Sancho

A fun Whitlams tribute to a lost comrade

After years of going on the road to play this hits, The Whitlams finally released a new album in 2022, the first Whitlams album since 2006’s Little Cloud.¹ It’s the last album featuring what became the classic lineup behind founder Tim Freedman - Jak Housden, Warwick Hornby and Terepai Richmond.²

This song is the title track off of the album, the nickname of. their tour manager and audio engineer, Greg Weaver, who died in 2019 of a heart attack.³ As Freedman put it:

He was everyone’s friend [and] I allowed myself to be self-indulgent; (I thought) I’m just gonna write this for the fellas, so we can all get together when it’s recorded and feel Greg in the room, dancing behind the desk. Which is a really fond memory.

Freedman is back at his lyrical heights in this. It opens as a conversation:

I′m not up for tonight Sancho but you know that the show will go on
So we ride tonight, Sancho to another glorious victory of song
It's a confidence game you know
They′ll come along to see a man that believes in himself

I’m low-key obsessed with this section. I love the idea of a glorious victory of song, that going out on stage is a battle where the singer emerges triumphant. As for the confidence game line, that pretty much sums up Freedman’s appeal in a nutshell and I love this self-awareness.

Overall, the lyrics capture the feeling of being on the road, with Weaver painted as the steady, calm presence that holds it all together. Freedman’s unique turn of phrase is evident throughout.

Thanks to the modern need to highlight the bass in all earphone listening modes, Hornby’s bass line really stands out. He retired from public performance after this so it’s a privilege to listen to his mostly unsung work.

I adore the outro, the band combining to create a soundscape that would be at home on The Beatles later work. Freedman’s piano riffs, Housden’s distinctive guitar, Richmond’s virtuosity, all anchored by Hornby’s bass. A true showcase of the band.

So what is the “gaffage and clink” in the chorus? Gaffage is a common Aussie muso (musician) term that no one feels they need to define. My best guess is that it’s a riff on gaffers tape, which is used to put down cables. As for clink, I found an interview with Freedman⁴ where he says clink is the alcohol in the rider - along with the sound the leftovers make in the bag carried by “Colonel Clink” after the gig.

I had the pleasure of meeting Weaver when I was in Australia and he was lovely to me, so this song has a little bit more resonance to me than most. Enjoy your song of the day!

1. Tim Freedman did release a solo album in 2011 called Australian Idle that featured a different lineup, although IIRC, the band members did guest appearances on the album.

2. Hornby chose to retire from live performance

3. Weaver had just finished Tim Minchin’s 80 stop tour and was about to go on another Whitlams one.

4. You can listen tot he full half-hour here.