There isn’t much to say about Tim Rogers that hasn’t already been said.
Loveable rogue, knockabout guy, charming renegade; the list goes on and on. Looking at the almost-middle-aged crowd as they sip red wine it is impossible not to wonder whether these restrained punters were once beer-soaked mosh pit warriors during You Am I’s 90s hey-day.
On the road again in support of his most recent solo release Rogers Sings Rogerstein the scruffy haired rocker’s homage to shadowy songwriter Shel Rogerstein (a character widely speculated to be Rogers himself) – Rogers strolls onto the stage with nary a word for the audience but a hand raised aloft.
Gently easing into Rogers Sings Rogerstein’s opening track “All Or Nothing”, the room grows silent apart from the hum of fifty or so swooning women’s hearts. The romantic imagery of the song is somewhat hampered by the feverish repairs to faulty equipment going on behind the singer. Ever the showman, Rogers shrugs off the disruption and rolls along without missing a beat as his lush, billowing soundscapes fill the cavernous room.
“Part Time Dads” is so bone achingly sad it almost feels like the temperature on the already freezing cold night has dropped yet again. Thankfully Rogers kicks things up, moving on from his dreamy, tortured ballads to full rock star swagger, just in the nick of time. “Go On Out, Get Back Home” buzzes and crackles, bringing some well needed chaos to the still room.
Haunted by sound problems that sometimes drown out the singer’s voice altogether, but ever the professional, the fantastic Mr. Rogers just keeps on going. While Rogers hair hasn’t seen a comb in god knows how long and his suit is so crinkled he may very well have slept in it, as he swigs red wine straight from the bottle and flashes a smile, he possesses an undeniable charm. This charm is coupled with the mischievous twinkle in his eye and in an instant it is apparent why he is so beloved.
“This a hard show unfortunately” he laments, “it was meant to be the easiest but it’s the hardest” before reminding a loud audience member with a smile “Cult icon, audience, don’t you forget”.
Unsurprisingly the set is peppered with tracks from Rogers Sings Rogerstein, but well chosen covers such as a wild rendition of Elvis Costello’s “Girls Talk” just about bring down the house. The You Am I classic “I Left My Heart All Over The Place” draws shrieks from a cluster of female admirers near the front of the stage.
“The sermon is about to begin” booms Rogers as the band launches into a loose, Doors-meets-Velvet Underground jam, complete with vague lyrics about film school. Dancing around the rest of the band before theatrically dropping to his knees, no one could ever accuse of Rogers of being wooden.
Bringing the proverbial curtains down on the set with “The Songs They Played As I Drove Away” and the stunning favorite “You’ve Been So Good To Me So Far” Rogers and co. (Shane O’Mara on guitar, Cameron Bruce on keys and Gus Agers on drums) are soon drawn back to the stage with a genuine shouting, foot stomping call for an encore.
“What a fuckin’ town!” smiles Rogers. Joined onstage by gorgeous support act Catherine Britt for “Walking Past The Bars”, the singer can’t help himself. Delicately strumming away he asks “Hey Catherine, how about we walk past four bars and go into every fifth one?” as Britt struggles to suppress a giggle.
A cover of Bob Dylan’s “Boots Of Spanish Leather” brings together the irresistible combination of Britt’s lusty vocals and Rogers’ world weary rasp. Finally, Rogers brings the whole band back out for a final kick in the pants in the form of Led Zeppelin’s “Misty Mountain Top”, something only Rogers would have both the gall and the talent to do.
-Maddy Thomas
