Live Review: Tim Freedman's Fireside Chat

There's no mucking around with support bands for Tim Freedman, it's just him and us and the piano, well on into the evening. Instead, the support slot was filled by the 40 minutes it took him to get on stage, but then he did, and played a set that was sustained and substantial, and by the time it was over he had been there for more than two hours, on his own, without a break. It was a Whitlams' track that started us off – Beauty in Me, a single from the sixth and final Whitlams studio album, Little Cloud – and this was a pattern that persisted. We made our way through the classic No Aphrodisiac, a couple of the Charlies, You Sound Like Louis Burdett, and Blow Up The Pokies, among others. These were peppered with a few new songs from his solo album, Australian Idle, but the gig certainly seemed more retrospect than promotional.

In the absence of a fire, there was chat. Freedman spoke to us in nearly every pause – explaining songs, telling us stories, talking about his relationship with triple j and the way The Whitlams found their way to '90s Australian fame. He's mates with his former band's namesake, Gough Whitlam, and we heard a little bit about him. It was an intimate gig in an intimate venue and Freedman played accordingly. By the time it was over, and we were guided back out into the rain, the night seemed just that little bit warmer.