The Triffid, Brisbane
Friday August 25, 2017 :
Walking into a sold out Triffid band room last Friday night for the Brisbane leg of Vera Blue’s highly anticipated Mended tour, I had an overwhelming feeling that this was going to be a great gig and oh boy, was I right.
As I made my way through the shoulder-to-shoulder crowd, the gorgeous Thandi Phoenix took the stage. With her wild curls flowing and soulful voice filling the room everyone took a few steps forward and it was clear she had the room captivated and, with a giant smile on her face I felt like the love was definitely reciprocated.
Her set was filled with raw and emotive RnB tracks with a beautiful electronic undertone which I absolutely loved. It’s the kind of music that you cannot help but have a dance to and the crowd were most definitely getting involved. ‘Tell Me Where The Lovers Have Gone’ was a definite highlight, as was her cover of Kid Cudi/Crookers ‘Day n Night.’ The set took a heart felt turn with ‘Oh My My’, which had the band take a break from the stage as Thadi played solo on the piano, the most beautiful song about losing a loved one, accompanied with some heartfelt words sending strength to anyone battling heartbreak right now. Just lovely.
After a short break the lights went down and several upright drums at the back of the stage started to illuminate. The crowd squeezed in even closer to the stage as Vera Blue and her band made their way onto the stage. The opening sounds of ‘First Week’ played, Vera beat the drum with her back to the audience, as it lit up in time to the music. As she turned to face the audience, she looked every bit the front woman, with her long golden curls cascading over the most amazing black dress with gold tassels and signature black Doc Martins. Swoon.
Launching into the 2016 release ‘Fingetips’ which showcased her moody, etherial style in all it’s glory straight out of the gate. She then took the audience through several tracks of the new album, Perennial, with ‘Give In’, ‘Regular Touch’ and ‘Over Achiever’ as well as one of my favourites, ‘Magazine’, which had the audience dancing while showcasing her amazing vocal range.
Things were then stripped right back with Vera moving away from the synth and picking up a guitar for a beautiful acoustic performance of ‘We Used To’ and ‘Pedestal/Cover Me’, one of the many highly emotional moments of the night from a performer who allows the audience a glimpse into her soul through her music. She then played ‘Lady Powers’ for “All the ladies out there, and the supportive men who stand beside them…” while pulling out some pretty fabulous dance moves. We were then treated to the stunning ‘Hold’, which again had me floored, with Vera’s breathtaking vocals giving me goosebumps.
The set wrapped up with a massive version of ‘Private’, and then Vera handing out white roses to the girls in the crowd during ‘Settle’, and a really cute moment when a fan handed her a bunch of hand picked flowers, the surprise and happiness on Vera’s face was just so endearing, before finishing up the set ‘Fractures’, her collaboration with Slumberjack.
After a very short break the band came back out stage for their encore and played a cover of Jack Garratt’s ‘Breathe Life’, the Like a Version recorded on Triple J a while back, and wrapped up the night with ‘Mended’.
I have waited a while to see Vera Blue play live and I can can say without a doubt she did not disappoint. By far one of the best voices in the industry right now and I cannot wait to see where she takes it next.
Reviewer and Photographer : Chrissy Kavalieros
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