For the first time in 15 years the Whitlams return to Geelong in the final week of the band’s celebration of the 25th anniversary of the release of iconic indie pop-rock album Eternal Nightcap.
The Whitlams will perform Eternal Nightcap in its entirety followed by a selection of the band’s hits and singles from other albums, including 2022 release Sancho, at the Wool Exchange on Friday, February 17.
Lead singer and keyboardist Tim Freedman said the band was excited to be rounding out the tour with three regional shows.
“Geelong’s always been very kind to the Whitlams; we used to come down and play that church, the Lyric,” Freedman said.
“I’ve come down often and played solo, but I haven’t brought the band down. So it’ll be good to play to our followers down there again.
“It’s a Friday night, so no excuses. We played the Wool Exchange opening for Midnight Oil in about ‘98, but I haven’t been there for 25 years.”
In the 1990s the Whitlam’s piano-based songs were a breath of fresh air for an Australian alternative music scene dominated by crunching guitars.
Eternal Nightcap, with singles No Aphrodisiac and You Sound Like Louis Burdett, was a mainstay in CD players at high school and university parties of the day.
Freedman said he felt the songs captured the experience of being a young person in that decade, becoming a “sort of fortuitous mixtape of your 20s” for many people.
“It was all about the stories of people in their late teens and 20s, and it just seemed to connect with people emotionally,” he said.
“Having errant friends, the hunger of city streets, and the confusion and passion of youth.
“And the other thing was, it stood out because we were sweet and piano-driven and there wasn’t a lot of that on the radio at the time.
“It was all power chords, mate, it was all grunge. I mean, I liked grunge, I grew up going to watch it. But I was a pianist, so I couldn’t get up and join that gang.”
