Barney Bentall comes into his own and proves easy to like at the Commodore

Local rocker Barney Bentall pulled in a sizeable crowd for his second straight night at the Commodore on Friday (November 9), and he and his mates put on a pleasing if unspectacular show.

Unless you’re totally turned off by Bentall’s safe, middle-of-rock’s-road intentions, the guy is quite easy to like, both musically and performance-wise.

Maybe a little too easy.

The elements of danger and recklessness that make for a volatile rock show—things that are second nature to a performer like Art Bergmann—did not surface during Bentall’s performance Friday night.

They were only hinted at near the end.

Offering Vancouverites the first live taste of tracks from the new, Danny Kortchmar-produced Lonely Avenue LP, Bentall and his totally adequate band wooed the crowd with solid versions of hummable tunes like the latest single, “Crime Against Love”, and the farmboy-finds-grief-in-the-city ode, “Life Could Be Worse”.

Guitarist Colin Nairne’s restrained, utilitarian boogie licks helped keep things on an even keel, as did a highly commendable sound mix. And from the sound of the new material, it appears that Bentall has shrugged off the blatant Springsteen influence that coloured his pre-record-deal days and come into his own somewhat as an original singer/songwriter with confidence and personality.

Bentall threw in one of the night’s few surprises when he made up a comical opening verse for the band’s biggest hit to date, “Something to Live For”, which the crowd lapped up before taking over the chorus on its own.

If Bentall can come up with more populist tunes like that, there should be no stopping him from becoming a fixture on mainstream radio and video channels.

But I still say a little more edge couldn’t hurt. It’s no wonder that Bentall’s version of AC/DC’s “You Shook Me All Night Long” got a much stronger response than any of his own tunes.