Reviewed on Friday October 30
The first time Peter Bibby performed in Sydney, he had his bottles of confidence (AKA his band) with him and had ciggies and dollarydoos thrown at him. To now see him solo on the stage with a guitar and an intimate connection with the crowd speaks of his maturing as an artist, though he still feels like he’s one note away from calling everyone up to take swigs from a goon bag.
At least a quarter of the crowd has come out just to see Bibby’s support set and laugh as his voice bubbles and squeaks its way through ‘Friends’. ‘Hates My Boozin’’ gets the sing-along treatment, turning it into an anthem for alcoholics. Even Bibby has to give it a disclaimer: “That song is not an invitation to go be a drunken dickhead.”
He plays a few more from Butcher / Hairstylist / Beautician, and has everyone calling for more after he takes a bow.
With the stage empty the curtains are drawn and when they open again, C.W. Stoneking stands in his white outfit, buttons done all the way to the top. His accent is so drenched in his Darwin-cross-Louisiana style that punters are constantly asking each other what he just said. But no-one cares when he belts out opener ‘How Long’ with his guitar wailing along. ‘Get On The Floor’ has everyone jumping while ‘The Thing I Done’ casts a haunting sway over Manning Bar.
Songs like ‘The Love Me Or Die’ and ‘I Heard The Marching Of The Drum’ feel somewhat underwhelming due to the lack of a horn accompaniment, but Stoneking fills the void with electric blues that carry on the groove. At one point he snaps a string and entertains the crowd with a ‘conversation’ while he tunes a new one; it’s a change from his usual shy and composed presence. He immediately gets everyone back boogying along with ‘Jungle Blues’.
The crowd sways in time with ‘Jungle Lullaby’, most arm in arm, before the band leaves Stoneking with his blues guitar and everyone is treated to a yodel-along of ‘Talkin’ Lion Blues’, the crowd hitting the high notes when Stoneking’s voice falters and ends up sounding like Mickey Mouse.
“They have a funny custom down South,” he says between songs. “You can say anything you want about a person, just so long as you cap it off with, ‘Bless their heart.’” But after a show like this, no-one could have a bad thing to say about C.W. Stoneking (bless his heart).
