Swoon:

You know you are at a Tim Rogers gig for two reasons.

1) The large amount of rather frightening male facial hair

2) The large amount of rather lovely ladies

Both were in full effect as I walked into the UCU bar at just after 10pm last night to see Tim front the Temperance Union. Massive sideburns in need of a hedge trimmer and women in skimpy tops and low pants. Such a contradiction and all to see one man.

The last time I saw Rogers play he was doin it solo and didn't seem to be having a great deal of fun, but he always was a front man and needed a band to bring out his showmanship and he sure did have fun last night. Playing with the Union allows Tim to get his Johnny Cash and Merle Haggard influences out to the people which is bloody great because there isn't enough "real" country in the world anymore. Not tight pants and big hats but songs about broken hearts, broken dreams, broken axles and drowning your sorrows in a carton of bourbon. But it wasn't all tears and wails, these boys know how to rock as well.

The set was almost pure Union songs only. You Am I had the same influence as The Kinks on the set with a single song for the night. The highlights? Tim and guitarist Shane O'Mara playing a guitar licks competition in the middle of a track that saw ACDC, Metallica, Deep Purple, Jimmy Hendrix, silverchair and Prince get a look in and send the crowd and the bands into fits of laughter and groans. And a grand finale that saw Tim leap of the stage, give his guitar to a bloke in the crowd and then throw the bloke on stage to fill in while he nipped off to the bar for a beer.

A good rock show gives one a nice warm glow and it was with this exact feeling that I walked back out into the cold Canberra night leaving the mutton chops and the well dressed lamb behind.