I must say, Dave Orwell of esteemed Sydneysiders Golden Rough reminded me a heap of a guy who works upstairs from me - skinnyish (bit not rake-like) build, Blundstones, black jeans, glasses, non-descript light-coloured shirt, similar hair...and I wager this co-worker will have been somewhere in pub-land, although he'd be celebrating the Pies' shock win over the Bombers on this rainy Anzac Day. Dave wasn't showing any overt football tendencies, on the other hand. While his vocals weren't as good as they are on the recorded works, his guitar playing and general cheery disposition made up for this - it was great to finally catch them in the flesh, and the sense of romantic nostalgia you get listening to their CDs really came through in the pub setting. I must say, the Empress is a nice place - sorta small, cramped and lotsa rooms, with a cosy little feel to it.

Matt Walker and the Necessary Few were up next, and if I didn't have to go to work today, I would have hung around for more than the first few very nice songs. I'll try and catch him again soon, I've been meaning to see him for ages.

[ see all Golden Rough / Matt Walker pictures. ]