Mia Dyson, Epicure @ TheGovernor Hindmarsh, Adelaide(06/10/07)

Tue 9th Oct, 2007 in Gig Reviews

There are some bands that never seem to overlook Adelaide on their tour itinerary, funnily enough; most of these loyals appear at The Gov, which is exactly where Ballarat boys Epicure and country Victorian Mia Dyson made a pit stop to show off their latest wares

Epicure brought with them a new found energy, radiating with smiles that contrasted greatly from the very grey mood that hung over their last performance at The Gov. The boys have been busy writing new music, with fresh single Cobra Kisses and a new album expected in 2008. And for the die hards in the fairly subdued audience, epicure did not disappoint with old faves such as Life Sentence , Tightrope Walker and Armies Against Me , with a new tune catching my ear called Bless This Mess.

I have often heard people say that white people don’t have soul, how unfortunate for them that they’ve never witnessed Aussie songstress Mia Dyson perform. Mia’s voice is both velvety and raw, making her so soulful, it’s like her words pour from the earth. Lucky for some that Mia is currently touring a new album Struck Down .

I found it somewhat of a shame that the entire floor space at The Gov was dedicated to tables and chairs, feeling like some of her fans weren’t able to do justice to some of the better known tracks like Roll Me Out and Parking Lots from Mia’s 2005 release Parking
Lots.

Like all blues and folk, I did find the entire set to be a touch repetitive, but that’s only attributed to the fact that I may not be quite as familiar with Mia’s work as the rest of the audience there. Precisely the same reason I ended up buying an album at the end of the gig, which I have been thoroughly enjoying.

Mia is a solid performer, and learning that all of the guitars she uses have been handmade for her gives it a nice touch (especially the lap steel she played during a song – the title of which I didn’t catch, but I do love a bit of lap steel)

Despite the fact the quietly appreciative crowd did not take advantage of the tables and stand on them at any point, and they made enough noise to indicate they were satisfied with the show, so we did manage to sneak a little encore, rockin out at the end with Blue Skies and Wheels on Fire.

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