The Audreys, Nicholas Roy,Tracey McNeil @ The CornerHotel, Melbourne (12/11/2010)

Tue 16th Nov, 2010 in Gig Reviews

There was room to swing a buffalo, as Tracey McNeil opened the evening for The Audreys on a Friday night at The Corner. She sat alongside Matt Green on electric guitar and dobro, as the pair performed to a sparsely dispersed 35 – 50 people.

It was clear from early on that a fine vintage audience would be attending, as silver flecks were lit up on the heads of many who stood in intimate pairs or small groups and chatted loudly to the slow backing tracks of McNeil.

Nicholas Roy and ever-smiling drummer Adam Coad were the next support up. Their energy provided a pleasant escalation in tempo for the evening, with the pair visibly enjoying themselves as they performed songs with energy and enthusiasm, including Taxi, Walls and a song currently being doing the rounds on Triple J called It’s All My Fault. Noteworthy also was a song written about Roy’s late grandmother. A quarter of the way through, there were some technical difficulties and Roy’s keyboard stopped working. In a gutsy display, a slightly startled Roy sung the remainder of the song a cappella to a silent room, showcasing his stunning voice. Although not planned, the incident inspired a witty segue into the next song titled, Before The World Collapses. “Locusts, Floods and now my keyboard is the third thing,” joked Roy as people steadily steamed in throughout the set and took their place with eyes on Roy. By the end of the set, The Corner, although not sold out, was suitably full and ready for the evening’s headliner.

An ultra sexy Taasha Coates walked out to the stage, following the rest of the band and opened the set with the goose bump raising Oh Honey; instantly reminding the audience why they had all left the comfort of their homes.

“The rest of the band are very ‘folk’ but Taasha, she is just something else, she is just something else,” said a sobriety challenged mother of three standing next to me, trailing off and getting lost to the sight of The Audreys’ leading lady. With her subtly rotating hips, magical gypsy hands and hauntingly beautiful voice, she had enough sex appeal to almost turn the poor mother. Tristen Goodall’s roving guitar and applause-worthy solos and indeed the input of the rest of the band, did not, however, fail to please and brought a smile to the faces of all in the room.

“We have been looking forward to this. This is the first time we have played in Melbourne, when we have all lived in Melbourne. I’m getting a taxi home tonight!,” an excited Coats remarked in-between songs.

The night saw a great many instruments played, including the drums, bass and electric guitar, the dobro and the banjo, but also the spoons, the ukulele, harmonica, keyboard, accordion, tambourins and a melodica. The latter is that strange instrument that is blown, yet has keys like a keyboard and produces a polyphonic sound. It’s clearly an instrument that Coats is quite fond of and she took the time to explain it to those unaware in the crowd.

The band pushed their way through songs like Small things, Chelsea Blues, and You and Steve Mc Queen. Yet the highlight of the evening occurred towards the close of the gig, when Nicolas Roy was invited back to the stage for a remarkable cover of INXS’ Don’t Change.

CHECK OUT PHOTOS FROM THE NIGHT HERE