07-05-2001 Revolver

A cosy relaxed ambience blanketed The Basement, appreciating a lovely seated meal to satisfy my craving for pure Australian performers. Interlacing the epitome of Club Acoustica – a poetic pattern of words within deep rooted song structures – I melted into the opening act.

With rousing concision, where originality and a refreshing elegance took precedence, Dominique Fraissard was revealed. A quest of alternative guitar tunings and a deep, soothing, crooning vocal tonality. Fraissard scrolled the stage painting enchanting stories with a few special guests. Lara caressed the violin, Emanuel played the flute like a gentle flow of water, whilst Nicola strutted her acerbic back-up vocals. Embellishing tracks such as the gliding ‘Focus’ and reminiscent and affectionate ‘The People Sea’ gushed with balmy folk chords. Intimate spaces tended to agree with his type of show, where the listener got the full effect of the musical profundities, the crowd responding in kind with vivacious applause. Here was an addiction that the whole world should indulge in.

The bass and guitar duo hailing from Queensland made up women in docs. Relenting, prolific melt down harmonies merged with an upbeat folk/rock lilt to the tunes dressed in front of a poised yet carefree room. Chanel and Roz infused a good dose of ‘Australiana’, which was tasted in the intonation of notes especially in a song addressing life on Crown Street, Surry Hills. ‘The Migrant’ sprang a subdued tilt, reaching into areas of unmitigated sorrow.

Brett Hunt made his entrance from the back of the room playing harmonica, warming the crowd into a playful jig. A whipping, soulful and bluesy range, Hunt used his voice with brazen delicacy and flamboyant edge. Ingenious songs such as ‘Melancholy’ stemmed touching minor chords evoking excursions of feverish tendencies, where a quiet frisson seeped out of me. Giving Hunt a band feel were a double bass, soprano sax/flute and tablas inflecting a multicultural essence to the arrangements. Now I am an aficionado, indeed I am! It was a pity that his CD was still in the making...

Without a set list Stella One Eleven played their evocative tunes at random – what cathartic voices Cindy and Gen manipulated with clever musical strides. This eager crowd knew who they wanted to see. The rest of the band reigned in temperamental sways while heaving out much loved tunes such as ‘Hard’ and the adorable, crystallised ’Mother Superior’. While ‘Loose’ pushed the tempo upward, in ‘Ruff You’ Gen’s vocals were as faultless as ever. To experience the act live was an infectious gift!

The last act for the evening were Acre, a force of nonchalant moody embraces with a penchant to boost the groove-rock incisions when needed. A singer wavering tidy yet tender melodic hooks were what dragged me in. Using an old Rhode organ, an old banjo and a ukulele with an antenna gave their songs a truly earthy nature. The song ‘I Feel Slow’ spawned an array of sombre feelings with its slow, loose but taut inflections that sapped the emotive juice out of you.

A musical pilgrimage that HAD to be witnessed live...