Dirty Three, Eleanor Jawurlngali @ Hindley Street Music Hall, Adelaide 24/6/2024

Twelve years have passed since Dirty Three last played Adelaide. Coincidently, it is also twelve years between their last album, Towards the Sun and their latest Love Changes Everything. Dirty Three of course are Warren Ellis on violin (also plays with Nick Cave), Mick Turner on guitar (ex Moodist) and Jim White on drums (and has played with everyone from PJ Harvey, Smog to Kim Salmon). Dirty Three have been playing off and on, when other commitments allow, since 1992.

Eleanor Jawuringali has worked with Mick Turner and was the perfect choice for support artist. She hails from a small outback community in the Northern Territory and blends English with traditional language. Backed with only Stephanie on an electric cello, the music was sombre and majestic. She asked and received “help” from the audience for the final song in clapping and singing the word “power” at the appropriate times. Beautiful.

With an announcement of “Wake Up the ceremony is about to begin”, the Boz Scaggs song Lido Shuffle blasted out through the speakers. As Dirty Three made their way out on stage the song continued, Warren Ellis grabbing the microphone, singing and dancing to the tune. “The best song to make love to in the 80’s” he announced to the audience, many who would not have been alive in the 80’s.

Warren moved to the keyboard and commenced the opening song Love Changes Everything 1 from their new album of the same name. The loud crashing noise that started the song was like a warm up session to what was to come. Parts 11 and 111 followed, the music ebbing and flowing throughout the room. Warren dances between violin breaks and at one time took a photographer’s camera and took photos of the photographer.

Warren Ellis is the talker, the dancer, the one who takes his violin and stands one legged on the road case. He converses with the audience; he doesn’t talk to them. But while guitarist Mick Turner stays riveted to one spot, filling the hall with soundscapes through the night and Jim White fills the hall with all kinds of drum beats, they are an extremely integral part of the band. They carry Warren along as Warren’s violin weaves sounds to fill the void where vocals would normally be.

Before Indian Love Song we get the first of many long narratives. These are not “scripted” narratives as one expects from bands but stories that couldn’t be told in other cities. He called Adelaide a “hard place. The people are hard and their music is hard”. Apparently, Henry Rollins told Warren once he agreed with him and record producer Steve Albini, who passed away recently, told Warren the Adelaide scene was the best in Australia. Sea Above, Sky Below was dedicated to Steve.

Between songs, more stories of Adelaide followed. They supported a puppet show in the early 90’s, they played The Tivoli the night the roof fell in, Mick got six parking tickets in Adelaide in the 90’s and swore he would never come back. And when they wanted to go overseas in 1995, Adelaide was the only city that would pay them to play so they could buy the tickets.

Everything’s Fkd was preceded by a funny story of a man who swam from the “Adelaide Ocean” (the Torrens) to Boston USA, had a coffee with Jonathan Richman and told Jonathan he was going to “kill Billy Joel”. I guess you had to be there to get the whole story.

By 11pm the band had been on stage for two hours. We were told “there is no curfew, so we can play as long as we like” and they did. At one stage Warren then asked for a belt because his trousers were falling down and a nail file. When the nail file was handed to him, he said “Only in Adelaide would you get a nail file”.

Some Summers They Drop Like Flys and Authentic Celestial Music pushed us towards the three-hour mark. Hardly anyone was leaving, despite this being a work night. Love Changes Everything V and V1 closed out the set, Warren dropping his violin to the floor and Jim and Mick closing the whole thing down.

They came back and there were more stories to be told, more tunes to be played. Hope from Horse Stories came first then a treat for Adelaide with a special fan request in Deep Water from Ocean Songs. Interestingly, other than the new songs, no songs they recorded between 2000 and 2024 were played.

It was well past midnight by now and three hours in. Jim White was still wearing the coat he started with, despite the long show and powerful hitting of the drums all evening. Unfortunately, I had to leave at this point as the car park I was in was closing but according to the set list, they played Sue’s Last Ride to close the show.

Dirty Three are a juggernaut. You get two shows in one. There is the music which is powerful in itself, but you also get the stories from Warren, which are riveting. I am guessing without the stories you would take an hour off the show, but what a loss that would be.

Warren seemed surprised when told it had been twelve years since they last played the tough town of Adelaide. Let’s hope it is not another twelve years before they come back.

Live Review By Geoff Jenke