[2013038] Dorian Mode – Boganville
Dorian Mode @ The Garden of Unearthly Delights – Paradiso
7:00pm, Thu 21 Feb 2013
It’s fair to say that I had absolutely no idea about what to expect from Boganville – I’d never heard of Dorian Mode, but I was certainly attracted to the idea of story and song combining to form a comprehensive coverage of boganity; the fact that Mode had apparently won awards for both story- and song-writing bode well.
But when Mode takes to the stage, he almost looks… well, nerd-ish. Tropical tourist nerdish. And as he perches behind his keyboard, there’s something distinctly cheesy about the set, which focussed more on plastic flamingos and flowers than the expected trappings of the began. Mode’s offsider, Andrew Wilkie (responsible for the musical content of Tap Dogs), was also bereft of bogan-ness as he provided musical support on the vibraphone.
I mean… a vibraphone. Surely the bogan percussive accompaniment should have been a bunch of empty West End bottles?
Their speech was very… well, soft. Gentle. Free of the angular ockerisms that I’d expect. And the music? Smooth, soft jazz.
What I’m trying to get at is that, at face value, Boganville was anything but boganic.
But the content of the performance was gold.
Dorian Mode’s stories of their central-coast began lifestyle were absolutely compelling; whilst it was almost impossible to reconcile their visual presentation with tales of their trips to the RSL, the local fishing club, or the bogan economy, the contrast provided an endless supply of humour. Mode talks at length about Bacon Busters magazine (the premier source for pig-shooters, complete with centrefolds), sings an ode to the vodka-swilling Sandy, creates a love song underpinned by the Cronulla roots, and there’s an oddly sweet song of heartbreak between bogan-boy and bogan-girl.
Best of all, though, was the Bogan Song Cycle – comical one- or two-liners made in the spaces afforded by a series of eight-bar jazz breaks.
The music is sublimely smooth, and Mode’s lyrics wry and descriptive – though not without a hint of compassion. The two men are clearly happy with their bogan lifestyles – even if outward looks deceive – and that results in a bizarrely contrasting experience.
And that’s the key word to associate with Boganville – contrast. Bogans and soft jazz blending together to produce a wonderfully entertaining experience… who’d have thunk it?