The last time I saw Seeker Lover Keeper it was in a dinky little restaurant venue just down the road from the Enmore Theatre. This was was during the initial run of the act back in 2011. It was a showcase of sorts, as the act made up of Holly Throsby, Sarah Blasko, and Sally Seltmann flaunted their universally lauded debut album. I remember that set being something special. All acclaimed individual acts in their own right prior to teaming up, Seeker Lover Keeper sadly exited the spotlight not long after that.
Now, eight years later, the trio have returned to Sydney, in a bigger venue, to a bigger crowd, and with a fuller sound. Filling out the Factory Theatre on Thursday night, Seeker Lover Keeper flaunted their new album, Wild Seeds, and managed to deliver a surprisingly fun set while doing so.
Acting as main support was June Jones. Playing a set filled with much of their debut album, Diana, June Jones was personable and honest as the crowd filled in early and enjoyed the brief 30-minute set. I’d never heard of Jones prior to the night, but if you’re after some new music and awkward unscripted banter between songs, definitely give them a whirl.
Entering unannounced, Seeker Lover Keeper opened up with “Superstar” off their second album, with Seltmann leading on vocals in the first half of the song, before Throsby closed it all out in the last half. From the get-go, their harmonies were on point and purely thrilling to listen to. Up next was “Not Only I”, with Throsby on lead vocals and Seltmann providing main support on the keys.
Swiftly moving onto “One Way or Another”, the band joked about needing the crowd to tone down their support, as the confidence boost would surely go to their heads. Lead by Blasko, the first three songs of the night were complete and everyone in the room realised they were in for a cracker set.
“Beautiful Mind” was up next, as all three women asked for some additional lighting on stage; ‘because, you know, we need to be able to see what we’re doing’. You realised here that all three of them had a dry sense of humour and were really just up there having a good time. I guess it makes sense; if you’ve got similar senses of humour, chances are you’ll like hanging out and making music together. “Beautiful Mind” really is a beautiful song, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it ended up sound tracking an ad for baby nappies.
They mentioned how this crowd was a little more pleasant than the patrons they’d been dealing with earlier in the week in Narrabeen, and then the set entered its middle stages, as “You’ve Got a Story To Tell”, “I’m an Island”, “More Women” and “Dear Night Time” all got a run. A true standout moment was “Two Dreamers”, the most upbeat of any SLK track. It was the mid-set pick me up the night needed.
Up until this point, the band had only played newer material, and having made note of this, they closed out the night with older tracks including their theme song “Theme I”, “On My Own”, the brilliant “Light All My Lights” and main set closer “Even Though I’m a Woman”. Probably their best know track, “Even Though I’m a Woman” is a master class in song writing and musicianship. The crowd knew this, loved this, and showed the band how much they appreciated them closing out on the track.
The trio reappeared for an encore of “Bring Me Back”, the Magda Szubanski dedicated “Let It Out” and closer “Wild Seeds”. Throsby spent a couple of minutes winning us over with humour, talking about merch sales and how much she loves varying types of merch. She is someone you’d struggle to not get along with.
Seeker Lover Keeper returned this year after a long time away and haven’t missed a beat since coming back. This run of dates goes to show that class doesn’t wane irrespective of how long they’re out of the spotlight. Hopefully next time they don’t wait eight years to come back.
Review Score: Four Stars (out of Five)
