Washington @ Northcote SocialClub, Melbourne (19/06/09)

Sun 21st Jun, 2009 in Gig Reviews

Washington doesn’t need the lure of free homemade cupcakes to entice people to their show. Although, I they were a nice touch to an already sweet night. She claimed in her opening song that – œWe just need some whiskey and an out of tune guitar/ So many friends/ I’ve got so many friends’. There certainly was a bevy of beauties that filled out the outer edges of the Northcote Social Club, a fair feat on an icy Friday night. And aside from sipping a beer throughout the show, Megan Washington was neither drunk, nor out of tune. In fact, she was quite spectacular. Washington sounds as if someone is telling you a bedtime story, lulling you into a sense of serenity.

Washington’s jazzy pop ballads seem sometimes similar to Fiona Apple’s dynamic melodrama, and at other times more like Emiliana Torellini’s delicate force. She is precious, raw, delicate and powerful. She floats like a jet fighter.

Songs such as Rich Kids and Chelsea show off her gobsmacking vocal control, similar to Regina Spektor’s intonation and vocal pops. However, Megan does something that I haven’t consciously noticed in other female vocalists before: using her breathing as an instrument. Somewhat like using the slide between guitar chords to create another layer on top of the chords themselves, Washington uses her inhalation and exhalation to make sounds in between words. Not only does it give her voice tremendous power, but it also creates a consistent rhythmic quality.

There was no doubt that the best moments of the show were when Megan took to the stage solo. Despite her tiny frame, she commands the space, churning out tune after tune of captivating stories. After her will-in-song-form, Underground, my personal favourite was a love song between a woman and her gorilla (who eventually crushes her to death). You just can’t buy this kind of creativity. Anybody who can make gorilla homicide enchanting deserves a pat on the back.

However, Washington’s Triple J glory song, Clementine, fell short. I’m not sure if it is just no longer fresh for her, but it hardly roused a sing-along. Also, she did not even begin to show off her vast vocal range until the closing songs. The personal sibling song, Five and Ten, was an inappropriately calm song to use as an encore, for an example. Perhaps a better written set-list may have let the night end with a bang, and not a whimper. There needed to be a little bit more black and white instead of one (albeit beautiful) tone of grey.

There is no doubt that this is the Megan Washington show, not the Washington show. She soars above common preconceptions of the ‘girl-and-a-piano’ stereotype, and is currently gliding along her new-found fame. Bring on the album.

CHECK OUT THE PHOTOS FROM THE SHOW HERE