Henry Rollins

It’s quite some achievement to be at the point where people will pay to listen to you talk for two and a half hours, and the magnitude of such an accomplishment is evident tonight as Henry Rollins takes centre stage in front of a loyal and packed-out Academy crowd. Just one year shy of 50, former vocalist for LA punk legends, Black Flag and a general hardened multi-tasker – the man is an author, actor, broadcaster and rock n’ roll raconteur to name just a few trades – Rollins leaps towards the mic stand and just lets rip, maintaining a consistent and intense tempo for the duration. From awkward sexual stirrings in the company of transvestites to a sense of harrowing bewilderment in Cambodia’s killing fields, Rollins mixes travel stories, life lessons and jaw-achingly funny social and personal commentary into a rampaging yet balanced block of intense speech. Neither a stand-up show nor a lecture, Rollins manages, with great ease, to keep the audience hanging on his every word, taking in the tough times as well as his many lighter moments.