Alex cameron – Forced witness

Review Score:

A+

The Unprecedented Times –

March 16 / 2023

Nobody writes quite like Alex Cameron. The Australian artist has been constructing a stage persona for himself since he first struck out as a solo artist in the early 2010s. He portrays himself as a dirty, greasy, sexually depraved creep in song. On stage, he slicks back his hair and dances in a sort of stilted, awkward sway. 

I had the unique pleasure of seeing Alex Cameron live when he opened for the Killers around 2017 in Toronto. At the time, I had never heard of Alex Cameron. And to the uninitiated, Cameron is truly bizarre. He walked onto a bare stage in a very unceremonious manner. He was accompanied only by a gentleman he introduced as his “business partner”, Roy Malloy. The man sat on a stool beside Cameron and held a saxophone. Cameron told the audience that the rest of his band had “gotten lost in traffic”. I never looked into it, but I suspect this is more of a humorous anecdote he tells at every concert, as the backing tracks were prepared anyways. Or maybe it was true. I like to think it was.

Cameron did his strange, mesmerizing dance beneath a single spotlight to a stadium that hadn’t yet filled up for the main act. He sang a few lo-fi songs from his early work, and finished with a more upbeat cut in “Marlon Brando”. I was brimming with excitement for The Killers, so I didn’t think much at the time. But days later, I found myself humming that repeated refrain: “feel like Marlon Brando, feel it, feel it”.

And thus began my deep dive. I eventually found Cameron’s album Forced Witness. And I was pleasantly surprised by the collection of tracks within. The album is a perfect 10 song, 40 minute run. Many songs portray Cameron in a pitiful state. He sings about life as a dirty weasel of a man. The kind who spends too much time online, falls for Nigerian prince email scams and drinks away the days. And like I said, nobody writes quite like Alex Cameron:

“The worst part about being homeless

Is waking up from a dirty wet dream

With a lap full of cum and a head full of steam”

Or 

“Our love was like a fire

I pissed on it so I could sleep”

His songs support the portrayal of his musical persona. He croons about exaggerated male ego, backed by bouncy synths and groovy bass lines that feel completely irresistible. The melodies are catchy and infectious. Cameron has a knack for storytelling; a skill which he utilizes to great effect time and time again. Despite creating characters that feel irredeemable, Cameron leaves you feeling bad for these helpless, clueless, pathetic figures. He’ll sing the most vile, demeaning line you’ve ever heard in your life and then let the sweet saxophone stylings of Roy Malloy take it away.

Before you know it, you can feel yourself moving just the way Alex Cameron does.

Review Score:

A+

Gubb wrote this review. You can’t get mad at Gubb.