Mia Dyson, Jamie Faulkner @Thornbury Theatre, Melbourne(16/01/10)

Tue 26th Jan, 2010 in Gig Reviews

The fact that Mia Dyson’s last two Melbourne shows have been sit-down gigs in gorgeously ornate theatres is both a blessing and a curse. Blessing because it means that one could enjoy this extraordinarily gifted performer in a most civilised manner, and curse because one couldn’t get up and rock out to her tunes!

Supporting on Saturday night was Jamie Faulkner, a fresh-faced, earnest looking fellow who sang radio-friendly blues, country and folk tunes amid the starbursts, griffins, and goddesses. Faulkner was quietly self-assured; no mean feat when you’re opening for Mia Dyson, and the mutual respect between the two performers was obvious.

I was privileged enough to see the Aria award-winning Ms. Dyson at the Athenaeum last March, just before she jetted off to try her luck in America, land of her musical idols. She was in fine form that night, playing with a merry band of friends that included Laura Jean, Liz Stringer and Jen Cloher. At that time, her idiosyncratic look paid tribute to Lucinda Williams; a singer-songwriter perched firmly at the top of her hero list.

This time at the Thornbury Theatre, however, Mia walked up on stage all on her lonesome. Gone was the blonde-streaked, bouffed up hair and the funky dress of last year. Instead, she was sporting a short cut of wispy black strands, a suit jacket, wide-cuffed shirt and tight jeans. She looked like a combination of Bob Dylan circa ‘64 and Beethoven! Having admitted to being a little shy about playing solo back on home turf, she launched into a set so rocking that it was hard to believe she was the only one on stage.

How could a performer such as Mia Dyson have any doubt over her abilities to capture the attention of a crowd? The woman has a voice that could fill a stadium, and I’m sure one day we’ll see that happen. As my plus one noted, “She sings with real heart”, not to mention maturity well beyond her twenty-eight years. At the close of each song, she greeted the enthusiasm of the crowd with a husky, kittenish “thank you”, which had the punters tittering. The set included songs from all three of her albums, plus some new ones which road tested extremely well. Highlights included Parking Lots, Never Felt Young, You and Me and a Lucinda Williams cover.

Mia Dyson seems to have an almost preternatural synergy with her instrument. Perhaps it’s the fact her “Dyson” guitars are made for her with a father’s love! In fact, so much does Mia love her guitar that it features on her new t-shirts, which were being sold by her sister on the night. The new merch was most appealing, as is her slick new black and red website, which will hopefully encourage more and more Yankees to get onboard the Dyson bandwagon.

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