The Indigo Girls @ PerthConcert Hall (21/4/11)

Tue 26th Apr, 2011 in Gig Reviews

If you are after a panic attack of folk proportions you should have been front and centre at the Indigo Girls gig last Thursday night. Close your eyes and imagine being enveloped by two angelic voices, dare to open them and you’ll soon be assaulted by an antagonistic looking mob of holier-than-thou lesbians in the audience. Thankfully, the Indigo Girls were a delight to the auricles and made the hostile disposition of the crowd disappear quickly.

Talk of uranium, mining and nuclear power plants are not the first thoughts that come into one’s mind as one is gearing up to see the Indigo Girls by putting on a pair of Birkenstocks, jeans and a “Grey’s Anatomy” t-shirt. That’s exactly what a surprisingly packed bunch at the Perth Concert Hall was subjected to during the encore break of the American folk duo. Enlightening the masses on political and global environmental issues is all well and good, but this was not exactly the time or place for a lecture about Colin Barnett’s authoritarian state politics and his general ‘clown’-like demeanour. However, most of the audience showed an increased sense of political awareness and responded positively to the proclamation, which was oddly followed on by a moving rendition of “I am Australian”, during which there was the obligatory crowd hand holding and gentle swaying.

But let’s begin by getting truly immersed in the atmosphere of the night. As one would expect, the majority of the crowd self-identified as lesbian, hand-tucking, environmentally mindful, proud and fiercely independent women. Fashion-wise, crew cuts and post-mullets were the weapon of choice; popped collars and leather jackets also made an appearance, along with a very recognisable hobo look that the current class of liberal types take a fancy to. There was quite a peculiar mix of punters, with a small proportion of questionably hetero couples and a few families that brought along their kiddies for a quality night out with the old folks. Thanks mum and dad!

The Grammy Award winning twosome presented as very seasoned songwriters who knew how to fluctuate between holding tension and release, with only two acoustic instruments. The performance was stripped bare of any unnecessary stage antics and relied on the simplicity of two strong vocals and their supporting instruments. The pair’s take on nostalgic Americana folk and signature sound of sweet mezzo-soprano and contralto harmonies was fascinating to listen to. Emily Sailers was a very good lead-guitarist with a lot of smooth picked melodies especially on the amplified banjo. Amy Ray, on the other hand, provided solid back up vocals packing a fistful of punk punch, laid good rhythm guitar and played the harmonica like there was no tomorrow. The songs were a medley of classic folk, soulful gospel and some infectious pop hooks thrown in for good measure.

Ray really got everyone going when she sang Power of Two and Dairy Queen. She forgot the lyrics, but was mercifully helped out by Sailers and the generous gang of adoring fans who sang along. There were crowd interactions aplenty with some even reaching lascivious frontiers. During the anthemic staple song Second Time Around the audience was on its feet dancing and twirling like opiated dervishes. The repetitive nature of the songs did become a source of ennui after ten tunes that started to coalesce to such an extent that they became hardly distinguishable from one another.

The Indigo Girls covered every colour on the folk/pop spectrum and demonstrated that they are comfortable being mature women in today’s harsh music industry. They are a testament to their enduring continuation and made it known that nothing could replace an effective stage presence, accompanied by harmonic vocals, beautiful storytelling and earnest acoustic guitars.