Last week four of Australia’s best female singers, performers and songwriters, Katie Noonan, Melody Pool, Sam Buckingham and Angie Hart, helped close this years ARTBAR season with their show, Songs That Made Me, a celebration of the songs that helped to inspire them as musicians and people.
Songs That Made Me, the live show, is born out of the album of the same name, devised and produced by Katie Noonan, the album like the night was a celebration of the songs that helped, in the words of Noonan, “make us the artists we are today”. Other than the four artists already mentioned, the compilation also features a whole host of other talented women, with all proceeds from the album going to support the Cancer Council.
On the whole it was a great night, though there were a few little niggling issues that diminished my enjoyment a little; primarily that throughout the night I struggled to hear any of the performers when they weren’t singing. Singing I could hear them perfectly, but when it came to introducing the songs and their signifance or impact to them I struggled to make out what they were saying. Which given the nature of the show was frustrating; but maybe that was just me, other sections of the crowd seemed to be hearing them perfectly fine.
Also the second half of the show was marred by some technical difficulties, largely in part it would seem because it started raining just as the second half started. Noonan in particular was really having problems with her piano, either with it not working, or cutting out intermittently.
That being said the four performers handled the situation well, and other than issues with the piano, the rain did nothing to dampen their spirits or really disrupt their performance all too much. If anything the rain meant things got a bit more impromptu, with the four of them having a playful “rap” battle, including Young MC’s “Bust a Move” and the Spice Girls.
Unsurprisingly many of the songs played over the course of the night were covers, with the song choices covering a wide variety of songs from Australia and overseas. Melody Pool opened the show with a beautiful version of Joni Mitchell’s “River” before Sam Buckingham gave a fantastic performance of Phil Collins’ “Another Day in Paradise” which featured some beautiful harmonisation on the chorus, and managed to sound almost unrecognisable from the original.
Individually all four women are fantastic singers, each with a slightly distinctive style which became more and more apparent as the night went on. Noonan for example can hit those crazy high notes, whereas Buckingham seemed to have a slightly country-esque lilt to her voice. But where some great singers struggle to harmonise, these four women harmonised beautifully, when they came together on The Pretenders track “Hymn to Her” it was simply sublime.
Other highlights included a lovely version of Jeff Buckley’s “Last Goodbye” from Noonan, which heralded the arrival of the rain. Though all credit to her, she kept playing and singing, whilst the stagehands rushed onstage with tarps to protect the instruments. Melody Pool also treated us to a particularly lovely rendition of Patty Griffin’s “No Bad News”. Whilst the show came to a triumphant, albeit damp close, with all four artists singing “Sweet and Sour” by 80s band The Takeaways.
On the whole it was great concert with sublime performances from each of the four women and with $3500 raised from CD sales alone, it was definitely a successful night. It was a night of beautiful vocals, “rapping” in the rain, and fantastic songs. Whilst adept at covering other people’s songs, the little glimpses we had at their own songwriting showed too that they are more than capable of writing brilliant songs of their own.
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Don’t miss Songs That Made Me remaining tour dates:
Fri 7 November
Songs That Made Me
Katie Noonan, Angie Hart, Melody Pool, Sam Buckingham
THE GOV ADELAIDE, SA
Sat 8 November
Songs That Made Me
Katie Noonan, Angie Hart, Melody Pool, Sam Buckingham
THORNBURY THEATRE MELBOURNE, VIC
Tickets and details he
THUR 13 November
Songs That Made Me
Katie Noonan, Angie Hart, Melody Pool, Sam Buckingham
JOAN SUTHERLAND PAC PENRITH, NSW
FRI 14 November
Songs That Made Me
Katie Noonan, Angie Hart, Melody Pool, Sam Buckingham
THE BASEMENT SYDNEY, NSW
Sat 15 November
Songs That Made Me
Katie Noonan, Angie Hart, Melody Pool, Sam Buckingham
THE BASEMENT SYDNEY, NSW
Sun 16 November
Songs That Made Me
Katie Noonan, Angie Hart, Melody Pool, Sam Buckingham
LIZOTTE’S RESTAURANT NEWCASTLE, NSW
Tickets and details here
Fri 21 November
Songs That Made Me
Katie Noonan, Angie Hart, Melody Pool, Sam Buckingham
THE BYRON THEATRE BYRON BAY, NSW
Sat 22 November
Songs That Made Me
Katie Noonan, Angie Hart, Melody Pool, Sam Buckingham
OLD MUSEUM – CONCERT HALL BRISBANE, QLD
Sun 23 November
Songs That Made Me
Katie Noonan, Angie Hart, Melody Pool, Sam Buckingham
SOUNDLOUNGE GOLD COAST, QLD
Tickets and details here: http://katienoonan.com/shows/
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