Live Review: David Duchovny, Winterbourne

It was a dreary afternoon, the rain continued to pour as a throng of people in coats stretched around the corner. A car splashed through a puddle. No one noticed. Were we all under mind control? Was this an episode of The X-Files? No, but David Duchovny was playing a show tonight. 

As the crowd made their way up the stairs into the gorgeous foyer of Anita's Theatre, glasses of wine in hand, the intimate sounds of neo-folk duo Winterbourne resonated around the vintage theatre. The Central Coast duo had the crowd toe-tapping along to their acoustic-folk vibes as well as laughing heartily to their between-song banter. They joked about guitarist Jordan Brady's contribution of one chord to a song, as well as asking the audience to cheer, because, "The more you cheer, the more we get paid".

A completely unplugged track that Brady and James Draper wrote during their years of busking in Pitt Street Mall saw a hush fall over the crowd, who appropriately waited until the conclusion of said song to release a cheer that we were t could pay for the "fuel to get home tonight". Breaking out the mandolin, or "little guitar", for their final song, the crowd was now truly warmed up for the main act.

Taking the stage to the sounds of AC/DC, '90s heartthrob David Duchovny and band walked on to the screams and hollers of men and women alike. Opening with a double dose, 3000 and the title track from his second album Every Third Thought, much of the crowd stood in awe of the fact that an A-list celebrity was on one of their small town's stages. 

Over the next 90 minutes we would come to call him David, and he would know us as The Gong. The eclectic mix of folk, blues, rock'n'roll and just a touch of country had most people up out of their seats, nodding and bopping along.

A cover of The Band's The Weight with its refrain of, "Take a load off Fanny," came with an acknowledgement that fanny has a different meaning here in Australia, and, as such, just how one would "take a load off" such a thing was up for discussion. Seconds later Duchovny exclaimed, "Shit, this is another song about my dead father. I need to sort out this setlist," which was met by giggles from the audience. 

Stranger In The Sacred Heart is a somewhat dark but soulful affair, the kind of song that dwells on memories. Self-aware and self-depreciating, Duchovny had the crowd fully mesmerised by this point.

Few shows are without their fair share of rudeness. Tonight's came when one heavily inebriated punter shouted out unnecessary comments, much to the disgust of many around her, going so far as to yell, "Fuck gun control!" after Duchovny's declared he was agreeance with Australia's gun laws. Stepping off stage and into the crowd as the band played their rendition of The Velvet Underground & Lou Reed's Sweet Jane, Duchovny was swamped by punters wanting to shake his hand or hug the man who has been a household name for decades. Closing with rock-poem Half Life, loss rides heavily on Duchovny's soulful words and riffs.

The band returned moments later for their four-track encore, starting with the slow rhythm of Spiral. The audience was entranced, quiet and respectful before Duchovny handed the mic duties over to his band for a solid rendition of Crowded House's Don't Dream It's Over, Duchovny stating that while he can sing he definitely can't do that song. The crowd and band alike cheered when he caught a bra thrown on stage by one cheeky punter.

Bringing the set to a close, title track Hell Or Highwater showcased more of that Americana feel while final hit Positively Madison Avenue was the band's most rock'n'roll moment. It's plain to see after 90 minutes of blues and rock that this isn't a man in a midlife crisis. Duchovny has talent, he has a voice and a hard-working band behind him. We implore everyone to give the man's music a listen.