Busking For Change: Josh Pyke, Phil Jamieson, Tim Rogers and Dappled Cities

This was a stellar gig. Casual, unpractised, riddled with mistakes, this was two veteran rockers, two newcomers and one talented singer-songwriter whose vision made passionate magic.

Josh Pyke’s fundraiser for the Indigenous Literacy Project was Australian music at its best – raw, honest, fun. By the time Phil Jamieson took the stage, I’d detached my soles from the sticky sticky floors of the Annandale hotel so I could tap my feet. These men knew how to put on a show.

Tim Rogers is seasoned, skinny, and rough as the skin on his face.. His between-song-banter could use a polish, but perhaps that’s part of his middle-aged charm. You can’t help but smile at a crusty man in a three-piece suit and a bowtie, belting out an acoustic version of Berlin Chair. Teenagers of the 90s rejoiced.

Dappled cities: two guitars and big, trained voices, even minus the remaining 3/5 of their band, were a professional singing duo with a boys-next-door stage presence, and an absolute pleasure to listen to, using feedback and echoing mikes to sound a lot bigger than they were. This is a band to watch.

I don’t even like Grinspoon. But Phil Jamieson has a boyish, self-deprecating charm, and despite clear nervousness without the rest of his band, pulled off one of the most impressive performances I’ve seen in a while. This man has a voice! Black Friday actually makes for a beautiful acoustic song, and Just Ace was a total crowdpleaser. Losing his guitar pick inside his guitar just made his performance more endearing.

And now for the lovely, lovely Josh Pyke. This was clearly who the highly mixed crowd was here to see – not least because the lineup had only billed ‘Josh Pyke and friends’. For a very small man, he has a booming voice and a romantic undercurrent to his songs that makes every girl in the room wish he was singing about her. Turns out was getting married just a couple of days after that gig, so I guess he has no need of such things, but to make her happy!

Let’s not talk about the Annandale Hotel – I know it’s a great historical music venue – but cheap drinks don’t make up for appalling red wine and a tiny range of beers on tap. Despite my longtime residence in Sydney, I’ve never actually ventured there, and what a night to pop that cherry tonight.

For a fundraiser for Indigenous literacy, I didn’t see a single Indigenous person in the crowd, but praise Josh for his passion and commitment to a valuable cause. Tim Rogers’ gave a touching personal ode to literacy, reading out a text message he’d just received from his daughter – her second ever. Each of the artists was clearly devoted to Josh, and his passion came through. The standout of the evening was definitely Phil Jamieson – he should harness the power of his voice and let his talent shine through the roughness of his band more often.

And you can’t get much better than a night that ends with a rousing cover of Stand By Me – four men, three guitars, one detached microphone…