Review: Lana Harris

Henry Rollins, ex front man of punk rock bands Black Flag and Rollins Band, is a charismatic man. He has the presence and easy manner that comes from half a lifetime on stage but this is tempered by the time spent on his more austere pursuits of observation, self imposed isolation and a hell of a lot of reading. Tonight he’s solo on stage, sharing the contents of his mind in the Brisbane Powerhouse for the first of three Brisbane shows – two added to the bill due to popular demand, despite the fact that Rollins has travelled to Australia no less than 27 times in the last 20 years.

Rollins works, moves, looks like a boxer. Short staccato sentences are tapped out relentlessly, full stops after every syllable working the ear drums of the audience. This is utilitarian prose: make the audience think, laugh, empathise; uplift and unsettle them. Do not waste a single letter. The rags mimic the approach– close cropped hair, plain black fitted t-shirt (that reveals he’s still in great shape), drill pants and sneakers – a perfectly functional outfit. There are no breaks – not for Rollins, not for us. One hundred and sixty five minutes of verbal onslaught.
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