“Thanks for listening,” songstress Taasha Coates says early on.
“It’s not as if they can go anywhere,” one of her bandmates says.
“Yeah, they’re stuffed,” she agrees.
Not that they need worry, their engaging blend of blues, folk and country dominated by banjo, violin and double bass is arresting enough in its own right.
For the most part, their songs float along dreamily. The lust-filled Oh Honey is the sole contrast – a rockier Waifs-like song full of rapid, sliding, drawling guitar.
But, scattered around this rough jewel, Banjo & Violin weaves along like a sensual tango – violin and Coates’ vibraphone each leading the dance in turn. Where are you now? is all eastern-tinged guitar and soft toms while a mournful country version of the INXS classic Don’t Change allows Coates’ smoky, twangy voice to caress the ears.
The Audreys deliver a fine set of songs that suit the mood of the evening, and the crowd shows generous appreciation when the fivesome depart.
Kate Miller-Heidke appears on stage almost before anyone can realise. Seating herself quickly behind a black grand piano, she immediately launches into a breathtaking solo rendition of the normally lush Monsters.
Over the course of the next five songs, her band gradually joins her, allowing Miller-Heidke to showcase her silky vocals. Out and In is an early highlight – sparse violin, piano and acoustic guitar cradle Miller-Heidke’s vocals. Her pure, crisp notes make the spine tingle and the crowd listens with hushed appreciation.
Blah blah receives rapturous applause as new member and violinist Sallie Campbell proves she’s set to fill Emma Dean’s shoes more than ably, and then they unleash the full band for the first time with the whimsical Apartment.
The set proves beyond doubt the band’s ability to span mood and style – both lyrically and musically.
The lusty Dreams wavers between mad cabaret. Miller-Heidke first growls “I love you” huskily into her microphone and later bangs the keys dissonantly, while in-between it’s all shimmering, soaring violin and piano.
‘Minor hit’ Space they cannot touch and a poignant rendition of Nick Cave’s murder ballad Little Water Song hush the crowd to dead silence.
And mid-gig, Miller-Heidke even surrenders the stage to guitarist and co-writer Keir Nuttall for a ribald ocker-esque ditty called Where have I been all your life? The audience laps up the hilarious lyrics.
Later, Adam Adam is catchy as hell with its cool bass riffs. Miller-Heidke might be best appreciated for her exquisite voice, but her songwriting is equally good.
She also unleashes a pair of brand-new unrecorded songs, tentatively titled Mumma Dadda and Words - the latter all pacey electric guitar and slicing violin with lilting spoken-word vocals.
At the close, Miller-Heidke applies the blowtorch, launching into her poperatically styled signature cover of Stayin’ Alive. In between her high notes and gorgeous trills, we overdose on the massive amounts of wah wah and ogle the glam-tastic disco ball that hangs from the ceiling.
Australian Idol’s endearing pop charm winds things up, but there’s little time to dwell as the band return immediately to encore with the reflective Don’t Let Go and a remarkable version of Psycho Killer that could have seamlessly dropped into a performance of Gilbert & Sullivan’s the Mikado.
Popera indeed.
