TOP 5 FAVE GIGS OF ALL TIME
- Mama’s gig at the night cat 2021
At this point, I’d been to quite a few of The Mamas’ gigs, and it’s always an amazing time, filled with amazing banter, memes, sparkly outfits, not to mention KILLER vocals and harmonies. I pretty much know all the words to their first EP Juicy off by heart, but at this gig they debuted a bunch of fresh new songs, including one where they got the entire audience to kneel on the floor as Saucy Mama (aka Abbey Rose) took to the stage in a hood and spat a sick verse. If I remember correctly it was their song Riding On the Bus – all about creepy men needing to back off on Melbourne’s public transport system. My fave lyric: “my myki balance looking like a bank account statement”
2. Montana and Morissette at The Wesley Anne 2022
This was by far my favourite gig of all time. If you know me or have read any of my interviews, you know that Alanis Morissette is my all-time hero – it’s borderline obsessive really. I spent all of Lockdown Season 2 (2021) transcribing the string parts from the Jagged Little Pill musical just for something to do, and I’d like to blame that on boredom, but I think it was all just part of this ongoing Alanis addiction. As a musician, there’s nothing better than doing a whole set filled with songs that you love and mean the world to you. I even rejigged some of the lyrics to Forgiven, which is about Alanis’ experience with Catholic school, to fit in with my own experience going to a Jewish school.
Gig post here: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cbmep0mPb-b/
3. HONEY – night cat 2021
Sorry, two gigs at the Night Cat in one article, but to be fair I’d argue it is one of THE best venues Melbourne has to offer – I’d love to play there someday! I believe that HONEY has played the Night Cat a few times, and they always slay it. Their sound is a bit of disco, a bit of soul, and lots of fun, and they’re even better live. Each one of the members of the band are vastly skilled and vibrant musicians, with lead singer Amber Ferraro having one of the best voices I’ve ever heard in my life. I brought a few friends with me to this gig, and they were absolutely blown away.
4. Claire Bowditch – Queenscliff Music Festival – 2019
The 2019 Queenscliff Music Festival was the first festival I’d ever been to. My friends laughed at me because I’d never slept in a tent before and was completely inept in the set up process. Nevertheless, the music lineup was superb. Claire Bowditch played the mainstage, but she also did a smaller gig inside a church, interspersed with a Q&A style session. It was at the time of her book launch, Your Own Kind of Girl, and she was shedding light on her lifelong experiences with mental health struggles. As a 22 year old, it was exactly what I needed to hear and I left feeling much less alone. She even signed a copy of the book for me, took one look at me, and said: “you MUST be a songwriter.” The best performers are the ones who make their audience feel seen and heard, and Claire did that for me on that momentous day in 2019.
Me at the festival: https://www.instagram.com/p/B5PjUNijOxB/
5. ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ Some Velvet Morning – 2022
This was a very experimental gig of mine. I posted a list of songs, some originals and some covers, some serious and some REALLY silly, and asked the audience to vote on what songs they’d like to see me perform. The voting closed after a week, and the top votes informed what songs were in the set. This set included: The Corn Song (from that corn kid on Tiktok), Cotton Eyed Joe, The Menulog Theme song, amongst other well known songs by the likes of Kylie Minogue, Barbra Streisand, and Sia. I never thought I would be composing string parts to a viral Tiktok video, nor rejigging the Menulog theme song to a 1930s swing style, but here we were. It was my most fun gig to date.
Footage from gig: https://www.instagram.com/p/ClQfPH2ysaX/
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