bit nervous when I moved
up near the front and started taking lots of flash pics in rapid
succession (she did ask me to send her copies, though...), then the
management asked me to return to my seat. (Wish I'd thought to take
the camera to the Basement show - I could have got pics of Buck's
nasal hairs from where I was.)
Had a good chat to Scott afterwards (we have friends in common in
Seattle/Vancouver, it turns out), and he was stoked when I told him
I wore my Young Fresh Fellows shirt (which of course I was wearing
last night, being the slavering fanboy I am) when I played on Conan.
Pete reports that there'll be a new album from that other band he
plays with in the new year, and "it's gonna be all guitars!" And
despite having met Robyn twice before, I still can't make
conversation with him, it's just too unnerving. They were staying
over at the venue last night, so they were all still hanging around
out the front when I drove off, doing their best to empty the
venue's wine cellar....
Bill G.
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