Hibernian House was taken over on Friday night by two wonderful young singer/songwriters. First up was Patrick James, a surprising young talent whose eloquent folk music may have fit well on the Garden State soundtrack – especially the closing track “Burn Away”. A beautiful track, all it was missing was a montage. “Carry On” opened the set and tracks “Golden Sun” and “Please You” were among the highlights.
Though on the surface Patrick seems to be following in the popular trend of bands like Mumford and Son and Boy & Bear, there’s certainly no shame in it. His music comes from the heart and he’s working hard to keep his music eclectic at its heart. Lo and behold, no two songs sounded the same. This was helped with the support of Scotty Stevens (may or may not have actually been his name), who accompanied on the Banjo and even provided the backing “female” vocals for a later track. Adorable. He’s got a ways to go yet, but is definitely one to watch.
The sold out event filled to capacity as Emma Davis entered the room. The crowd, seated, was pushed in nice and close as the enjoyed the complimentary cupcakes and milk bottles provided, and cheered on the local talent. No doubt there were many friends in the room. We were there to celebrate the launch of her new single “Feel a Thing”, of which the video premiere kicked off the event. She would later close her main set with the track on the ukulele. It’s a beautiful piece, both musically and in terms of the video itself. It also got the biggest singalong of the night. Watch it below!
Following the video “premiere”, Emma – dressed in pajamas – launched into “Losing My Faith” solo, before Mark Stevens joined on the double bass, also dressed in his Pajamas, and later Leroy Lee with his Banjo and Harmonica. Plenty of tracks from Emma’s debut self-titled LP were played, including “Machines”, her second single from the record, which saw Emma on keys and was an easy highlight of the set. Emma also whipped out a wonderful cover of “Every Morning” on her ukulele. Though it seemed that most of the room (friends, no doubt) wanted to hear Spice Girls.
After Emma left the stage, she was heralded back and performed “Naked”, while girls threw their bras and guys took off their shirts. Whether or not this is a ‘thing’ at her shows, I’m not sure, but it’s clear she’s got her fans. And so she should. Emma is a beautifully talented performer who knows how to write simple yet sophisticated music, with lyrics beyond her years. She’s one of Sydney’s best kept secrets… but I have a feeling that won’t be the case for too much longer. All in all, a wonderful evening of some pretty special music… and numbed legs.
