Live Review: Darren Hanlon, The Burnt Sausages, Aldous Harding

Aldous Harding kicks off the affair in a delicate, sincere way. Hunched over her guitar, Harding plays with a casual grace.

There’s a huge alfoil tray on stage and the crowd doesn’t quite know what to expect. The Burnt Sausages appear in character and pack themselves into the tray. As the trio burst out, the amused crowd is still unsure; there are giggles from punters and a female onlooker questions, “Are they serious?” The band stick to their guns, snagging hearts and cooking up laughter with their delicious parody and sizzling “BBQ punk”.

Armed with a banjo, Darren Hanlon struts on stage and jumps into Cheat The Future. After a hearty applause from the loud-voiced mob, Hanlon pauses just long enough for the requests to begin. “Play Ring Of Fire!” yells one. Not losing his cool, Hanlon diffuses the request, stating, “I’m not drunk enough to do that.” “It’s a bit early for requests,” explains Hanlon providing a clever segue into Early Days.

“I have a band here,” Hanlon states before drummer Steph Hughes appears with bassist Lyndon Blue. Hughes adds character to Hiccups; her quirky, garage-rock style perfectly compliments the lyrically loaded tune. Banter between Hanlon and Hughes begins when Hanlon suggests Hughes is somewhat of a fashion consultant for him, but pokes fun at himself stating, “I’m wearing the KingGee, so I’m keeping it real still.” Hanlon informs us the next track, Trust Your Feelings (When You Wake) is his “attempt at soul”. Showing he’s no stranger to virtuosity, Hanlon rips out a tasty solo and smiles bashfully into the spotlight.

Comically, Hanlon and his bandmates begin to hum the organ intro to Happiness Is A Chemical. “It’s cheaper than paying a pianist,” Hanlon offers. The group launch into a new number Fear Of The Civil War. As the tune resonates, it sounds triumphant, incorporating the lyrics, “…leave those troubled days behind”. Hughes switches to brushes and supplies laidback vocals that sweeten a ballad. They then swiftly launch into his classic: Punk’s Not Dead. Hanlon cleverly alters lyrics from, “She plays records of The Foreskins,” to, “She plays records of The Burnt Sausages,” giving a shout-out to his support act.

Hanlon serenades his audience through an autobiographical window into his childhood with the beautiful Hailey’s Comet, 1986 and his candid account of a recent near-death experience (The Chattanooga Shoot Shoot). Displaying true showmanship, Hanlon provides his devotees with not one, but two encores to conclude a wonderful evening.