It is always a brave move to launch a solo career, even if it has been a long time since your band was active, but that hasn’t stopped Ella Hooper from selling out venues all across the country in recent years. Her latest sold out show was the single launch show of her song ‘The Red Shoes’, a track that impressed us at Pilar the other week. But before Ella took the stage in the small band-room in the heart of Melbourne, I was introduced to two local singers that were the perfect choice to support such a great talent and unique voice like Hooper’s. Kicking off the night’s proceedings was Kira Puru, a young songstress whose voice grabbed my attention from the moment her set started. Playing an array of originals, Puru’s haunting style of music was a good way to start off the show. Accompanied by her Fender Telecaster, her impressive vocal range took centre stage and captivated the building crowd and every song got the ovation it deserved. What stood out most during Puru’s set was the contrast between the dark, minor chord progressions and her heavenly voice. Her varying register from raspy and low to angelic and high, complemented by her heavily reverberated guitar was reminiscent of Jeff Buckley, which to me made this unique performance even more enjoyable and made her the perfect opener for this gig. Next to hit the stage with his acoustic guitar was Glen Mossop of Melbourne Blues Rock heavyweights Bonjah. Much like Kira Puru, I was hooked by Mossop’s voice from the second he opened his mouth. His raw and rough voice was a great way to change things up from the previous set, but not too much of a change to be out of place. Mossop’s set was incredibly well structured, with each song showcasing a different texture to his strong and addictive. As this enjoyable set of Bob Dylan-esque Blues Rock was moving along, the crowd’s excitement for Ella Hooper’s set was pumped up to 11 as she made her way on stage to sing alongside Mossop on the Bonjah track ‘Beautiful Wild’, a hauntingly beautiful duet that was definitely a highlight of an already fantastic set. At this point the room was well and truly filled to the brim and excitement was off the charts (and this wasn’t just me). To finish off his stunning set, Mossop got the crowd singing along to a fantastic cover of the Creedence Clearwater Revival hit “Midnight Special”. After twenty minutes of waiting anxiously the sold out Shebeen erupted as Ella Hooper emerged from the crowd to kick off her much anticipated set, and from that moment I knew that the crowd was in for quite a show. Hooper’s huge voice just draws you in from the moment she opens her mouth. Her impressive vocal range is put to the test within the first two songs, and it passes with flying colours. A majority of Hooper’s 45-minute set was made up of songs that will be featured on her debut solo release ‘In Tongues’, which she hinted would be out mid-to-late September. Each of the new tracks contrasted well with each other with the rough and eerie qualities of ‘Wild Stallions’ juxtaposing the synth and reverb title-track ‘In Tongues’. As the set progressed, Hooper’s voice just kept getting better and better, with her versatility being shown in every new song that was played. Her three-piece band of a guitarist, bass/synth player and sample-pad/guitarist the only things needed to create a full, synth-pop sound. The instrumentation throughout the set was also well thought out, with the fluctuations from upbeat songs to slow ballads being complimented by the instrumentation of the songs. Nearing the end of the set we saw Sydney singer/songwriter Jack Colwell make his way onto the stage for a mesmerising duet cover of the Kate Bush classic ‘Cloudbusting’. The powerful song was interpreted incredibly well by all parties, with the bands involvement adding the to huge vocal efforts of Hooper and Colwell. To finish up an amazing performance and this short 2-show tour was the reason we were all there, to see ‘The Red Shoes’ performed live. I loved the song from the moment I heard the recorded, but like many great songs, it translates perfectly live, with its punchy intro sounder fuller than the recording and getting the crowd dancing with the slightest of ease. Its catchy chorus was definitely stuck in my head for a few hours after the show, thanks to the capacity crowd singing along in full voice. If I was to take anything away from this show was that we here in Melbourne are incredibly lucky people. I discovered two incredibly talented singer/songwriters whose careers I will now follow extensively and got to see one of Australia’s best female artists whose upcoming album will definitely send her back into the stratosphere of the Australian music scene. OJ Many thanks to Madeleine O’Gorman of 123 Agency for being lovely and giving Pilar a media pass.
blakekathryn
discoholicmusic
jbbartram-illu
origamiaround
romaincrisis
2087
