QPAC Concert Hall               Fri Nov 23

Upon entering Concert Hall it's hard not to admire the grandeur that such a setting projects. The Queensland Orchestra are seated onstage and as The Whitlams enter, Tim Freedman and Co are simply dwarfed by the 40 or so phenomenal musicians seated behind them. Freedman has put 18 of his autobiographical/socio-political piano-pop tunes in the hands of eight different composers and tonight's selection is the result of those collaborations.

They open poignantly with what is undeniably their biggest hit in No Aphrodisiac, but the composition is annoyingly predictable and does not do the song justice. This, however, is an isolated incident as the rest of their two sets is decked out with wonderfully daring arrangements to some of their biggest hits. Met My Match and Melbourne are fantastically performed, with Freedman delivering his token hilarious political banter between songs and sips of claret. But it's Her Floor is My Ceiling and Buy Now, Pay Later that are by far the most impressive of the night, the orchestra bringing out the very best in each of the songs and taking them to a place that Freedman possibly never could.

The Whitlams and the Orchestra return for an encore of  'suicide and hope' ballad The Curse Stops Here, and finish with a very relevant rendition of 1993's Gough. All performers receive a very well earned standing ovation and as Freedman leaves the stage, it’s hard not to admire one of Australia's more intelligent and talented songwriters.

Cheers to you, Timmy.

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