Bic Runga, Ollie Brown
Brisbane Powerhouse 05.05.12
Newcastle-born, Sydney-based Ollie Brown strides onstage clutching an acoustic guitar and a bottle of water, which he then proceeds to drop, only to laughingly retrieve it and joke about it being “a great way to start the show.” Recently declared the winner of a competition searching for Australia’s greatest busker, Brown seems a little unsure of himself when he’s not playing his guitar and singing, but his between songs banter is smart and amusing. Moreover, his music amply demonstrates that he has nothing to be unsure or nervous about.
Brown is an old-school troubadour. He writes and plays the sorts of songs that call to mind a young Bob Dylan, earnest and confessional without ever tipping over into saccharine sentimentality. Indeed, early on he delivers a stellar cover of Jackson Browne’s ‘These Days’ and confesses to the audience that Browne – “like my surname, but with an ‘e’!” – is one of his musical heroes. He then proceeds to play a number of songs from his debut EP, Moving On, with the blistering ‘Bedford Avenue’ proving a particular highlight alongside a clutch of accomplished new songs. Brown is just about to begin recording his debut album and, based on tonight’s captivating performance, his star is deservedly on the rise.
It’s been six years since Bic Runga last graced a Brisbane stage and the Powerhouse Theatre has sold-out, something she expresses both amazement at and gratitude for early on in her set. Runga plays the first handful of songs solo with only her electric guitar for accompaniment. She begins proceedings with a clutch of spare, stripped back renditions of some of her most emotionally vulnerable songs: ‘When I See You Smile,’ ‘No Crying No More,’ ‘Something Good’ and the aching ‘Drive.’ It’s apparent from the get-go that time away from performing has done nothing to diminish the range or quiet power of Runga’s voice. When her band joins her onstage she launches into a compelling rendition of the title track from her recently released fourth studio album, ‘Belle.’
The song was the theme tune to a 1960s French children’s television show and requires Runga to sing in a sustained higher pitch, something she does with admirable aplomb. The rest of Runga’s generous set is a delight for long-time fans, offering up both some of her best-known songs as well as gems from each of her studio albums. She’s a wonderful vocalist, as capable of singing perfectly in a higher register as she is adept at accessing her lower register, and the setlist features one great song after another, mixing old favourites like ‘No Crying No More’ and ‘Winning Arrow’ (from 2005’s Birds) and ‘Beautiful Collision,’ ‘Precious Things’ and ‘Listening For The Weather (from 2002’s Beautiful Collision) with debut performances of songs from her latest album.
Runga was accompanied onstage by a small but brilliantly dexterous group of musicians, all of whom seemed as at home playing bass or drums as they did picking up a trumpet or settling in front of the keyboards. Runga moved between playing acoustic and electric guitar, as well as keyboards, her band member’s never overwhelming her strong but fragile voice with their playing. There was something especially vulnerable and emotionally resonant about Runga, cutting a petite figure as she stood onstage, plucking at the strings of her acoustic and electric guitars, as she sang songs like the wrenching ‘Bursting Through,’ the breezily melodic ‘Sway’ and the heartbreaking ‘She Left On A Monday.’ The latter wasn’t originally part of the setlist, but she agreeably launched into it after an audience member requested it and it was a moving, elegiac end to a beautiful live performance.
– Heidi Maier.
