Didn't notice this show being advertised in the street press. Glad to see so many people came along anyway. I myself couldn't stay away. Third time seeing the marvelous Inga Liljestrom in as many months.
Heidi Elva was first support, a cute girl with a little harp playing with a guest on cello. The music was light and airy, angelic vocals over pretty melodies, drawing extra interest from me when she built a song up by herself with a loop sampler, experimenting with brushing the microphone and singing into the body of the harp. Lovely.
Brian Campeau. For some, this may understandably have been the highlight of the night. A guy with a vocal range wide like Iota, pucking, strumming and hitting the guitar with virtuosity like Kaki King. Distracting himself mid-song with bits of other songs like a kid with ADD. But personally, it didn't really do much for me. Credit for him though, for at one stage creating a most eerie sound by getting everyone in the crowd to sing back one note. No doubt he has his charms, just not really my cup of tea.
Inga. I'm so obsessed. The two cello players from the Hopetoun gig return, along with a guy on percussion, and an acoustic guitar got bandied around. Slowly but surely, Inga is building a loyal fanbase and for a school night, the turnout was quite healthy and people weren't just there for a drink at the Annandale. Everyone seemed to be aware that this was gonna be something special and hushed themselves down as soon as Inga and friends walked on stage.
The set was beautiful, as was to be expected. Perhaps looser than usual, with the "box percussion", Inga giving the guitar a go, inviting Brian Campeau back to try out the guitar, and trying out an autoharp. I had no idea what that was, someone in the crowd called it a cross between a harp and a chessboard! Lovely to hear pieces from the lost first album appearing in the set, as well as an improvised percussion versus telephone receiver piece, perhaps inspired from the recent improvised Quiet Music For Quiet People project. It can't match the Hopetoun show for that intensity, and that unique sound of two cellos plucking out a beat, but regardless, every time seeing Inga perform live is a pleasure and this is no exception. A jewel in the Sydney music scene.