For the uninitiated, The Bedroom Philosopher describes himself as an art-folk humourist, and this seems to hit the nail right on the head. Despite a name choice I may never understand (as I feel anyone who has read The Bedroom Philosophies would agree), I went along to this show with high hopes. As a massive fan of the two support bands I felt that surely this was a sign I would enjoy the main act, but I have to say the jury is still out. I think perhaps The Bedroom Philosopher is like an M. Night Shyamalan movie. The initial reaction is confusion; but once it all clicks into place you're satisfied with the end result.
The night opened with The White Russians. Formally a four piece band, they took to the stage as a trio but you would never have guessed they were a man short. The band rocked its way through a fairly short set to a fairly small audience. They played new favourites, and for those in the audience wondering where they knew the bands front man from, they played a reworked version of the MGF classic "Pussytown", (although Beecroft has either grown up enough to not say the word, or felt everyone in the room already knew where he was going). For those who arrived early, The White Russians were an absolute pleasure and are sure to have won some new fans among the early birds.
Next was The Boat People, who have an amazing ability to play with the same energy and enthusiasm regardless of venue or crowd. The setlist heavily featured songs from their latest album, as well as a few of their classics such as "Awkward Orchid Orchard". The band is in good form, having completed their album tour not along ago. These Brisbane indie pop hipsters impressed the ever growing crowd with their specific brand of music; they typify the Australian Indie Pop scene without sounding like everyone else. Crowd interaction again was not the strongest point but the boys persevered and played a set which did them absolute justice.
And then the main event, The Bedroom Philosopher, took to the stage. As a Bedroom Philosopher virgin I was unsure of what to expect. The Philosopher (AKA Justin Heazlewood) and his band seemed to look like a typical indie band. Glasses, side fringes and skinny jeans were all in full effect, and then the show began. The Philosopher has an amazing ability to rework mundane parts of life into comical gold, and he began with his bargain basement description of what the show would entail. From the get go he had the crowd captivated, even if they weren't quite sure what to make of what they were seeing, they were definitely at full attention. Playing numerous songs from his back catalogue, including the hit "I'm So Post-Modern," it was often hard to keep up with all that was happening. Turn your back for two seconds and suddenly a band member has donned a dress.
And one can't help but feel that the human pyramid was an inevitable and entirely welcome end to the evening.
As I said before, The Bedroom Philosopher I found to be like an M. Night Shyamalan film. And this does mean that not everyone will appreciate it. He is certainly good at what he does, and has chosen a band which is good at what they do. They tick every box; musical and lyrical talent abound. Perhaps the greatest compliment I can give this act is that should the opportunity arise, I would definitely see them again and take as many friends as I could. I may walk away from the next show and hate it, but repeat viewing is definitely necessary to appreciate The Bedroom Philosopher in his entirety.