Live at Lake Mac: Ben Lee with support act Elaskia, Warners Bay Theatre, baramayiba, Thursday, August 22, 2024.
I didn't go to Ben Lee's sold-out concert at Warners Bay on Thursday night with the intention of writing about it.
I was curious, having interviewed him on two occasions and being of his '90s "vintage" (give or take a year or two ...) a decade that is, I am told, being idealised by today's teens. That and Y2K. I do know my ultra-low-rise jeans, long past their use-by date when it comes to my hips, have been joyfully claimed by a daughter of mine.
But I digress.
When Lee was being described overseas as a prodigy of sorts, I was studying at university and firmly entrenched in the grunge scene, idolising Chris Cornell and Layne Staley and about to discover the industrial beauty of Nine Inch Nails.
My 12-hole Docs and I didn't appreciate a quirky Aussie singer and songwriter by the name of Ben Lee.
Until now.
Lee's lyrics were and are before his time. Serious and intense, observant and critical ... perhaps he was old before his time too.
But again, his lyrics ... intensely personal and intimate, yet universal. You can relate to what he's saying, how he must have felt when he wrote them. His songs are, at times, painfully raw.
These days Lee is relaxed and fun on stage and doesn't take himself too seriously. His performances are, I feel, all the better for it. His voice is stronger, more confident. He has embraced the "dad jokes" and the "dad bod" and gets a kick out of making his audience laugh. It doesn't feel like he is out there to prove anything to anyone.
When he wasn't singing Lee was sharing amusing anecdotes (lesbian fans, Evan Dando and an impromptu "hard drive" song spring to mind) and his World Expo '88 T-shirt.
I'm not going to list the songs he sang because that's not the point of a Ben Lee concert. He doesn't know what he's going to sing until he's on stage each night and breathes in the audience. He doesn't care if he makes a mistake; imperfection is part of his art.
My least favourite Lee songs received the loudest applause: Gamble Everything For Love and Catch My Disease. I don't dislike those songs, they're just not my jam. My highlights were Love Me Like The World Is Ending, Something Borrowed Something Blue, Cigarettes Will Kill You, Parents Get High and Lovers. I also loved Positive Energy, a song from his new album, which he played early in his set.
Lee has told me he doesn't mind if people hold up their phones and record his concerts - to each their own and all that - but I must say it was refreshing not having to watch him on stage through a sea of illuminated screens.
This audience wanted to hear - feel - his words, aware that they were being spoilt by the rare intimacy of the setting. And they showed their appreciation by tapping their feet - loudly and respectfully - on the wooden floors of Warners Bay Theatre, baramayiba, throughout the performance.
It was rhythmic and constant and, frankly, quite fascinating. A couple of hundred feet tapping the floor as one.
Keep an eye out for Lee's upcoming shows at Hamilton Station Hotel on November 1 and, Royal Hotel Dungog on November 2, and Qirkz in the Hunter, Abermain, on November 3. Tickets will sell out, and so they should.
- Prior commitments prevented me from getting to the theatre in time to catch support act Elaskia, but I have made a point of listening to her music since ... and won't be missing out next time. Ben Lee is platforming up-and-coming singer songwriters on this tour and this talented Central Coast indie-pop artist is no exception. Her music has featured in Home & Away, Dynasty and Marvels Runaways.
