Elana Stone Band @ The Toff inTown, Melbourne (29/7/09)

Sat 1st Aug, 2009 in Gig Reviews

Last Wednesday was a rather shitty night. I was deliriously tired from shenanigans at that festival in the grass, it was raining and there was nothing on TV. Thank god then I had put my hand up to review the Elana Stone Band’s album launch at the Toff.

First up was Brisbane lass Tara Simmons. She took to the stage with an iPod, (as solo performers are want to do nowadays), her sweet voice and a synth and created an airy, electro sound – not dissimilar to Sarah Blasko. Her voice seemed weak when she sang softly but came into her element with a bit of volume.

Husky was next up and the first thing I noticed was that lead singer Husky Gawenda was playing on a half-sized guitar. He’s a confident performer and there was no shortage of banter. The band creates a agreeable sound and it is easy to see why the crowd at the St Kilda Festival liked them so. Husky sang of infidelity depression and nostalgia in an adult contemporary kind of way. In addition, keyboardist and accordion player Gideon Preiss put out catchy little melodies and Marco Cascarino showed deftness on the drums. Unfortunately Evan Tweedie on bass suffered from a rather muddy mix. Again, it was a thoroughly enjoyable set.

The Elana Stone Band took to the stage last for the launch of their album, Your Anniversary. Ms Stone’s a diminutive creature, but with multi-inch heels, a sparkly top and a wonderfully enthusiastic and lively delivery, she oozes stage presence. She has a jazz background and it shows in the quality of song-writing and through her voice. They played tracks from their album and some not, like Rhubarb Ruby which generally hovered around the indie pop/rock genre. There was a slight disconnect between her energy and the crowd’s, as they sat quaintly drinking red wine and such. However, their tracks probably require slightly less genteel surrounds and they ought to be commended for trying to spark up the audience. Stone also attempted to recreate Flaming Lips’ balloons and confetti shtick which was amusing and a nice light-hearted touch.

It was a perfect midweek outing featuring talented Australian musicians, of which there should be more.

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