Nick
Barker is a survivor. He began life in music as a bass player in
various Melbourne inner-city teenage angst rock bands in the 80s.
Then he had his time in the sunshine as Mushroom's great Rock Hero
hope. Then he "disappeared". But if you were out gigging you knew
that he was still there, still performing, still writing songs.
If you saw Nick at any point in that journey you'll know that he's
got that "thing" as a rock and roller, that thing that Tex Perkins
has, that magnetism at a performer, that look and manner which says
he was born to do this, and sometimes the goin's been a bit rough.
At the start of his Mushroom period Nick started writing songs to
feed the rock and roll animal on stage. Today he finds himself with
an accumulation of songs with as much appeal in their own right
as the performer himself. This album is testimony to that. Today's
Nick Barker can stand in front of an audience with his acoustic
guitar and simply perform song after song, songs from his past or
recent songs. No need for all the industry trappings. A man and
his music. Recorded live in Melbourne and Adelaide, Nick does just
that here, standing in front of his audience with his guitar, harmonica
and his songs. Songs about real life, things he's done, seen and
thought, stripped back versions of songs you'll be familiar with
('Miles To Go', 'Time Bomb', 'Imogen'), and rarer songs, depending
on when you were still listening. They say that a good song proves
itself in its ability to be played acoustically. Nick's songs prove
themselves here. Maybe the same should be said about performers
too. On his own Nick Barker is just as much the presence he is in
front of a band. (On Croxton Records)
Nick
Barker is a survivor. He began life in music as a bass player in
various Melbourne inner-city teenage angst rock bands in the 80s.
Then he had his time in the sunshine as Mushroom's great Rock Hero
hope. Then he "disappeared". But if you were out gigging you knew
that he was still there, still performing, still writing songs.
If you saw Nick at any point in that journey you'll know that he's
got that "thing" as a rock and roller, that thing that Tex Perkins
has, that magnetism at a performer, that look and manner which says
he was born to do this, and sometimes the goin's been a bit rough.
At the start of his Mushroom period Nick started writing songs to
feed the rock and roll animal on stage. Today he finds himself with
an accumulation of songs with as much appeal in their own right
as the performer himself. This album is testimony to that. Today's
Nick Barker can stand in front of an audience with his acoustic
guitar and simply perform song after song, songs from his past or
recent songs. No need for all the industry trappings. A man and
his music. Recorded live in Melbourne and Adelaide, Nick does just
that here, standing in front of his audience with his guitar, harmonica
and his songs. Songs about real life, things he's done, seen and
thought, stripped back versions of songs you'll be familiar with
('Miles To Go', 'Time Bomb', 'Imogen'), and rarer songs, depending
on when you were still listening. They say that a good song proves
itself in its ability to be played acoustically. Nick's songs prove
themselves here. Maybe the same should be said about performers
too. On his own Nick Barker is just as much the presence he is in
front of a band. (On Croxton Records)