The Whitlams kicked off their Love This City 25th anniversary tour at the iconic Corner Hotel in Richmond on Thursday, which has seen them play a string of shows at the beloved Melbourne venue before they take it on the road across the country.
I attended the Saturday night show (5 October) and paid witness to an unforgettable celebration of one of Australia’s most acclaimed albums of the 1990s. The band’s performance was a testament to their staying power and the timelessness of their music, delivering a live experience that was both nostalgic and invigorating.
An iconic album with enduring messages
The 1999 album was bold and politically charged, and also marked a shift from their earlier, more intimate sound to a grander and more expansive production. Love This City captured the zeitgeist of this era in Australia, painting a vivid picture of Sydney’s urban life while offering a critique of the nation’s societal issues. Tim Freedman’s lyrics combine wit, storytelling and emotional depth with clever wordplay to depict relatable themes of love, loss and frustration.
Of course even 25 years later the satire is still often missed by people who don’t pay attention to lyrics – the titular track “Love This City” is an anti Olympic Games song that often finds its way to be used unironically in videos, commercials and other televisual interludes promoting the city of Sydney.
From the opening chords of “Make the World Safe” to the anthemic “Blow Up the Pokies,” The Whitlams played Love This City in its entirety, reviving the infectious energy and socially conscious themes that defined the album.
Frontman Tim Freedman’s vocals were as poignant as ever, effortlessly blending the wistful with the satirical, while the rest of the band sounded tight and dynamic. The inclusion of a brass section for this tour brought Love This City to life right in font of us on the stage, with rich, lush arrangements that captured the essence of the studio recordings – sometimes offering a pop of melancholy.
An energetic and engaging performance
Fans were treated not just to Love This City but also to a selection of other Whitlams classics, creating a setlist that felt like a gift to long-time devotees.
The audience erupted in applause during the emotionally charged “Charlie No. 2” and there was an undeniable sense of community when the crowd sang along to the iconic “No Aphrodisiac” reminding everyone why The Whitlams have remained so beloved for decades.
An extra-special treat for the Melbourne audience came during a rendition of Eternal Nightcap’s “Melbourne” as guitarist Jak Housden and bass player Ian Peres performed guitar spins during a particularly rambunctious instrumental break – playing their guitars lying on their backs. Freedman quipped that they were reminiscent of Louie the Fly dying in the old Mortein ads.
Other crowd favourites that fired the crowd up included “Royal in the Afternoon”, “You Sound Like Louis Burdett” and of course “Gough” – the jaunty song about the band’s namesake, former Prime Minister Edward Gough Whitlam.
For any long-time Whitlams fan, this show was nothing short of perfection—a fitting tribute to an album that remains as relevant today as it was when it was first released.
