She; the Glaswegian beauty with an angelic voice, known best for her work with Belle & Sebastian, but also an amazing solo artist in her own right. He; the rough as nails, vocal gun-for-hire, partner in crime to Greg Dulli and Josh Homme among others, and the guy you want on your team when you’re lacking in the low end. They’ve been called many things – an unlikely partnership, and even rock music’s Beauty and the Beast. On paper they certainly look like an odd pairing, but when you hear Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan perform together, all of a sudden everything makes perfect sense. Finally visiting Fremantle’s Fly By Night Club for the final night of their tour as part of their Splendour in the Grass visit.

Another Splendour sideshow means another support slot for local lads The Ghost Hotel, and another chance to plug their single on iTunes (“It’s only a buck nineteen”) and upcomming Sunday afternoon residency at The Bird. The Ghost Hotel looked far more at home and comfortable on the Fly By Night stage compared to that of Metro City. At times, their rawkus set walked a fine line between relaxed and a little sloppy. Although guitar problems and mix issues hampered proceedings, the boys finished strong and the early crowd that had formed, seemed appreciative.

After what felt like the world’s fastest band change, the house lights dimmed and a hush fell over one half the crowd, who then proceeded to try and quieten the other half some very audible and rather harsh “shhh”ing. By the time the band took the stage, you could see them squinting out to the room to check if anyone was actually there. Taking their places, the band opened with We Die and See Beauty Reign, Lanegan and Campbell taking their places onstage to a warm, if not overly enthusatic welcome. Lanegan cuts an imposing figure on stage. His eyes are either closed, or focused intently on the sheet music in front of him. One hand placed almost permanently at the middle of the mic stand, the other occasionally raising to the mic, with a grip that suggests or he’s about to squeeze the life out of it. His intensity contrasted by the demure, reserved Campbell, delivering her whispered vocals in almost darkness. Neither of them making much of an effort to connect with the crowd, instead letting the songs speak for them.

The set flowed from haunting folk, to swaggering country rock ( You Won’t Let Me Down Again ), to smokey and seductive jazz ( Come Undone ), all effortlessly. Campbell taking duties on cello when required, while Lanegan stayed planted firmly at his mic stand. It was an odd sight, seeing Mark Lanegan with his hardened exterior sing about “chasing butterflies” during Honey Child What Can I Do? backed by some perhaps too cheesy pre-recorded strings. And an even odder sight seeing what looks like a small smile escape from the side of his mouth as he taps his mic stand in time with the music.

A good two thirds of the set is down before either Lanegan or Campbell speak a word. The Circus is Leaving Town ends with Lanegan thanking the crowd before leaving the stage to Campbell and the band. It’s almost as if the hard part of the show is over, and she’s able to breath a sigh of relief, let her guard down, and greet the crowd. She stopped Saturday’s Gone a verse in to tell us she’s “fucking knackered” and that her belt is too tight. Campbell seemed almost ready to give up, the rigurs of touring obviously taking their toll, even suggesting they just bring Lanegan back – “I always feel like I’m wasting people’s time,” she admits, laughing nervously. With the crowd on her side, she tries again, and nails it. It’s an utterly charming, honest, and human moment, shifting the tone of the night and opening it into a far more personal experience.

One song later, Lanegan joined Campbell on stage again for Back Burner and Trouble. Shortly after, Campbell introduces Something to Believe to a lady in the front row as as song she wrote for Mark while helping her Mother move house, admitting she doesn’t usually like the songs she writes, but she likes this one. Campbell sits, nervously by the drum riser as he delivers it. It’s easy to see these songs are very personal to Campbell; something Lanegan doesn’t take lightly in his delivery. After Come on Over (Turn Me On) the pair leave the stage to rousing applause. A quick break and they’re back, and once settled, a cry from the audience “And now Mark speaks!” is met with laughter and smiles on stage, and for the first time in this reviewer’s memory, Mark Lanegan spoke more than two words on stage. “I’d like to say a few words” he says, the crowd responding with cheers, before he announcing “That was it.” Campbell commenting that we don’t want to get him started, or he won’t stop. Ending their encore with (Do You Wanna) Come Walk With Me and Ramblin’ Man, Campell and Lanegan gesture to each other and leave the stage with their band, their guitarist staying behind to thank them both. It’s their last night on the road after starting the tour last September, and you can tell they are all worn, but grateful for the experience.

While the start of their show was delivered beautifully, Campbell and Lanegan ran the risk of losing the crowd with their almost impersonal performance, however once their personalities began to show, they revealed themselves to be so much more than the beautiful songstress and the man with the voice. Here’s hoping that, after going home for a good lay down, they’re back on the road soon.