You Am I at the Enmore Theatre, Photo via @youami
You Am I performed at Forum Melbourne, on the land of the Boon Wurrung and Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation, on Thursday 10 April.
Despite a subdued crowd, Tim Rogers and co. recaptured the shambolic grandeur of Hourly, Daily and the rough and ready earnestness of Hi Fi Way in an unexpectedly clinical fashion.
Hourly, Daily was up first, revealing the drawbacks of the full-album live show format. Three of You Am I’s best-known songs – “Good Mornin’,” “Mr. Milk,” and “Soldiers” – appear at the top of the album, all of which would’ve fared better once the band and audience had warmed up.
Hi Fi Way came across with more power, particularly the singles “Cathy’s Clown” and “Jewels and Bullets,” and the band’s opus, “Purple Sneakers.” The crowd was most vocal during the album’s closing song, “How Much Is Enough,” and the encore of “Berlin Chair.”
Rogers, who has a reputation as a temperamental performer, was in good spirits. His penchant for glam rock posturing made it feel like getting a glimpse into what Marc Bolan might’ve been like in his 50s – if he was a somewhat dishevelled Australian.
The show was laced with nods to the band’s heroes, including The Beatles’ “A Day In The Life” in “Tuesday,” “Across The Universe” in “Purple Sneakers,” and David Bowie’s “Suffragette City” in “Baby Clothes.”
As Rogers said, “[If you’re] playing the same old shit, [it] really doesn’t matter. It’s fuckin awesome.”
