Andy J Ryan Apr 25, 2023

Robyn Hitchcock & the Venus 3, Annandale Hotel, 25 March, 2009

With a musical pedigree stretching back to the seventies with the Soft Boys, Robyn Hitchcock is as prolific as he is perplexing. The man, I must point out, is a complete nutter, being the very definition of an eccentric Englishman. He could probably come back in a couple of months and just reread the transcript of his pre-song banter and have a hit show at the Sydney Comedy Festival. But luckily for all of us he played a fair few glorious tunes as well.
Robyn Hitchcock and his backing band The Venus 3 are a combination that provide a mix of music that almost shouldn’t work. Hitchcock with his lucid-limey folk backed by a pair of guitar-pop classicists in R.E.M.’s Peter Buck and frontman of the Young Fresh Fellows Scott McCaughey all backed up by Ministry’s drummer Bill Rieflin, who provided ample clout up back for the numerous “great rock” excursions of the evening. The end result an alluring “show of amplified beat music” that was an utterly engaging mix of melodic jangle accompanying songs and soliloquies that were nothing short of surreal.
We were eased into proceedings with a loosener as Hitchcock “unpacked his voice” before a ponderous version of “I Often Dream of Trains”. The next romping number was self-reviewed by Hitchcock with an enthusiastic “Man, that rocks ass!”.
Hitchcock reveals himself to be a particularly literate cultural connoisseur and is entirely in tune with the depth and effect of his musical legacy. A simple comment about the vintage of an upcoming song turned into an unrestrained ramble beginning with tying songs to particular times and ending with being placed in stasis so your family can come up and tap on the glass at any time. Conversely, he introduced the aptly titled – well a couple of days early perhaps – ‘Saturday Groovers’ from his latest album with ‘You wont remember this one, cause its new’.
Some seriousness shone through in ‘N.Y’ Doll ‘ an ode to the late New York Dolls bass player Arthur Kane but we were soon thanked for “enjoying all these lights and keeping on reading” before being treated to a mournful version of ‘Queen Elvis’. The night was seemingly enjoyed equally be those in front of and on the stage, as suggested by the final quip of “We’ve enjoyed this far more than men in our condition should” before it was ‘Goodnight Oslo’ and good night the Annandale.