Liam Finn tours, rocks Letterman

Posted in MUSIC by Marcus on May 13, 06:00AM

Liam Finn has announced a tour which is great because it means I can rant about his performance on Letterman a few months ago.

Playing live to millions and millions of people from the sterile confines of a TV studio must be no easy task. Given a few minutes to create an impression and lasting memory of a lifetime's work, under the scrutiny of television cameras, can make, break or just waste bands. Even when the band is actually great. See Interpol or MGMT for example.

In the 4 minutes he was on screen, Liam Finn probably did more for his career than any amount of touring or famous family references could ever hope to achieve. Playing the single 'Second Chance' which is a solid tune but no chart-killer, Finn and cohort Eliza Jane poured more passion and confidence into their performance than seasoned bands triple their number. Check out the hair-raising notes the duo nail from 2:30, and then fire up the adrenalin again at 3:15 when the drums kick in. At the songs razor sharp close, even Letterman is impressed: "Oh my gosh! How about that? Everyone alright?"

It's the kind of performance that's makes you tuck away a $20 soon after in case he ever comes to your town. Well time to break it out. Though he plays just Sydney and Melbourne so don't dawdle. See the Gig Guide for details.

UPDATE: So he did the same song on Jools Holland in the UK last week, with similarly excellent results. A bit less range in the vocals, but a more vicious overall. Results below.