📅 Damian Cowell (Howler)

I was adamant that so soon after the last concert at the Corner Hotel that this might be some sort of swan song. Cowell soon squashed such rumours (clearly I was not the only one) stating that this was his last concert until he can be bothered putting on another one. He also admitted he may have duped us and that the gig was as much for the band as anything. I wonder if he felt putting it on the same night as the AFL semi final at the MCG might have missed a few punters or maybe he is a perfectionist who was really annoyed that the Cubase graphics crashed at all the gigs on the east coast. He also joked about ending Kestrel Hawk and starting another band with basically the same members was a means of moving on from one of the members. That was a bit awkward with the absence of Bek Chapman.

I was talking to the guy next to me before the concert and we were wondering why Cowell disbanded the Disco Machine. My thought was that it gave greater scope to play whatever he liked. Or as he postulated at the last concert, maybe it is about just being ‘Damian Cowell’. Regards to performance, there were none of the usual diatribes this time around, only a random discussion about a concept album involving Nosferatu and a young man who manages to escape the image of Nosferatu only to again be reacquainted old age in the nursing home.

I was actually left thinking about ‘the band’. Although there are new additions to the group, having seen the band three times now, I am left thinking that although everything is ‘Damian Cowell’, Andy Hazel, Gordon Blake, Emily Jarrett and Tony Martin are just as important to Cowell himself. They even found a spot for the ‘agent of entropy’, Will Hindmarsh, bashing away on the pads while trying to keep his headphones and glasses on. I always wondered with so much of the music being triggered by samples whether he would strip it right back. There was a glimpse of this with the three singers starting off the set with Don’t Bring Me Down, Proust. However, once the full band kicked in half way, it was clear that no one is going anywhere.

Although a different order, the songs in the setlist were pretty similar to his show on the 15th of September.

• Don’t Bring Me Down, Proust (Damian Cowell’s Disco Machine song) Play Video
• Fuck I’m Dead Play Video
• (Sort of) Emo (ROOT! cover) Play Video
• The Arseless Chaps (The DC3 song) Play Video
• I Shit Me (TISM cover) Play Video
• The Boy In The Box Play Video
• Cool For Catamites (The DC3 song) Play Video
• Sanctuary Play Video
• Damian Cowell’s Disco Machine (Damian Cowell’s Disco Machine song) (with Tony Martin) Play Video
• Get Yer Dag On! (Damian Cowell’s Disco Machine song) (with Tony Martin) Play Video
• You Asked. We Listened. (Damian Cowell’s Disco Machine song) Play Video
• S Club (Damian Cowell’s Disco Machine song) (with Tony Martin) Play Video
• Where the Fuck’s the Vengabus? (Damian Cowell’s Disco Machine song) (with Tony Martin) Play Video
• Garbage (TISM cover) Play Video
• KylieTISM (with Tony Martin)

Source: Setlist.fm

I must admit, this is the first music that I have gotten into that nobody else I know gets. Well certainly much as I seem to. It was funny seeing some older fans bringing along their kids, who clearly were not as engaged. Personally, I find the music equal parts serious and silly. While I find seeing live concerts cathartic, even better when they finish around 9.