Colin Hay
Corner Hotel
September 20, 2009
Colin Hay’s an interesting bloke. And going to a Colin Hay gig is usually an interesting experience too. His latest appearance, the album launch for his new release American Sunshine, at the Corner Hotel, was nothing short of a typical Colin Hay gig. And shit it was good.
Colin Hay
I’m not one to throw in an expletive just to grab attention, and neither is Colin – probably. But he used them to reasonable effect as he waxed on about ‘dickhead’ Australians, potted John Farnham about being back on the road and Sting about his marvellous shoulders, and explained how normal it is to see Batman on the streets of California.
You see, that’s what makes a Colin Hay gig a little different. You don’t just get the music – the stand-up routine is also a part of the Hay shtick. And with the shocking flu that he was battling, it was looking like we might get more of the shtick than the music.
But this guy doesn’t fill in the time cracking jokes just to gloss over the tunes. When you’re up there for 1 hour 45 minutes, there’s plenty of time for everything.
So he kicked it all off with a bit of everything from the new album. Oh California told us of his love for the place he now calls home, or the place he now resides, at least. This was followed up by other newies, like Prison Time, There’s Water Over You and No Time.
The depth of sound that Hay gets from his guitar means he doesn’t have to lean on a band to deliver the full effect. More often than not, he gets a better result without them. Case in point was a lot of his new stuff, with I Came Into Your Store and Baby Can I See You Tonight? just a couple that probably sound better with just Hay on his acoustic.
There weren’t many from the new album that didn’t get a look in. Sure, it got those who were there just to hear the old stuff a little restless. But as he so eloquently put it at the start of the night, “I’m going to play some songs that you don’t know, so that when you hear it again, you’ll think, ‘fuck, I know that song.’”
So when the new songs were done, he gave in to the masses and ripped through the favourites. Again, many of which are better suited to the solo guitar – most likely, just the way they were first written.
For the younger set reading this, who perhaps only recognise Colin from his cameos in Scrubs, Hay’s history in Australian rock goes way back to Men At Work’s Land Down Under, Who Can It Be Now and Overkill, all of which received the hoots and whistles they deserve. These aren’t just great rock/pop tunes, but some of our most internationally recognised songs, breaking ground, particularly in the States, and paving the way for the likes of INXS and beyond.
However, it could be argued that Hay’s better songs were written in the period after the lofty heights of Men At Work. As he played through Beautiful World, I Just Don’t Think I’ll Ever Get Over You and Waiting For My Real Life To Begin, with all the stripped back emotion that one guitar and Hay’s unique Scottish rasp can deliver, it was very hard to argue against.
And, finally, I don’t know what it was about this particular Sunday night – whether it was the unseasonably mild night air, the sheer rapture of Hay’s tunes, or, the more likely scenario, the booze – but there were plenty of fuckwits (to steal a carefully chosen description from Hay). Talking during songs, talking on their phones, even taking pictures all drew a quick and rightful swipe from Hay. I also don’t understand what makes people yell out, ‘I LOVE YOU COLIN’, and then continue to talk right through the song. That’s real love. And if you’re going to heckle, don’t heckle Colin Hay – he just makes you look like the fuckwit you really are.
It’s hard not to enjoy a Colin Hay gig. Whether you’re there for the new stuff, the solo stuff, the old stuff or even just the jokes, you’re going to get what you came for. Watching and listening to the Scottish Australian American is an interesting experience. You’ll love it.
