Newcastle City Hall
Friday June 28, 2013 :
As we climbed the grand marble staircase of Newcastle City Hall escaping the drizzling rain, we stepped into the warm lobby lights and the friendly chatter of those gathering to witness the forthcoming angelic performance of Kate Miller-Heidke.
The titters of a clearly amused audience spilled into the overflowing lobby and we caught a glimpse of this peculiar looking character upon stage holding the audience in the palm of his hand. Frankie Walnut looked like he came straight off the farm complete with his pluggers, flanno and thick Australian twang. His charm was so endearing and his humour so genuine, disarming and unanticipated that I found myself laughing at every second thing he said, not to mention I have never seen anyone play a guitar with a thong, all of which was complimented by the clear craft in his songwriting and stage performance.
Shrinking into my seat as he enquired as to the existence of any critics in the audience, he introduced his song ‘Three Word Review’, which went a little something like this…. “Today Tonight, piece of shit, A Current Affair, piece of shit, Home and Away, piece of shit, Neighbours, piece of shit … Lady Gaga, piece of shit, Justin Beiber, piece of shit, One Direction, piece of shit, Nickelback, piece of shit, Black Eyed Peas, piece of shit. Burt Newton, what a legend.” The audience erupted in acknowledgement, cheering, giggling and sniggering with delight.
Little did we know our charming superhero was in fact Kate’s husband Keir Nuttall, who made a Clarke Kent like transformation to a more austere persona in his supporting role as Kate’s guitarist.
Kate is simply exquisite. Pitch perfect, she made the most technical and impossible sounding melodies look easy, like a world class athlete at the top of her game. Blending her operatic background with modern pop-folk, Miller-Heidke delivered her quirky brand of story and melody to the audience effortlessly.
With her stripped back arrangement of songs from her older albums as well as a smattering of exceptional new material, the set was fresh and captivating. The simplicity of guitar, keyboard and percussion between the two made for an enchanting performance.
Miller-Heidke’s stirring rendition of ‘Caught In The Crowd’ always moves me to a tear and this occasion was no exception. A tale of school yard regret, she followed up the song by recounting how she learned that high school teachers are using the song to inspire conversation and awareness about the issues surrounding bullying and self esteem, and that she had received a bag full of mail from one such class sharing their thoughts and feelings conjured by the lyrics. The standout letter coming from young George, writing “against his will”, pointed out to her that in the first verse she rhymed school with school and encouraged her to “keep trying” – the little bastard.
An exploration and education in music, the unique story telling of Miller-Heidke should not be missed.
Reviewer and Photographer: Courtney Laura
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