Wim, Grace Woodroofe, EmmaDavis @ The Basement, Sydney(2/4/11)

Tue 5th Apr, 2011 in Gig Reviews

The stage set up was reminiscent of a townhouse courtyard complete with paper lights, leaves, vines and astroturf which Emma Davis wanted to feel between her toes. Emma’s set was a beautiful piece of indie acoustic pop. Her sultry voice with a Missy Higgins feel delighted the eager audience. Being her hometown show, her friends did what only good friends can do-try and put her off during her performance. But like a professional she held steady for most part, playing songs off her debut album including lead single Machine. Emma also threw in a cover of Sugar Ray’s Every Morning on the ukulele in a style similar to Amanda Palmer’s cover songs.

Next up was the amazing voice of Grace Woodroofe. The Ben Harper protege has an amazing old school jazz voice it was impossible to not be drawn in. It’s powerful, it’s emotional, it’s soulful. Tracks like Transformers and I’ve Handled Myself Wrong were stand outs as tonight it was just Woodroofe and her best friend on keys and violin. Apparently the rest of her band had to go back to Perth. The extra instrumentation would of added more substance around her melancholy tunes.

Headlining tonight was Wim. Their spacey, expansive sound energized The Basement. The vocalist, has an almost angelic voice that soared above the weaving guitar lines behind him. The guitarist used a violin bow to strum his guitar instead of the normal pick and little nuances like that contributed to the open sound the band played within to create some truly Radiohead inspired songs that captivated the (slightly) inebriated crowd.

The end result was an enchanting evening at The Basement. The tour lived up to its name, with an intimate performance by the three acts in a cosy, comfortable show. All three acts are stars on the rise and is well worth checking them out on their remaining dates of the tour. Or at the very least, checking out their albums. It was like sharing a night with good friends.