Clare Bowditch, Lanie Lane @The Old Museum, Brisbane(24/07/2011)

Sun 7th Aug, 2011 in Gig Reviews

When you walked into Brisbane’s Old Museum Saturday night and sat in front of the stage, your first thought would probably be, “What’s with the flowers, the lamp, and the couch?” Given the Old Museum’s church-like setting and the shrine arrangement, you would’ve been forgiven for thinking you’re were in for a serious show – but you’d be wrong. Despite the Modern Day Addiction album (and the new EP Are You Ready Yet?) being a fairly adult set of songs, Clare Bowditch delighted and amused the audience all night with a fair amount of girlish sass and good humour.

With no opening acts, Bowditch emerged from backstage with a grin and a wave. Opening number Winter Secrets didn’t display any impressive guitar-work, but her voice was a rare treat indeed. Her vocal training truly shined as the soft and the loud notes were all realised in their most perfect form. The audience was silent and unmoving, rapt in Bowditch’s performance, and then she burst into an acoustic version of Queen’s We Will Rock You. Nervous chuckles reined around the hall.

She launched into a story about her ill-conceived childhood dream of dancing (an embarrassing story involving a callisthenics class) that culminated in Bowditch dancing across the stage like a Swan with a limp.

Popular hit Divorcee By 23 was aided by a harmony from the audience. Funnily enough the audience’s participation did add to the song, with the voices of the crowd echoing around the hall while Bowditch weaved rich harmonies with her voice. I Thought You Were God was a better show of folksy guitar skills, and a wonderful demonstration of her range – as her highs could have shattered glass.

Lanie Lane was then introduced and joined Bowditch with an electric guitar and a similarly brilliant voice. Human Being worked well as a number with only the two of them, but this dark tale of human desire is clearly better suited for a full band accompaniment. Bowditch accompanied her partner on one of Lane’s own songs while Bowditch played the drums (she’s apparently learning). Lane’s What Do I Do is a terrific jazz number, which was then followed by Bowditch coming back onstage dressed as her ‘cousin’ Lady Bowdo. Sadly the punchline of her faux class of making Gaga-style pop songs fell flat due to a faulty microphone (she re-did the skit at the end of the show to rapturous laughter).

The second act returns Bowditch to a piano, with Your Own Kind of Girl feeling like Bowditch was passing down motherly advice to someone as she sweetly sung, “Build a dream your own size.” Not too long after this solemn piano set, Clare chooses a drummer from the audience, and invites anyone to come up and sing with her for Lips Like Oranges. Mitch the drummer was actually quite good at taking his lead from Clare, while the girl who sung along sung a little too close to the microphone. Between the Tea and the Toast with Lane was particularly moving once Bowditch took centerstage again; as was a perfect cover of Bruce Springteen’s I’m On Fire. You Look So Good ends the show with her silly song about pining over someone and wanting to jump their bones.

Anyone who happens to mention donkeys in Mexico, teapots or a strange woman wearing two sets of sunglasses may get a knowing grin from anyone who attended one of Bowditch’s shows. To understand it though? Sorry – you had to be there.