Matt LuceyRecently, I was lucky enough to get tickets to Tim Minchin‘s show in the Playhouse in Edinburgh. This was something I had waited years to see and lived up entirely to my expectations. Tim is world renowned comedian, singer, songwriter, actor, poet, composer and more. His career has been long and storied, with Tim seeing success in numerous endeavours. I first started listening to Tim years ago, during his comedy period and became and instant fan. In 2013, Tim quit comedy and pursued other avenues. From writing the music and later writing part of the script for the musical Matilda, to a slew of acting credits, Tim never really left the public eye.
History of Tim’s Career
While his other works are all incredible, his work in comedy has always stood out to me. Starting in small venues in Australia, even the oldest footage of Tim demonstrated his wit and showmanship. From “Dark Side“ to “F Sharp“, it was clear from the very beginning that he was a master at his craft. While he didn’t see a career take-off in his home country, he started to make waves when he moved to the UK. The main 3 albums from his early career, Ready for This along with 2 live albums, were all hilarious comedy albums. This skyrocketed Minchin into the realms of the comedy greats and opened up the world to him. For a number of reasons, Tim stepped down from his comedy writing and spent the following years making cameos, writing and parenting.
My Introduction To Tim
I was introduced to Minchin at the age of 12 by some friends. I was immediately captivated by his lyricism and music genius, which was overshadowed by his comedy style. Irreverent and rude, Tim was able to make me laugh with every track. For the following years, I would consistently listen to his live shows, learning the lyrics and singing along. While I never really paid too much attention to his later work, I could always tell the skill and the same genius at play.
This Tour – Songs the World Will Never Hear
Earlier this year, I was notified that Tim Minchin would be doing a tour. The first tour he had announced in many years. It just so happened that this tour coincided with my dads birthday. I immediately booked tickets for Edinburgh for June 20th. The premise of this show was appealing to me. While Tim had made it clear that this wouldn’t be an out and out comedy, it would be a combination of songs from throughout his career. A play on words from his song “Rock and Roll Nerd”, the tour name was “Songs the world will never hear”. The idea was to release some songs that made it to the stage. I spent the months following my booking listening to all of Minchins work, so I could better appreciate the show.
The Show Itself
The entire evening of the show was incredible. Tim started gig with a quick song about turning off your phones. Not many artists would put this sentiment in a song like this, but Tim did, and made you laugh doing it. The following hour and a half were filled with musical genius interspersed with Tim’s signature monologues. His accompanying band played superbly also, matching his energy and swapping instruments to match the current song.
This tour was meant to be a combination of early works that never made it onto any records, paired with some that were hits along the way. “Ruby”, “The Good Book”, “Rock and Roll Nerd” and many more were played through the night. While Tim has many more in his repertoire, these ones in particular made for a fantastic show. He spent the night walking the line between comedy and heartfelt.
Rock and Roll Nerd
“Rock and Roll Nerd” was always one of my favourites, an absolute essential, given the name of the tour. This song details Tim’s love of Rock, and his inability to make a career of it, given his musical preferences. He kept writing “Songs the world will never hear”. This sentiment is carried through the song. Tim describes himself and his nerdy approach to music, preferring the less cool artists, instead of the rock symbols. The music was outstanding and, a bit of an oxymoron, given the show was performed in a sold out, famous venue.
White Wine in the Sun
“White Wine in the Sun” was another highlight of the evening. This song is another classic from Minchins first album. The song paints a picture of Tim’s experience with Christmas. Australia experiences a Summer Christmas, meaning his experience of the holiday is all sunshine and white wine. He describes it in a way that subverts the classic Christmas experience most people are familiar with. Its also a song that overlooks all that, and highlights the same core of the holiday that is universal.
Travelling home to his family, where his whole family is waiting for him, no matter where he is. The final chorus sees Tim’s point of view switch to the point of view of his Daughter. He changes the lyrics to ensure her that no matter where she goes in life, he and her family would always be there for Christmas. Lending even more heart to the song, Tim reveals just beforehand, that he recently lost a parent, and emphasises that they’ll always still be with him for Christmas.
Dark Side
The third song I’d like to highlight is a fun comedy song. “Dark Side” is a reference to Tim’s usual upbeat and positive attitude, even when discussing heavy topics. The song, while not one of the most famous, is one of his oldest. Going through some footage of his earliest shows, this song can be heard regularly in his small shows in Australia. It was nice to finally hear this live, undercut with the footage of him playing it in one such show, decades prior.
Conclusion
I was incredibly lucky to get the change to go and see Tim perform live. It was the opportunity of a lifetime and only solidified my love for the artist. While I doubt Tim will ever entirely return to comedy, I look forward to seeing his next endeavours. That being said, I’ll never stop listening to his early albums.
