Live Review: Mick Harvey, Alex Cameron

Intoxicated Man was Bad Seeds alumni Mick Harvey's first tribute to the incredibly popular French conceptual musician Serge Gainsbourg. It was closely followed by Pink Elephants, an equally fascinating record, although not as strong musically as his initial exploration. They are strange, loose affairs, with Harvey's guttural crooning lending wet, breathing life to Gainsbourg's bent satire on excess and debauchery. Harvey's performance at Town Hall of these pieces was decent, although the atmosphere was a little dry and cold to really have the effect both Mick and Serge would have preferred.
Supporting for the evening was Alex Cameron and his band. It was a weird set, and one that would've gone down better had more people known about his shtick, or at least set their expectations a little askew. It was essentially Nick Cave if he got lost in Vegas (permanently) after the Birthday Party. Whilst Cameron's songwriting chops are pretty good, the whole act was cloaked in kitsch, from the drum pads to the straight man on saxophone. Again, had folks been let in on the act, the energy would have been different, and for the better.
After a short and slightly unnecessary announcement Harvey and co. filled the stage and got playing. It was interesting seeing a band just sort of start, with no build-up, no initial burst of energy, just suddenly playing a song. That was the pattern; songs started, songs finished, and any atmosphere and energy was coincidental. It was all about the songs themselves, and their fascinating idiosyncrasies. Some lurched forward on gurgling keyboards and buzzing guitar smears, while others were carried along by billowing strings. Bonnie And Clyde was a woozy duet, while 69 Erotic Year was a sleazy triumph of swelling minor chords. Chatterton grew to a slightly feverish crescendo, and New York USA was a nice rendition capped off with a smirking reference to the Twin Towers.