Live Review: Ken Stringfellow, Chris Stamey

The Petersham Bowling Club, tucked away in a very suburban corner of genteel Petersham, was the alternate venue for what became a mini reprise of last month's Big Star's Third Sydney show. Chris Stamey opened proceedings accompanied by some gorgeous strings and played us a selection of some of his pretty-esque, pop ballads. With an impressive back catalogue of material from which to draw, the receptive audience was treated to what amounted to a Chris Stamey sampler.

The word 'underrated' gets thrown around a lot more than it should but in Ken Stringfellow's case it's highly appropriate. Swapping between guitar and piano, often going 'off mic' and stepping down from the stage to play in the audience, it's apparent that Stringfellow has no problem getting up close and personal with his fans, most of whom he probably knows by name. But that's just the sort of guy he is. Before he began the show he gathered the audience around and gently but firmly encouraged those who had made themselves comfortable on the floor to stand up. Highlights of his set, which seemed to follow no particular order other than what he felt like playing next, included Find Yourself Alone from his 2001 release, Touched (also horribly underrated in this reviewer's humble opinion) and a wonderfully theatrical version of Superwise, off his latest solo offering, Danzig In The Moonlight.

While this was billed as a solo tour, Stringfellow generously shares the stage with fellow Big Star tour buddies, including little-known-to-Australia vocalist Skylar Gudasz, who performed perfect harmonies and was outstanding in duet with Stringfellow on Doesn't it Remind You of Something. After the show, a visibly exhausted Stringfellow still spent a helluva long time signing CDs and talking to as many fans as he could. Let's hope it doesn't take another ten years before he once again graces us with his delightful presence.