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 Photo: Kylie Keene
White Birds And Lemons have come all the way from New Zealand to open tonight’s show, and their music, a heady mixture of blues and folk, has the crowd intrigued. Melbourne four-piece Oh Mercy are as neat as pins, the kind of indie band you’d be happy to take home and introduce to your mum; already favourites on Triple J for their songs Lay Everything On Me and Seemed Like A Good Idea, their buzzing guitar pop is melodic and instantly engaging. The lead singer dedicates a song to an old primary school teacher (bless), and when they announce that their set is almost over, a good portion of the crowd cry out ‘no’, which would definitely seem to be a good sign. Though not yet out of her teens, singer-songwriter Lisa Mitchell has already risen to headliner status, and while she does display some nerves tonight, her performance is still solid. Mitchell and her band hit a spot somewhere between jangly, pedal steel-infused country and sweetly syrupy Mazzy Star-like drone, with rhythmic pianos and occasional, shivering touches of electronica rounding out the mix. Of the album tracks that Mitchell plays, highlights include Stevie, Valium and Animals, the last of which comes with a charmingly-rambling monologue about the difficulties of keeping pets in the city; near the end of the set, the other players exit the stage so Mitchell can perform the obligatory cover, Dire Straits’ Romeo & Juliet, solo on her acoustic guitar. Recent single Coin Laundry, riding on ‘bom-bom’ beats, brings the house down, but the biggest applause of the night is reserved for Neopolitan Dreams, and Mitchell busts out an extended version of this fan favourite, with its chiming bells and ‘na na na’ chorus. Tweeness does threaten to creep in at times, especially with Mitchell’s high, squeaky voice over the course of a whole set’s worth of music, but the strength of her song-writing is enough to pull it through.
ALASDAIR DUNCAN
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