Photo: Kylie Keene

Melbourne duo Luluc are an ideal primer for tonight’s main event, Steve Hassett’s well-tuned ear providing a faultless harmonic accompaniment to Zoe Randell’s treacley alto. Cooing of lost love and longing, the pared down combination of compulsively tuned antique acoustics and exacting harmonies is inescapably reminiscent of The Carpenters, though the subject matter of their debut, Dear Hamlyn, is distinctly less upbeat. Taking us on a journey down heartbreak’s well-worn path, the pair treat us to the Hawaiian lilt of The Wealthiest Queen, contrasting sharply with the morbidity of tracks like Body On The Water. Its opening lines I found your body on the water/All wrapped in weed and sea vine, are enunciated so lovingly by Zoe that you almost forget to be bummed out.

Jose Gonzalez appears like an apparition through the stage’s hanging smoke and is greeted with the kind of roar usually reserved for musicians of the non-folk ilk. Opening with As Soon As The Storm Is Over, his head craned painfully low, it takes about two seconds for Jose to mesmerize the packed theatre with soothing vocals and the impossible range of sounds he extracts from the combination of wood and wire he so tenderly holds. Joined by Erik Bodin on percussion and Yukimi Nagamo on backing vocals, Jose launches into In Our Nature. Erik taps on Jose’s guitar case like a bass drum, the mic inside giving the dull thudding effect of footsteps in an empty corridor, while the soft tick tocking of Yukimi’s fingers on a cowbell imbues Jose’s flamenco flourishes with a quiet urgency – the result is nothing short of magic. Enjoying Jose’s music is clearly something best done live – a recording couldn’t come close to capturing the dynamics we’re hearing tonight. The Nest, Fold, Down The Line, Broken Arrows and Heartbeats (obviously) get a look in, the set closing with a powerful rendition of Teardrop. To persistent whoops and cheers, Jose reappears for an encore of Deadweight On Velveteen and a cover of Hand On Your Heart. Humble, heartfelt and hypnotic – this performance proves Jose truly is a modern day maestro.

CAMILLA JONES

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