There’s always something special about seeing an artist playing a hometown show, especially if it’s Dan Mangan, and especially if it’s at the Vogue. So I was excited to see him return to the venue in the midst of his Natural Light Tour for a sold out show.

Opening the evening was Bells Larsen, who took the stage along with an acoustic guitar, to “whisper sing” at us (his words).

He opened with “Blurring Time”, the title track to his latest album, and explained the concept; the album was recorded over the span of a few years, both before and after his transition as a trans man, effectively harmonising with himself.
Other songs delved deeper into this, like “Might” dealing with the uncertainty of how he would sound after, and some were about those close to him, like “My Brother & Me” about their rocky relationship (he made sure to note they were close now!)

The whole crowd was rapt, near silent during the songs and then exploding into applause after, and after about half an hour he wrapped up the set with the charming “People Who Mean So Much To Me”. It was a lovely set, and I am eager to see him again with a full band.

Not long after that, it was Dan Mangan time, as he was joined by his band, guitarist Mike O'Brien, bassist Jason Haberman and drummer Don Kerr. The stage was set to look like the cottage the album was recorded in: a fireplace, rugs & quilts strewn about, low lighting, and a recreation of the view they had each evening, as the curtains to a makeshift window were pulled pack to reveal a serene lake with the sun setting over the hills (a video, so we could watch the sun slowly go down).

Before starting, he explained how he wanted to make the hometown show special by playing the full Natural Light album front-to-back for the first half of the show, launching into “It Might Be Raining” and the crowd popping for the hometown reference.
From there he weaved through the album, from the touching “No Such Thing As Wasted Love” to the upbeat “Melody”, and my album standout, the melancholic “For Him”.
There was a strange occurrence part way through, when Dan stopped “Soapbox” after a couple verses because someone fainted. He made sure they got help, with a very cooperative crowd making space, and then restarted... only for another person on the other side of the floor to faint as soon as he did! Dan wondered if the song was cursed and if he should even continue, but at the insistence of the crowd — in particular the person who yelled “once more, with feeling!” — he finished it with gusto.
(And, to be honest, it was a little warm and stuffy in the packed venue.)

After finishing the album with a singalong to “Hit The Wall”, the band took a break while Dan did a few solo songs. First a song that always make me tear up, especially live, “Basket” as well as one my favourite deeper cuts, “Pine for Cedars” with its charming wordplay.

Then the band was back out for the gorgeous “In Your Corner (For Scott Hutchison)”, before launching into raucous “Road Regrets”, Dan’s voice soaring through the room, and again on the (unfortunately) still extremely relevant “Post-War Blues”. They bounced from songs like the haunting “Lynchpin” to the frenetic “Troubled Mind”, before inviting Bells and his guitar back on stage for the perennial singalong “Robots”. With a handheld mic, Dan jumped off stage and into the audience to wade back and forth, getting everyone to join him for a big finish to the set.

Even after two hours(!) the crowd was still eager for more, and so a few minutes later Dan came back out, sheepishly admitting he didn't plan for an encore, but testing out a brand new anti-fascist song to wrap up the night.

I’ve said before how sometimes a band or musician will just fit a venue perfectly, and that's Dan with the Vogue. Before the show, I was talking with a friend about how many times I've seen Dan play there, specifically (nine, before last night) and Dan even mentioned it was his favourite venue to play in. I would happily see him play there as much as possible.

Dan Mangan setlist
It Might Be Raining
Diminishing Returns
I Hated Love Songs
Contained Free (Interlude)
No Such Thing As Wasted Love
Melody
My Dreams Are Getting Weirder
Soapbox
Cut The Brakes
For Him
Sound The Alarm
Proximity
Hit The Wall
(Dan solo)
Basket
Fool For Waiting
Pine For Cedars
(Full band)
In Your Corner (For Scott Hutchison)
Road Regrets
Cold In The Summer
Post-War Blues
Forgetery
Just Fear
Lynchpin
Troubled Mind
Fire Escape
Robots
(encore)
[New Song]

Bell Larsen setlist
Blurring Time
514-415
Might
My Brother & Me
Night Bus
People Who Mean So Much To Me