A small yet reasonable crowd turned out on Saturday night to catch The Whitlams on their fifth WA date this week. Touring in support of new album "Torch The Moon", which debuted at #1 on the charts, they put on an incredible performance, showcasing new tunes and pulling out old favourites as well.

Autopilot

Opening act Autopilot - sans drummer Jayde - kicked off proceedings with an acoustic set full of enthusiasm and charm. "Haemophiliac" was a classy opener, an incredibly infectious song that sees you singing along by the second verse, regardless of whether you have heard it before. Hugh and Steve have a great chemistry onstage, and seem to play off one another effortlessly. Working through songs from their two EP's "Pure Gold Baby" and "Out Of The Sun", they were classy, charming and a pleasure to watch. "Treading Water", a track that will feature on the band's upcoming album, was a gorgeous piece of melody, executed flawlessly. The song is haunting and beautiful, with a simplistic guitar part and emotive lyrics, and stands as reason enough to invest in their debut album when it finally does hit the shelves. The guys showed the audience that they have a definite talent, and despite a quick rendition of Kasey Chamber's "Not Pretty Enough" - which couldn't end soon enough - they delivered a fantastic show. Catch one of their gigs should you get the opportunity - you won't regret it. .

Autopilot

Red wine in place and lights low, The Whitlams appeared on stage and launched straight into "End Of Your World" from their 1995 release, "Undeniably...". It was a rather unusual choice of opener but worked well, getting the audience's attention and paving the way for an enchanting evening. There is an element to The Whitlam's music that creates a surreal atmosphere, it is entirely possible to lose yourself for a while. There is also little that can be said about Tim Freedman which will fully convey the experience of seeing him perform live. Charismatic, powerful and downright inspiring, he creates something incredible which Jak, Terepai and Warwick make even more so.

The Whitlams

Working through the set, "some hot guitar from Jak" proved to be the standout of new tune "Gone Surfin". "You Sound Like Louis Burdett" got the room moving, and Eternal Nightcap number "Charlie No. 3" was simply stunning.

A particularly eager punter vocalised his desire to hear "I Make Hamburgers" no less than 10 times, eventually seeing Tim scan the setlist and announce that he would hear it "in 7 song's time, don't worry. Anyone else have requests? ...Yep, we're playing that one in three... that one in five... two more until you get that one."

The Whitlams

Asking who had made the trip down from Perth, the front row cheered loudly. Tim laughed and said "So I guess all the people milling around at the back of the room are the Mandurah crowd. Can we get a little bit of interaction going on here? The urban heroin addicts can mix with the beachside living folk."

"Best Work" is to be performed at the AFL Grand Final in one week's time, and Tim tells the crowd that he is more than a little concerned about being able to hit the opening note, before saying "Oh well. It's only a career." The song, one of the strongest off Torch The Moon, has everyone singing along and enjoying the moment. Older tunes like "Gough" and "Happy Days" got a huge crowd response, and tunes from the new album were received warmly as well. "Blow Up The Pokies" was a highlight, the already stirring song reaching a new level in the smoky room.

The set ended with three of the band's most danceable tunes, "I Will Not Go Quietly (Duffy's Song)" and "Royal In The Afternoon" both catchy and infectious, and "Thankyou" being introduced as a song about "being young, having a big night out and then having sex in the back of a taxi on the way home." The room went up in applause as the guys left the stage, everyone happy with the extensive collection of songs they had just received. Returning for a 3-song encore that was capped off with the amazing "No Aphrodisiac", The Whitlams were nothing short of fantastic... and for the record, Freeds hit that high note perfectly and my bet is he will do the exact same thing in front of millions on national TV in 7 days time.

Setlist:
end of your world
kate kelly
laugh in their faces
gone surfin'
you sound like louis burdett
charlie no. 3
cries too hard
best work
ease of the midnight visit
made me hard
charlie no.1
gough
happy days
charlie no.2
i make hamburgers
fall for you
blow up the pokies
i will not go quietly
thankyou
royal in the afternoon

Encore:
met my match
where is she
no aphrodisiac

Reviewed by Sarah Moses

All photo's © Sarah Moses