Bunk Lovin' Men: Part 1

It’s easy to get used to the comfy seating and opulent surrounds of theatre shows. You don’t have to worry so much about some really tall person blocking your view, there’s no concern about copping mouthfuls of passive smoke and you get to enjoy the luxury of an audience that doesn’t talk through the entire set. Yet last Saturday night, not even the oppressive heat, smoke so thick it could make your eyes water, and farcical camera policy of the Hi-Fi Bar could detract from the wondrous spectacle of Dan Kelly and The Alpha Males, together with Augie March.

The first time I saw Dan Kelly was in 2003, (funnily enough) opening for Augie March. However, he only made an impression on me when I saw him about a year later, supporting his uncle, Paul. Alone with an acoustic guitar, standing on the stage of the Melbourne Concert Hall, Kelly Jnr began his set by charming the entire audience with the wry, gentle “Pregnant Conversation”. Having seen him a number of times since then, his skill at mixing up sweet, slower numbers with fast-paced, toe-tapping tunes, whilst still holding a crowd’s attention is something to marvel at.


On Saturday night though, The Alpha Males opened with the cheeky “Bunk Lovin’ Man” and played a set full of crowd-pleasers from their one and only LP to date. Tunes such as “Step Forward” (aided by the strained screeches of dapper Dan Luscombe and curly-topped bass player Lewis Boyes), the cheery “Checkout Cutie” and the fable-like “Lutheran Hall” were all enthusiastically received. Without a doubt though, the highlight of the show was the blistering version of “All On My Lonesome”, accompanied beautifully by the unassuming Anton and that intriguing instrument of his. To the untrained eye, it really looks as though he’s playing it by simply waving his hands at it in a spell-casting fashion.

The expletive-filled “Drunk On Election Night” still managed to sound sweet, thanks to the Alpha Males’ gorgeous falsettos. I’m pretty confident that even if they didn’t manage to hit the right notes, the sentiments of this tune wouldn’t be lost on the listener anyway. It was also great to hear The Kinks’ “Mountain Man” which I must admit is a favourite of mine, and fortunately for this biased listener, seems to be finding its way into the band’s live set pretty often. Coming to think of it, the mood of this song actually sums up The Alpha Males’ show(s) beautifully – it’s light-hearted, fun and always leaves you in a great mood. Saturday night’s show was no exception.