Empty patches on Melbourne Zoo’s lawn were hard to come by for Lisa Mitchell’s sold out Zoo Twilights show.
With tiny tots and teenagers abound, the families were out in full force to see the Albury lass. Before her arrival however, she had some help from her boyfriend, Jordan Wilson, together with musical partner Ben Riley under the guise of Georgia Fair.
In complementary singlets, (Wilson’s black and Riley’s white), the New South Wales duo’s agreeable, catchy folk melodies worked well as a warm up. Recently returned from recording album number two in the States, they played a lot of new material.
Like any good folk band, their outfits weren’t the only things in harmony. Though it’s easy to confuse them with each other, songs like “Comin’ Back” and “Gloria” were standouts.
Wilson is a passionate performer, craning his neck to sing like a turtle surfacing for air. Riley showed off his talents as a multi-instrumentalist in “The River”, where his clarinet is a welcome addition.
Even though they’re technically a duo, credit must be given to their drummer. The unmentioned blonde sat cool, calm and collected at the back yet added a necessary weight to their set. Her expert use of the bass drum made the absence of a bass guitarist virtually unnoticeable.
Without introduction, indie-pop darling Mitchell opened her set with “Providence” from 2012’s Bless This Mess. Her signature husky, pixie tones filled the air but showed a newfound depth as she gradually built to a wail and crouched on the ground.
It’s clear that this young lady has come a long way from the shy girl who would sing into her shoes.
Upbeat, poppy “Animals” from 2009’s Wonder, highlights the contrast in mood between her first and second albums. New single, “The Raven and The Mushroom Man” felt strangely disjointed as she signalled for her microphone to be turned down and the guitarist (Riley from Georgia Fair) seemed to get the giggles.
Crowd favourite “Neapolitan Dreams” picked up the mood again as Mitchell sang with a cheeky smile. Despite a few initial fumbles over the lyrics, she is an endearing performer and gets some enthusiastic patrons singing along to the chorus.
A self-professed lover of ravens, “Oh Hark” is dedicated to her favourite bird and Mitchell exuded confidence; outstretching her arm to the audience like a preacher. Followed by awkward banter, she apologised to the crowd – “I’m being really corny and I don’t know why.”
Mitchell sings in a lower register for parts of “Walk With Me” and this mature new direction suits her to a tee. It’s a piano-heavy slow burner and is a refreshing change of pace from the somewhat twee set.
Before the obligatory encore, two of her most popular songs, “Coin Laundry” (no coins were thrown) and “Bless This Mess” wrapped up the evening on a high.
Miss Mitchell returned to passionate applause, accompanied by her beau and tourmate, Jordan Wilson. Channelling 1960s folk, the two shared the mic as Riley gently plucked his guitar to “Golden Ship”. The rendition, however lovely, didn’t garner as much attention as the kiss between the two that followed it.
By the time jungle rhythms of “Spiritus” rang out, Mitchell’s fans (likely the same ones who wolf-whistled to the kiss) were up on their feet dancing.
It was a fitting end to a lively set from their favourite raven-loving indie-pop pixie princess who, it seems, is growing up fast.
