Venue: The Espy Front Bar
Date: Tuesday 30th October 2007
Reviewed By: Heather. Photograph by Lyn.
If I'm going to the Espy it's on a Sunday night, so fronting up on Tuesday was a little out of the ordinary. However, after being proposed to by a deranged woman (actually an actress, don't ask) it was fitting that I continued on to have a glass of red and listen to some live music at one of Melbourne's best historical institutions.
We arrived to find that Emma (who we had specifically come to see) had been bumped to later in the night, so I found a seat and listened to two other musicians first.
Patrick Carr played a decent set, unaccompanied on stage other than by his acoustic guitar. Unusually for the Espy the decibel level was actually reasonably low, so it was easy to sit and listen while chatting a little to some acquaintances, both old and new. In between conversation, Patrick's ballads interspersed with some feverish work on the guitar were enjoyable and his smooth voice was nice for a Tuesday night. His last song (Nightlife on Mars) was the standout for me, and since I found this morning that it's the lead song on his Myspace I'm guessing it's a popular choice.
Next up was Cathy Field, who had a rather clear voice that overshadowed the guitar, even when she was joined on stage by Gary Shephard with a second acoustic. She enunciated every word, and sang in earnest to tunes that would have been well at home in Tamworth. Some of the lyrics bordered on being a little sappy - there was a lot of talk of heavy hearts and lost loves - which was a little too much for my taste, but I'm sure her songwriting skills would not be lost on the right audience. Her guitar playing seemed fairly solid, and her voice was strong, with just a few minor missed notes popping up here and there. The highlights were definitely the harmonies between the two on stage, which were delightful. I did spend a large portion of the set wondering how on earth she sang under the lights wearing a coat - I was warm in the audience attired in much less.
Finally, to a slightly dwindling crowd (which I guess is normal for late on a school night) Emma and co. took to the stage. I had never heard her sing before, so I had no idea what to expect other than what I had heard on Myspace.
Emma, bathed in red light, began with a soft, breathy voice that quickly became strong. The violin blended beautifully with the acoustic guitar, and the drums did what they were supposed to do all night - kept things together and blended into the music. There were no showy solos at all, in fact - the musicians seemed intent on playing as a united group, which suited the style well.
When the electric guitar was plugged in, things got serious. Emma turned from seated and relaxed to rock chick in an instant, but in the switch never lost control of her voice, which made transitions in almost every song from soft and quiet to loud and almost aggressive. She played the angsty part well in Trainwreck and Punch Drunk and things turned a little country at one point, which is probably inevitable when blending guitars with violin. One point I noticed was the contrast on stage between Emma doing the rock thing with her electric guitar and Hannah looking like the funkiest member of an orchestra with her violin. Despite the appearance, the sound of the two was unexpectedly fused together.
After a little technical hitch, during which we were treated to an impromputu violin/drum musical interlude, things got back on track quickly with the acoustic guitar making another appearance. Yet another breathy start was followed by some frenzied guitar work in Head Furniture. My favourite song by far was Over & Over, which was very catchy and enjoyable. It seemed to be the crowd favourite as well from the level of applause it received. The set wound up far too early with Doin' the Do, which appears to be one of Emma's signature songs. I was impressed by the musicianship in this one - the instruments did a "John Butler Trio" and seemed to magically multiply on stage, sounding like a couple of extra guitars were hidden behind a curtain somewhere.
I headed out into the cool sea air a few minutes later well satisfied with the night out. Maybe Tuesdays at the Espy are something to be explored further.
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