"It was a guitar swapping frenzy": A review of "The Lenders" CD launch

A friend and work colleague of Aff's, Tim Windsor, is lead singer, guitarist and harmonica player for a folk-rock band called "The Lenders". On Saturday night, June 25, The Lenders launched their debut CD, "wire", to a crowd of over 100 people. The venue of choice was one of Canberra's great institutions, "the bowlo" (The Wests' Turner Bowls Club). Any excuse to go to the bowlo is always warmly welcomed by this beer drinking, poverty-line dwelling student, but when the reasons for going extend beyond the usual aim of consuming the world's most insanely priced drinks (i.e. genuine 1972 prices), then you know you're in for a treat.

In what must have been a moment of pressure induced insanity in the weeks leading up to the event, Tim asked me to write a review of their cd launch. I considered this proposition for some time - was it possible to write the review and still devote enough time to my latest project of building an automatic cat feeder out of old milk cartons? The decision, in the end, was not a difficult one. The cat would have to wait - The Lenders needed me. If you think being asked to write the review propped my ego up to unbearable levels, then you'd be right. However, you should have seen me on the night when, upon arrival at the door, I was informed by the band's appointed, and self proclaimed "door bitch", Janine, that I was on the free entry list as - wait for it - the official reviewer. I, of course, responded in the only way appropriate - with the biggest Bee Gee's strut you've ever seen!. And of course, having been given the official reviewer status, any remanence of objectiveness or independence was instantly thrown away - this review was destined to be the greatest piece of fluff a band could ever hope for.

I often think a band's choice of venue speaks volumes about their tastes and influences. Based on this, one might conclude The Lenders like incredibly cheap drinks, enjoy the occasional flutter on the pokies, and I dare say, fancy their chances in the bowlo's Friday night meat raffle. However, on Saturday night, the bowlo ceased to be the bowlo as we know it. Instead, the function room was transformed into something quite removed from the Bowlo's usual existence. The band opted for a rustic feel. The lights were dimmed, providing a soft, welcoming tone to the evening. People sat on large tables, each decorated with a centre piece. The stage was endowed with red curtains, and massive red medieval looking chairs, which appeared to have been stolen from King Arthur's round table. I was later informed that these chairs formed part of the Luke Hambly's (the drummer) dining set. There must be some wild dinner parties at his house! If it wasn't for the large blackboard to the left of the stage listing the chef's specials, and the massive rugby function (complete with karaoke) in the adjacent public bar, one could easily have forgotten this was the bowlo at all (except, of course, for the world's most insanely priced drinks, which thankfully, survived the transformation). The decorations clearly reflected much of what was central to The Lenders. I spent considerable time contemplating the symbolism of the centre piece on my table - a piece of wire wrapped around an incense burner. Perhaps the wire represented their country roots, or farming backgrounds where things needed fixing, and fences needed building ? And the incense? Perhaps it embodied the contrasting softness in the band's music, their contemplative, philosophical side - telling stories of childhood fun, small town up-bringings .. and magic potatoes (!?) In the end, I decided it was simply a piece of wire wrapped around an incense burner, and made my way to the bar for further enlightenment.

The Lenders were supported by two other fine examples of Canberra folk music. "The Cashews" certainly warmed the bowlo up nicely, with some beautiful harmonies between the male and female lead singers. I am guessing, however, that The Cashews have fallen on rough financial times given half their instruments appeared to be purchased from Toys'r'Us. Their use of a multi coloured xylophone, however, was a nice touch. The second performance of the night, by Sara (pronounced "S-ah-r-ah") Vancea, also provided a most pleasant warm up to the main act of the night.

There were no clocks in the venue, so I have no idea what the actual time was when the Lenders first appeared on stage. My only guide of time was my beer consumption, which would have made it "4 beers'o'clock". At this point, the MC for the night , Tim Baynes, introduced the band, and so it was, with my fourth beer in hand, that the Lenders launched their CD. They began the first of two sets for the night.

It should be noted that I only met the lead singer, Tim, a few weeks before when Aff and I helped him and his partner Yvette (sp?), paint their recently purchased house. Tim, on that occasion, was covered in paint and dust as he went about the task of ripping old rotting floor boards up (at one stage proudly showing us the remains of a very long gone cat he had uncovered underneath the floor boards). You can therefore imagine the contrast I experienced, when I saw Tim up on stage at the bowlo, far removed from his world of house renovation. Sporting a sharp looking suit (without tie), which he later thanked his Dad for allowing him to borrow, along with trendy white collared shirt, combined with his quietly confident stage presence, and natural charisma, he looked quite the part. I must admit, however, at first (and somewhat disturbingly) he reminded me of David Cassidy . This took a little time for me to get over, but once the band started playing, it was clear this was, thankfully, not the Partridge family.

The band began ripping through a combination of their own songs, as well as some well chosen covers. They threw into the mix, a variety of styles - folk, rock, country, and yes, bazaar songs about magic potatoes. When 5 beers'o'clock arrived, in an unprecedented dilemma, I found myself reluctant to get up from my seat to go to the bar for fear of missing something on stage! This was a clear indication that this band had an amazing ability to captivate it's audience. Thankfully, someone else not so frozen in musical bliss, noticed my situation, and bought me another beer. As I looked around the room, I saw others facing similar dilemmas. I saw people without a drink, people needing to go to the toilet, or a smoke, yet despite this, they were glued to their seats (though facial expressions gave some indication of their internal anguish). Relief only came when a song finished, and Tim would inevitably have to swap guitars. This then sparked a flurry of movement, as audience members sprinted to the toilet, raced to the bar, or simply migrated aimlessly around the room in an apparent daze, only to plonk themselves on the floor when the next song started. I also took a number of "guitar swapping opportunities" to tend to my own needs, which of course brought forward 6 beers'o'clock, despite 5 not quite having been completed.

Like all good things, they must inevitably come to an end, and so it did for the Lenders' gig. This, however, was not without some effort from the crowd to keep things going. As the band said their goodbyes, the applause erupted around the room, and continued for some time. Being the official reviewer, and sensing the vibe of the crowd, I thought it my duty at this point to take the lead, and start the inevitable chant:

"keep the bar open!"

Thankfully, others in the audience were considerably louder, and perhaps more sober, and responded with the more appropriate chant:

"we want more!"

The Lenders appeared to toy with us at first with wild claims about not having anymore songs to sing. Finally, however, they caved into the relentless pressure of the crowd, and gave us one more hit of fine folk-rock medicine. Upon completion, the band then said their final goodbye, clearly meaning it this time, and I, along with the rest of the room, sat motionless and spent. If I were a smoker, this would have been the point in which I pulled out a cigarette, and just sat back in quiet contentment. However, I am not a smoker, so did the next most appropriate thing I could think of, and headed for the bar. This, as it turned out, was the very last beer sold for the night, which for unknown reasons, made me feel proud.

The crowd then started to filter out, despite the music for the night having not quite finished. The rugby function next door showed no sign of wavering in their enthusiasm for karaoke. However, my usual craving for karaoke was non-existent on this night, having been treated to far greater examples of music by the Lenders (and I guessed my usual karaoke favourite, "Cococobana", probably wasn't quite what the big burly rugby boys next door were in the mood for). I looked to see whether there was any wild post-gig party planned, but the band appeared more interested in cleaning up, and thanking friends. This, I thought, was the last great gesture of the night from this un-assuming, down to earth, folk-rock band who's only claim to fame is that "they are punctual". It was a great night, and having now heard their CD, "wire" a number of times, I highly recommend it to anyone. Well done boys!