ATP – In Between Days 2009: Fuck Buttons + Dirty Three + Josh T Pearson, 09-12-2009

File under ‘Better Late Than Never (Maybe): Part 2’.

Day 2 of In Between Days is easily the best day of the four, mainly because getting to see Dirty Three play close up on a tiny stage in a tiny venue (a Western theme bar to boot) with 100 other people is always going to make it special, but they take it to a whole new level when Warren Ellis suddenly decides a couple songs in that they’re going to have an impromptu and unrehearsed run through ‘Horse Stories’. From time to time you get to see someone play something really special and know that you’ve been extremely lucky and privileged to have been there to witness the event. This is one of those nights.

Despite having previously curated one of the ATP weekends, Dirty Three amazingly play second fiddle tonight to Fuck Buttons, who play last. It’s the third of fourth time I’ve Fuck Buttons and they still leave me cold. I’ve tried but now reach the point where I know that I’m never going to connect with the band and what they do.

Josh T Pearson is a pleasant surprise tonight. Everywhere and unmissable over the MBV Nightmare Before Xmas weekend, thanks to the combination of big bushranger beard and long white fur coat, his early set on the Centre Stage on Friday didn’t leave much of a lasting impression. Accompanied by a drummer for that set, tonight it’s just him and his guitar and he decides to play us some new songs. This consists of maybe three or four songs, deep, brooding country torch songs, each lasting eight or ten minutes but which never stop from holding your full attention.