What kind of image forms in your head when you think of someone who is suffering from a cold? Certainly not graceful, warm, charming and gorgeous. Kate Miller-Heidke was all these things and much more in a special mid-week performance she delivered to a strong audience at the Northcote Social Club in Melbourne.
Whenever a performer is suffering a cold or has a dodgy throat of some sort, it is always a concern that the voice will not survive the rigors of a full set. And with some of the notes she was attempting in the opening song, the effects of Miller-Heidke’s illness were evident. Fortunately for the crowd, Miller-Heidke hadn’t travelled all the way from Queensland to let a dodgy illness ruin her show.
Miller-Heidke is an emerging starlet on the Australian scene, having almost surreptitiously had her song added to Triple J to give her singing/songwriting career a kick in 2005. Based on this performance, it is easy to see why she is turning heads and why people are listening. She is comfortable and sultry on stage, and she demands attention. Deserving attention.
The most recognised Miller-Heidke’s songs are folky, acoustic numbers that burn slow and sooth the heart. So many would have been expecting a quiet and loungey performance. But as the jazzy Blah Blah was being delivered, and as some amazing vocals bounced off the venue walls, it dawned that Miller-Heidke is not the one-dimensional performer that her likes are often stereotyped as. Classically trained, there are moments where this training is allowed to shine, whether as a few notes of fun or for more dramatic musical effect on Make It Last.
Similarly, there is Miller-Heidke’s version of David Byrne’s Psycho Killer, sung part opera, part cabaret and all amazing. This is a lot of fun. At other times, Miller-Heidke mocks herself and the industry with a guilty grin (Australian Idol). This is even more fun. A special mention must be made of the lighting which worked well with the changes in music style. The cabaret spotlight made Miller-Heidke glamorous, lights were dimmed for the heartfelt songs and the purple lighting made her creepy when the music suggested so.
Miller-Heidke also has at her disposal a fantastic band. In particular, guitarist Keir Nuttall adds many moods to the music, being either rhythmic, funky or sparse when required. Similarly, violinist and singer Emma Dean is a strong performer. She provides some remarkable supporting vocals, emotive violin and nice eye candy on stage.
For those who had turned up for the moody, folky tunes such as Space They Cannot Touch and Apartment, Miller-Heidke and Co did not disappoint, with strong renditions being delivered after an emergency medical kit had been utilised by Miller-Heidke (a nice honey and lemon drink to sooth the throat). But the highlight of the evening was no doubt the haunting rendition of Nick Cave’s Little Water Song. Miller-Heidke must have been channelling the spirit of the victim in the song because it was delivered with such a naïve love and fragile voice that many in the audience, myself included, were on the verge of tears.
