This week I was lucky enough to receive tickets to the final show of The Whitlams’ latest Sydney Opera House run. A night out at one of Australia’s most gorgeous live music venues with one of the country’s best bands backed by the state’s symphony orchestra. How could I say no? 
I’ve seen The Whitlams at countless sweaty pubs and music festivals over the years, but this was a real step up. I’ve heard The Whitlams perform with orchestras on television before, but nothing can quite compare with seeing it for yourself. The songs take on a new life with soaring strings and resonating percussion.
The tracks from The Whitlams’ breakthrough, Eternal Nightcap, were the centerpiece of the show. The band played the album in its entirety, stretching across the first act and into the second. The album’s eclectic appeal means that unlike so many discs, there really aren’t any fillers. “No Aphrodisiac,” “You Sound Like Louis Burdett” and “Buy Now Pay Later” were obvious highlights, but the symphonic makeovers held us transfixed for the songs even Tim Freedman panned.
With that album out of the way The Whitlams treated us to highlights from the rest of their exhaustive back catalogue. I’ve heard “Blow Up The Pokies” so many times on the radio, but the symphonic backing made it particularly stirring this time around. I was also thrilled to hear personal favourites like “The Ease of the Midnight Visit” and “Fondness Makes the Heart Grow Absent” given the orchestral treatment.
The encore was particularly touching. Tim took the stage without his bandmates to sing the poignant “The Curse Stops Here,” a tribute to the band’s other founding members Stevie Plunder and Andy Lewis. You could have heard a pin drop. But the band couldn’t leave us in that dark place for long, with Jak Housden, Warwick Hornby, and Terepai Richmond returning for a rollicking rendition of “Gough.”
I seem to be gushing about so many concerts these days, but I’ve been lucky enough to see some truly brilliant music. Saturday’s show was definitely up there with the best of them.
Image source: The Harbour Agency