Tim Freedman
Moon light: Fans of Aussie band The Whitlams will be flocking to the Village on June 8th for a special acoustic performance by the band's lead singer, Tim Freedman. The Whitlams are veritable demigods down under; they've been going for 13 years, and have won numerous Aria awards (the Aussie Grammies); their last album, Torch the Moon, followed their previous two into multi-platinum status. Their music is piano based, hinging on Freedman's dexterous, quasi-classical style and his smart, sardonic lyric writing. Even if you haven't had the pleasure of hearing such highly-acclaimed Whits albums as Introducing The Whitlams, Undeniably The Whitlams and Eternal Nightcap, you will be dazzled by Freedman's virtuosity. And he's a good surfer too.
Merry pranksters: The Whitlams formed in 1992 when Freedman, Stevie Plunder and Andy Lewis got together and began playing at a local hotel every Saturday afternoon. With no drummer in place, the band performed "unplugged", so the heaviest pieces of equipment they had were the piano and the double bass. They started doing regular gigs in Brisbane and other parts, clocking up more than 300 shows during 1993 and 1994. The Whitlams became popular guests on radio shows thanks to the chemistry between the three guys. On air, they would josh each other relentlessly and good-humouredly, then deliver some killer three-part harmonies a capella. Eventually, The Whitlams drafted in a drummer and became a fully-fledged rock-pop act; tales abounded of the band's mad touring antics in a pink Greyhound bus - the same bus used in the movie Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.
Worst of times: Tragedy struck when Plunder was found dead at the bottom of a cliff in 1996. Three years later, Lewis, who had left the band and got married, committed suicide. By this time, The Whitlams had broken through with their hit single, No Aphrodisiac, and had won Best Independent Album and Song of the Year at the Aria awards. At first, Freedman considered disbanding The Whitlams, but decided to carry on, releasing the album Love This City, which contained such tracks as Make Me Hard, Blow Up the Pokies, and Thank You for Loving Me at My Worst.
Class act: In recent years, Freedman has gotten in touch with his classical side, collaborating with Aussie classical music icon Peter Sculthorpe, and touring with the Australian Chamber Orchestra. Last year he went on tour with the 80-piece Queensland Youth Orchestra, but it's doubtful if they'll all be able to fit on the Village stage. If you want to play catch-up before the gig, pick up the recently-released The Whitlams Years, a DVD retrospective of the band that features behind-the-scenes footage, live clips and TV performances.
