That's My Dandruff!

The oppressive conditions at the Prince of Wales last night were a far cry from those at the Forum earlier this year, when I last saw You Am I. Their Cup Eve show has become traditional over the last few years, and seeing them back in these overheated, smoky and stifling surrounds, it seemed as if the boys were back in their natural habitat.

Right from the beginning, Tim Rogers was at his flamboyant best, and happy to engage in banter and stream-of-consciousness rambling throughout the set – from talking about waistcoats to songs about revenge, evil and tragedy to reminiscing about when the stage at the Prince was on the opposite wall to where it is now. Gone were live staples such as “Jewels and Bullets” and “How Much Is Enough”, in their place some rare gems like “The Cream and The Crock”, “Moon Shines on Trubble” and the vintage “Applecross Wing Commander”. The latter saw one overzealous punter take to the stage, much to the band’s puzzlement – and Tim’s irritation. Generally, these people don’t even rate a mention after they’ve had their moment of foolish behaviour. Last night though, from his spot back in the crowd, this particular guy looked like he was about to pounce again and this didn’t go unnoticed by one Tim Rogers. He explained that, “If you want to come up here and jump around, you’re going to have to do better than that.” After promptly launching into a diatribe aimed at this dude (I don’t remember it all, but it somehow ended up with the comment that forms the title of this post), Tim finished off by firmly advising him, “Just don’t!”


Amongst the highlights last night were the punchy, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it “Constance George” and the classic “Junk”. “Secrets”, which to my mind, with its sweet harmonies, is one of the best tunes from Convicts, was also beautiful. “Baby Clothes” and “Wally Raffles”, neither of which I’ve heard live in ages, were great – a treat for the many who think that Hourly Daily is amongst You Am I’s best moments. The set also included “Whatcha Doin’ To Me” and “Judge Roy” from Dress Me Slowly. Not surprisingly, Tim managed to shut the crowd up during the few songs he was left to perform alone, including the gentle “Open All Night”.

The main set concluded with the exhausting “Thank God I’ve Hit The Bottom” which saw Tim manically strutting around with the microphone and spitting out the words like bile. Once it was over, with the oppressive heat and Tim looking severely spent, I seriously thought he wasn’t going to get up from where he was kneeling on the floor of the stage. After a short break though, with an amorous crowd shouting for more, the fellas (Tim sans shirt and looking much more chipper for it) came back for the rousing “Berlin Chair”, which never fails to take you back to that very quirky video with that little old guy dancing around.

On the way home, it occurred to M’s Nemesis and I that the boys are so much more explicit about their appreciation of the crowd these days, and don’t seem to be taking anything for granted. Towards the end of the main set, Tim commented on how great it was that everyone had come along to the show. During the encore, Andy – who you rarely hear anything from, made the same comment. It’s fair to say that these guys play every gig as if it’s their last, and last night was no exception. After a year where the media has gotten far too much mileage out of the band going through a rough patch, it’s so great to see them back on top and showing every single person who might have written them off, a confident middle finger.

So in short, thank you to Headmistress Andy Kent, PE teacher Davey Lane, Professor Rusty Hopkinson and Class F***ing Clown Tim Rogers for yet another cracker show.