Even Though I’m a Woman - Holly Throsby
(Seeker Lover Keeper cover)
My Review of Holly Throsby, 16.03.2012
The night began with the brilliant Jordan Ireland. Previously the front man of The Middle East, Ireland warmed the awaiting crowd up with his deeply beautiful voice. His performance broke through the tension of the week heaped on the shoulders of the crowd and swum above the chatter to envelop the entire venue. It was Ireland’s debut performance as a solo artist in Australia after his international tour with Holly Throsby and though his songs were reminiscent of his contributions to The Middle East’s repertoire their simplistic beauty set him well apart from the band.
The five piece band Bearhug followed Ireland with a stunning set, though it was unfortunately very short. The handful of songs they played managed to encapsulate a sense of dream pop and mysticism yet maintain a vibrant sound. This vibrancy got the audience moving as loud beats ricocheted through the room and the floor vibrated with the heavy bass. The crowd favourite was definitely Angeline, a track from their new album Bill, Dance, Shiner set to be released this year. Despite appearing well after expected, bad humoured jokes, amp issues and incoherent announcements the band pulled together a solid set.
Seemingly hours after expected, the always fabulous Holly Throsby finally made an appearance with an opening song that silenced any complainers. In fact, the entire audience was silenced as soon as her voice was heard. The delays were later blamed on “technical difficulties”.
This first song, We’re Good People But Why Don’t We Show It, from her debut album On Night, captured the audience and united them in silent appreciation. The tranquil track combined Holly’s ethereal voice and delicate guitar strumming.
Once the final notes of the song faded away Throsby’s band The Hello Tigers, made up of Bree van Reyk and Jens Birchal, joined her on stage. The next song, It’s Only Needcommenced with a stunning cello melodic line that weaved in perfectly with Throsby’s vocals. Her voice maintained its haunting quality but seemed to contain more depth with the backing of the band. The drummer branched away from typical percussion with various metallic sounds and ‘ping’ noises emerging from her area of the stage.
A mandolin appeared for Hi You Reckless Darling as the set continued. The remainder of the performance continued in a very similar fashion without too many hiccups. Whilst Holly’s voice didn’t maintain the same majestic power over the audience as in the first song, everyone remained faithful with the venue staying fairly packed throughout the night.
Whilst Throsby played other songs from her newest album Team, such as To See You Out, they were interwoven with many other songs in the set list that spaned most of her career. Her 2008 album A Loud Call was represented by the beautiful Would You? a track that featured a vocal duet between the bassist and Throsby where his deep, open voice perfectly aligned with her higher melodic tone.
The mellow tone of her songs tended to seem rather sombre but Up with the Birds slightly lifted the mood. The Hello Tigers provided backing vocals that seemed always a beat behind and created a dream like quality as the whole song seemed to resonate through the night. The real treat of the night though was Making a Fire which managed to perfectly align with the rest of set list whilst still having a rather jazzy feel. Throsby performed an amazing set that met all expectations.
Available at: http://www.fasterlouder.com.au/reviews/events/31910/Holly-Throsby-Bearhug-Jordan-Ireland-the-Annandale-Sydney-16032012
[AUSTRALIA] Free Music: M+N Summer Mixtape #6: Holly Throsby ♬
Mess + Noise have posted the latest article in their ongoing “M+N Summer Mixtape” series. The latest is Holly Throsby’s music playlist that she was listening to throughout January and features songs from M83, Bonny “Prince” Billy, Songs:Ohia and a bunch more.
My Review of Holly Throsby, 16.03.2012
The night began with the brilliant Jordan Ireland. Previously the front man of The Middle East, Ireland warmed the awaiting crowd up with his deeply beautiful voice. His performance broke through the tension of the week heaped on the shoulders of the crowd and swum above the chatter to envelop the entire venue. It was Ireland’s debut performance as a solo artist in Australia after his international tour with Holly Throsby and though his songs were reminiscent of his contributions to The Middle East’s repertoire their simplistic beauty set him well apart from the band.
The five piece band Bearhug followed Ireland with a stunning set, though it was unfortunately very short. The handful of songs they played managed to encapsulate a sense of dream pop and mysticism yet maintain a vibrant sound. This vibrancy got the audience moving as loud beats ricocheted through the room and the floor vibrated with the heavy bass. The crowd favourite was definitely Angeline, a track from their new album Bill, Dance, Shiner set to be released this year. Despite appearing well after expected, bad humoured jokes, amp issues and incoherent announcements the band pulled together a solid set.
Seemingly hours after expected, the always fabulous Holly Throsby finally made an appearance with an opening song that silenced any complainers. In fact, the entire audience was silenced as soon as her voice was heard. The delays were later blamed on “technical difficulties”.
This first song, We’re Good People But Why Don’t We Show It, from her debut album On Night, captured the audience and united them in silent appreciation. The tranquil track combined Holly’s ethereal voice and delicate guitar strumming.
Once the final notes of the song faded away Throsby’s band The Hello Tigers, made up of Bree van Reyk and Jens Birchal, joined her on stage. The next song, It’s Only Needcommenced with a stunning cello melodic line that weaved in perfectly with Throsby’s vocals. Her voice maintained its haunting quality but seemed to contain more depth with the backing of the band. The drummer branched away from typical percussion with various metallic sounds and ‘ping’ noises emerging from her area of the stage.
A mandolin appeared for Hi You Reckless Darling as the set continued. The remainder of the performance continued in a very similar fashion without too many hiccups. Whilst Holly’s voice didn’t maintain the same majestic power over the audience as in the first song, everyone remained faithful with the venue staying fairly packed throughout the night.
Whilst Throsby played other songs from her newest album Team, such as To See You Out, they were interwoven with many other songs in the set list that spaned most of her career. Her 2008 album A Loud Call was represented by the beautiful Would You? a track that featured a vocal duet between the bassist and Throsby where his deep, open voice perfectly aligned with her higher melodic tone.
The mellow tone of her songs tended to seem rather sombre but Up with the Birds slightly lifted the mood. The Hello Tigers provided backing vocals that seemed always a beat behind and created a dream like quality as the whole song seemed to resonate through the night. The real treat of the night though was Making a Fire which managed to perfectly align with the rest of set list whilst still having a rather jazzy feel. Throsby performed an amazing set that met all expectations.
Available at: http://www.fasterlouder.com.au/reviews/events/31910/Holly-Throsby-Bearhug-Jordan-Ireland-the-Annandale-Sydney-16032012
