Every time I go to a local band’s gig, I find myself somewhat alienated. I don’t usually go to live rock or pop gigs unless it’s part of a broader production like a musical. My tastes in music also tend to also steer more towards classical music (or even older!) My thoughts on Leonard Cohen are, broadly speaking, pedestrian. I don’t own copies of any of his albums and nor do I actively listen to Cohen on streaming services. Yet, I still managed to find myself attending a Leonard Cohen inspired gig from a group called Death of and Adelaidies Man (a play on the name of the concept album, Death of a Ladies Man).

What I’m trying to get at here is that I came into this gig as an outsider on many fronts. Nevertheless, I was pleasantly surprised with the performance. The songs were upbeat and easy to groove to, the disjointed narrative components were both hilarious and eyebrow-raising, and the performers were spectacular. A marvellously obscene, funny, and delightfully rude show.

As far as cover bands go, I often find it tricky to find bands that develop someone else’s music into their own unique style. Death of an Adelaidies Man was a pleasant surprise in this regard. Just as an example, they concluded their gig with a comically upbeat and powerful performance of ‘Hallelujah’. This was, for me personally, the greatest highlight of the evening.

Another aspect of the show that really made it a unique gig experience was the addition of ad lib monologue. This provided both a comical and a narrative structure to the gig and it was genuinely very amusing. The performers are clearly multi-talented and the lead singer in particular had a profound and punchy stage presence (he’d make a fantastic actor!)

Despite all this, there were a few technical limitations which I would have liked to have seen addressed more broadly. The lighting didn’t do much and the sound had a few mixing issues which made it hard to hear what was being said or sung. But these flaws are relatively small and they didn’t break the evening.

To summarise, do I think it’s a good show? Sure, if you’re into Leonard Cohen. If you’re not really into Cohen, it’s still a fun experience to listen to some live music. It’s weird, but delightful. I’d recommend having a drink while you’re there though. I mean, I did!

4/5 stars.