Jez Mead, Lanie Lane @ TheFront, Canberra (25/11/2010)

Sun 28th Nov, 2010 in Gig Reviews

The seemingly shy Lanie Lane opened a balmy Spring night at The Front in Lyneham last Thursday. It didn’t take Lane long to show that she was far from timid when playing her beloved guitar, Betty, and singing what would be an unexpectedly unique set.

Lane is currently joining Jez Mead around the country, this being her first national tour, celebrating the launch of her single, What Do I Do. After wowing the small crowd with opener, Lipstick, she went on to play an entire set of blues, pop, and country inspired original ditties.

Lane sings from deep down in her chest about her life, her love and her becomingly infamous partner in crime, Betty. Crowd favourites of the night were Don’t Cry and current single, What Do I Do. Closing her set with the new single, Lane showed raw and inspirational talent. Her only instrument being her clicking fingers and using the audience as her very own un-paid back-up singers, ditching her microphone and going all out with an unplugged acoustic masterpiece which left the crowd humming her tune in the interval.

Jez Mead’s barefoot-stomping style quickly turned the feeling of the night from finger tapping to violently drumming your own thighs with just the strum of his guitar. Couples squeezed into armchairs and friends huddled on to footrests to see the intense passion and talent shooting from Mead’s fingertips. Also a teller of tales, Mead kept his crowd amused while taking breathers between tunes. It turns out he has bought his own single, Sucker, in an op-shop for a couple of bucks and resold it at five times the price.

Currently touring his new album, Beard of Bees, Mead mixed up his inspiring set with older originals and cover tracks from KISS and Massive Attack. Mead showed that he is not only a singer or musician; he is a maker of beautiful sound. He puts his whole self into his music; he plays like it is life or death, as if nothing else matters.

The Front hosted a night of immense talent in both Lane and Mead. Leaving onlookers, dancing, cheering, and begging for more. The room hung on every word sung and every beat played. Both artists agreed that this being the perfect venue for such an intimate show.