Quintessential Dave Dobbyn: Live at Dingwalls, London 19 July 2006

Dave's live Slice of Heaven   A setlist full of classics   Victoria Girling-Butcher

Quintessential: adj : representing the perfect example of a class or quality

This was Dave Dobbyn as everyone should see at least once in their lifetime: In his element - a small venue packed to the bar-and-beyond with punters ready to rock. Fresh from headlining a sold-out Toast Festival in Regents Park days before, the famous Dingwalls at Jongleurs, Lock17 Camden, was a much more intimate venue, and naturally sold out well in advance.

Being 30 degrees outside (at past 9pm for goodness sake!), the 500 of us indoors were in for a hot gig whichever way you looked at it.

After the openers Devil You Know and Whaling it was quickly clear the crowd were in fine voice and everyone was up for a party. Introducing the third song, Dave said Welcome Home had really struck a chord with the NZ public, and he dedicated it to our families back home - currently enduring one of the worst winters anyone can remember. 'We're all pacific islanders, really?!' got a good cheer. Come to think of it, pretty much everything he said got a good cheer.

Before I go too far, I must mention Victoria Girling-Butcher who opened solo with a  Telecaster, a fine voice, and some great songs. Both her stage presence and the songs came across with a confidence which wasn't so obvious last time I saw her - with her band Lucid 3 at Western Springs in January '05 (on the 'Chasing the Sun' tour, supporting  Brooke Fraser and our mate Dave again). The last 18 months has been good for her. Great opening set.

So back to the main set. Another dozen songs spanning decades, the set was full of blindness and light, flames, water, and wine - plenty of rock-rolling poetry! And as all good sets should be, the real abandon and roof raising was still to come.

'Asian cigarettes…' is one of those moments that cements the brick of Be Mine Tonight into the great wall of NZ rock history. And just when you thought that was the biggest song of the night: 'Here's a song with some great lyrics… they go da da da… ' and the crowd cheers in recognition, and proceeds to go completely nuts to Slice of Heaven. It was a party and no-one was going home with their voice intact! Another brick, right there. At that point he said goodnight… 17 songs later… we knew he'd be back, but that didn't stop us shouting and clapping for more.

Musicians note: Dave's guitars (mostly) Fender Telecasters sounded amazing tonight. I noted that at 'Toast' the backline was all Fender (Twins, maybe?), whereas at Dingwalls it was Vox AC30's - and I just wanted to go out and buy a tele! Steve 'StevieNeve' Roberts, (recently ex. York Street) did a great job on the sound too. Also spotted were Bruce Conlon and Paul Russell (ex. Eight) lurking behind the desk, both relocated recently to keeping chasing their musical dreams.

When the band came back on for the encore the place was erupting, and then those harmonics heralded the arrival of the song we all wanted to hear… Loyal went-off as you might expect after 2 hours of NZ's best, thousands of miles from home… and we sung like it was our song. Loud and proud. And it is really, isn't it?!

Finally Outrageous Design from 'Available Light' - sounding very much like a hymn for the 21st century - lead us out into the night. Completely satisfied, yet somehow wanting more.

Dave Dobbyn, you got heart and you poured it out tonight. And we loved you for it.