Bad MonkeyX review: Baterz: Live and Well

Live and Well, Baterz' live album, charms by its simplicity. Recorded live at a pub in Adelaide, South Australia, it features just him and his acoustic guitar, and he carries the songs wonderfully. These are straightforward, energetic, heartfelt performances of songs primarily drawn from Out of Hell (though a couple of Bedridden songs are included for good measure), tackled at a brisk pace and with plenty of verve. The atmosphere is laid back and relaxed, the crowd is fully appreciative (some of the requisite "banter with the crowd" is really quite amusing), and Baterz himself is in fine form. The main reason to buy this album, however, is that the songs not available elsewhere: "Nothing Is Too Mundane," the remarkably grotesque "Down to the Dump," "Goth," "Pole Sitter," and "Foreign Objects" - the latter two are particularly wonderful. It is for the witty "Pole Sitter" that Baterz reserves some of his most earnest and impassioned delivery; listening to him here, it is probably a good thing that he has not chosen to be a "singer-with-a-cause," or a message, as we would probably all be putty in his hands. As for "Foreign Objects," it is decidedly one of his finest songs, an exploration of the fading of love with time and age, viewed, of course, from a skewed and jaw-droppingly bizarre perspective. Perhaps only here does he outdo the earnest vigour of "Pole Sitter" - a truly brilliant performance that unquestionably confirms his talent. This song is absolutely essential - the album is worth the price of admission for this track alone.