Tim Minchin – So Rock (FringeTIX)
Tim Minchin @ The Umbrella Revolution
8:45pm, Wed 28 Mar 2007
In the darkened Umbrella Revolution, a spotlight suddenly picks out Tim Minchin, standing front-and-centre and looking guiltily wild-eyed like a blonde Robert Smith who’s just scored a blowjob off an underage groupie backstage. After peering into the crowd, he raises his arms and snaps them down – and suddenly he’s playing air-drums, perfectly synchronised to the snare coming forth from the sound system. Then bass, then a blazing guitar solo, then he’s singing his intro song So F**king Rock. It’s a visually stunning start, and the fact that I’m still singing I am so goddamn rock / I am so motherfucking rock over a week later is a testament to Tim’s ability to write a catchy tune.
Minchin’s songs epitomise the very best of Fringe musical humour, and his piano antics are both elegant and clever. If You Open Your Mind Too Much Your Brain Will Fall Out (Take My Wife) is a straight-up pop gem, Perineum Millenium – The In-Between Years showcases his lyrical wit, and Angry (Feet) demonstrated his ability to get laughs (and plenty of them) sans piano. But it was his encore (the tumor song) that absolutely killed me with mirth. Christ, what a shithouse pun. I can’t believe I’m leaving that in this post.
Tim Minchin is obviously going to be huge. Over a single year, he’s graduated to the Umbrella Revolution within the Garden hierarchy, and is constantly packing it out. Next year, he could fill the Royalty, Thebby, or even – sacrilege! – the Festival Theatre. With all the pop sensibilities of Tripod, but the consistently blinding humour of Kitson or Sammy J or Tomás Ford (who, I just realised, is also from WA) or… Minchin. This guy is the real deal.
One more quick note – you can buy CDs via his web site. You should. Really.