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.


Robyn Hitchcock and the Venus 3 live at the Clarendon, Katoomba: 19 October
Inkster - Stix Magazine

Almost every review of Robyn Hitchcock mentions the same word in the first sentence.
'Eccentric'!
At least, I've managed to postpone it to the second sentence, if only to be different and try to refute this description!
Eccentric is what the mainstream calls something it doesn't quite understand or appreciate.
The word might spark an interest in the curious, but for most it marginalises the artist.
I want to make a case that Robyn Hitchcock is one of the most important musicians of the last thirty years and that his body of work deserves to be enjoyed and taken seriously in the same light as the best of the indie music scene.
Anyone present at the Clarendon on Thursday night will go away with a fond recollection of Robyn's sense of humour.
His between song banter is legendary. He seems to paddle so far up some stream of consciousness that even the rest of the band stand by bemused, not knowing where he is going or whether he will lose his way.
Invariably, he links the topic back to the song and everybody lets out a sigh of relief that he has returned safely to shore.
Robyn's comic talent comes from the same source as other English satirists like Spike Milligan, Peter Sellers, Graham Chapman and, more recently, Sacha Baron Cohen.
He is one of the wittiest musicians in rock, but he is also one of the most intelligent. He uses verbal precision to dissect everyday life, whether he is delighting in the absurd or defining the nuances of
real, mature (not puppy) love.
In his own words, he is also "a charming and dangerous guy".
Just as he can place the world of conformity under a microscope, he points the way to an alternative of cultural sophistication, off-beat humour, personal self-sufficiency and a community of like minds.
He is flirtatious and flippant as hell. But he is also informed and opinionated and sceptical of authority.
Ultimately, he is a threat to the ordinary world of George Bush, Tony Blair and John Howard, because he is both seductive and subversive.
Robyn has previously toured Australia solo and acoustic. This tour was 100% electric and highlighted what an exceptional guitarist he is.
The Venus 3 are effectively the touring version of REM. Omit Michael Stipe and substitute Robyn Hitchcock and you have some idea of the pedigree of this band.
Peter Buck obviously enjoyed the chance to craft an exhilarating jangle pop sound with someone who shares a passion for Dylan and the Beatles and the Byrds. At an earlier gig, he revealed that the next REM album will feature guitars more heavily, which is something to get excited about.
Bill Rieflin constructed some fascinating rhythms that continually attracted your attention, even when the guitarists were in full flight.
Scott McCaughey's bass was equally solid. He is a leader when the band plays in the guise of the Minus 5. However, behind that beard, he impressed me as a really happy, smiling foil to Robyn.
If the Venus 3 came across as 'grinning souls' who shared our affection for their singer, then Robyn convinced many of us that he is both a secular messiah and a very naughty boy.